248354 Pte. Clifford Waring British Army 4th Battalion East Lancashire Regiment from:Burnley My father, Clifford Waring, was captured at Dunkirk (aged 18 years) whilst fighting in the rear guard with the British Expeditionary Force. His family did not hear anything about him for a long time. I have a local newspaper cutting stating that he was last seen heading for Dunkirk and that his mother would be grateful for any news.
He was sent to Stalag XXB, Marienburg, East Prussia (now Malbork, Poland)where he remained until January 1945 when the Russian Army was advancing. He was then part of the Long March through Europe in one of the coldest winters recorded. He never spoke much about his experiences. I am fortunate to have all the letters that he sent to my mother from Stalag XXB but none of the replies that mother sent to him.
At the beginning of the war my parents were just friends but that friendship developed and in 1945 they were married. Unfortunately, my mother died just a few months before their 50th wedding anniversary in 1995. Towards the end of his life dad started to tell my sister and myself more details about his life in the prison camp. He died in 2013, aged 91 years.
|