RAF war hero says he bears no malice to Germans who held him prisoner
A SCOTS World War II hero has spoken of his captivity in Germany for the first time at the age of 93 – and says he forgives the men who put him through hell.
Albert Gunn, one of the last survivors of the wartime RAF crews, has revealed his ordeal publicly for the first time in a new book.
Albert was just 18 when he joined the RAF as a gunner and took part in daring bombing missions over Germany.
In December 1943, he was taken prisoner after his Halifax bomber suffered engine failure during a raid on Berlin, forcing the crew to bail out.
After battling hunger and horrendous conditions, he weighed just seven stones when his POW camp was liberated in April 1945. But he insists he bears no malice towards his captors.
Kirk elder Albert, from Burntisland, Fife, said: “I wanted to do my bit and I have no regrets. I don’t hold a grudge against anyone involved in what happened to me while I was a POW.”
He vividly remembers when he fell into enemy hands during the war. He was looking for somewhere to shelter after parachuting down when he was confronted by a group of armed men.
He said: “One man, with a Luger pistol, had no doubts as to what should be done with me, but fortunately the local police chief was also present and we proceeded towards the village.”
Albert’s story forms part of Last of the Kriegies, which details the wartime experiences of five RAF Bomber Command POWs – Kriegsgefangener in German.
Albert’s daughter, Rev Gillian Paterson, a Church of Scotland minister in Methil, Fife, said: “This is a longheld dream that has been realised in seeing my Dad’s story published.
“Dad’s faith helped him greatly while in captivity and has been at the forefront of all he has done.
“He is a very pragmatic man who has never really blamed the guards or others for what they went through. I admire that hugely.” Last of the Kriegies, Fighting High Publishing, £19.95.