Spa warmth contrast to winter of ’45
For best effect, this story might be one for reading while enjoying the warmth of the spa pool at the new Wanaka Swimming Pool. It’s about the couple — Olive and Graham West — who paid for the spa. And, in particular, it is about Graham’s dreams of such l
GRAHAM and Olive West were once pretty much the beginning and end of Lake Wanaka’s tourism industry.
Living in their cottage by the lake — where Speight’s Ale House now stands — Mrs West tended the roses and Mr West ran the tourist launches — Malibu I and Malibu II.
They were Aucklanders who came south in 1950.
Mr West died in 1995 and Mrs West in 2010.
They had no children. Their charitable trust left money for the benefit of the Upper Clutha community and its most recent bequest was $100,000 for the hot pool, which opened last month.
Trust chairwoman Janice Hughes said the pool ‘‘ticked all the boxes’’ — the Wests’ passion for serving the community and their strong connection with the water through their business.
But it also ticked another box, in terms of what Mr West dreamed of at times during World War 2.
Corporal Graham (Sandy) West was captured by the Germans at Sidi Rezegh in North Africa in 1941, and in January 1945 he was in a prisoner of war camp in Poland, in the path of the advancing Soviet army.
Like tens of thousands of others, he was about to be taken on a forced march across Europe during one of the coldest winters of the 20th century.
Some historians gave such marches the title of ‘‘Death March Across Germany’’.
Mr West began his 600km journey on January 25, 1945, along with 42 others, pulling 12 sledges loaded with ‘‘potatoes, a few onions, a little warm clothing and other things to make up the load’’.
For the next nine weeks, he kept a diary that is now in the hands of the Upper Clutha Historical Records Society.
Some of the writing is no longer legible.
It begins like this: ‘‘The first day was a bit tough not used to marching and the roads not frozen enough for good going with the sledges.
‘‘We carried on to a place named Kanth and bedded down in a big old barn for two days.
‘‘It was very cold, wet and miserable.’’
And while the place names change, very little else does through February and March and into April.
The weather was cold. The prisoners were wet. They slept in barns. Food was scarce. ‘‘The boys killed a big pig. ‘‘About eight that night we had a hot soup out of our share of the pig then at half past ten had a couple of pieces of hard dry frozen bread with a mug of hot tea.’’
They slept on straw, covered with a blanket or an overcoat and each morning they were back on the road.
‘‘This time headed for Metzdorf about 23 or 24km.
‘‘The day was bitterly cold, 20 degrees below.
‘‘By this time most of us had lost feeling of our hands and feet.’’
Some of the men were sick, and frostbite was common.
‘‘One of the English boys passed away last night.
‘‘Will be buried this afternoon.
‘‘Poor devil has been sick for weeks but wasn’t allowed to see a doctor.’’
The biggest issue was the lack of food.
‘‘The Germans said last night they can’t give us bread as they haven’t any.’’
And, there was a shortage of tobacco too.
‘‘We have had ten smokes a day since the 25th.
‘‘Tomorrow finishes them worst luck.
‘‘When a man has something to smoke, things don’t seem half as bad.’’
At the end of each day, Mr West recorded their location and the distance travelled — usually between 10km and 35km.
‘‘Moved to a place named Jauer (perhaps Jawor) about 12km.
‘‘It was hell.
‘‘Had to dump most of the sledges.
‘‘Only four arrived, ours being one to get here.
‘‘We are in a drafty old barn.
‘‘Am feeling rather footsore.
‘‘Gosh, how I would love a hot bath.
‘‘Been raining through the night.
‘‘It’s still very dark and cloudy.
‘‘Went 12km.
‘‘We all got through.
‘‘It’s a tough old life.
‘‘Boys are very crook. ‘‘Came 25km.’’ At Klitchdorf, after another ‘‘very tough’’ day, they were ‘‘packed into a barn like rats’’.
‘‘Still, we can take it. ‘‘Suffered the night through.’’
Then near Sagan (perhaps Zagan), one of the very few references to his captors: ‘‘They seem to be playing around with us.
‘‘We are just dogs, so the (officer) in charge said.
‘‘He has no use for Englishmen.’’
At Sagan: ‘‘Everything here is in a very bad way.
‘‘The food is about nil. ‘‘Moved last at 7.30pm. ‘‘Went 32km.
‘‘Snow started to fall early in the night.
‘‘It was hell.’’
Two hundred men were crowded into a barn.
‘‘I don’t think there is a chance of sleep as we can’t lay down owing to the space.
‘‘By the way there are forty thousand food parcels in Sargan.
‘‘All the Germans for miles around are living like kings. ‘‘All we got was promises.’’ They reached Tenkenhausen after a march of 28km. ‘‘Terrible trip.
‘‘Cold and blowing all day. ‘‘We are all getting weak for want of food.
‘‘Snow blizzards.’’
‘‘March 8. Stopped here today.
‘‘Got loaf of bread for tea. ‘‘Men got nothing yesterday.
‘‘March 9. Came 21kms. ‘‘The Germans took six blankets.
‘‘Of the four of us, we now have one between two men.’’
‘‘Dumped one wagon this morning.
‘‘Rained all the day.’’ On March 15 they arrived at a sugar factory.
‘‘We are praying for a hot bath as we are lousy after all these weeks.
‘‘Been here two days. ‘‘Things are very bad.’’ Mr West’s final entry is from Hanover, on April 3, 1945.
‘‘Gosh the boys are getting in a fairly bad state.
‘‘Now very little food. ‘‘Still the news is good. ‘‘We are hoping Montgomery will reach us soon.
‘‘Still with little to eat and nothing to smoke.
‘‘Last night we had a death.’’
The diary has no mention of the prisoners being liberated, or of Mr West finally getting a hot bath.
However, five years later, he could be found on Wanaka wharf, next to his launch, greeting tourists, smartly dressed in white shirt, black trousers, a captain’s cap and smoking a pipe.
What he would have made of the new spa pool he paid for is open to speculation, but perhaps he might have considered it money well spent.
❛ We are praying for a hot bath as we are lousy after all these weeks. Been here two days. Things are very
bad.
Corporal Graham West, 21st
battalion, 2NZEF