When Springboks did the sweep against best of rest in the Stalag
On remembrance Sunday, BRENDAN GALLAGHER tells how rugby helped steel the mind in the Stalag 1VB POW camp
HOW to stay sane in a German Prisoner of War camp for three or four years? For those who relished the simple freedoms and who were pathologically allergic to confinement, that prospect was possibly more scary and intimidating than fighting in the white heat of battle.
The claustrophobia, the rubbish food, the slow steady decline in your physical and mental state, the uncertainty, the lack of purpose. For most just getting through their incarceration with body and soul intact was a massive achievement and as we will see, in some cases, competitive ‘Test’ rugby games played a huge role.
Some camps, especially the purpose built ones in the heart of Germany, were much more escape proof than Hollywood would have you believe, making a successful run for home incredibly rare.
The many hundreds of camps varied in size and severity but among the very biggest was Stalag 1VB near Muhlberg on the Elbe River which was purpose built in 1939 and among the most secure of POW camps. Designed originally to house 10,000 inmates it was expanded with additional compounds and in December 1944 the Germans recorded 21,000 POWs, including nearly 8,000 British and Commonwealth troops. Soldiers from 33 countries are listed as having been POWs at Stalag 1VB at various times.
The camp was in effect a small town and it of course boasted an eight strong escape committee in the British and Commonwealth sector, chaired by Joe Seddon RA. There were some major successes, including a dozen British troops making their getaway when working with a wood gathering party outside of the camp and a number of audacious opportunist attempts. There was also an ambitious tunnel, starting under the recreation hut, which was thwarted at the very last minute, while a number of soldiers were shot dead attempting to climb the barbed wire.
All that was always bubbling away to some degree – the escape imperative was strong – but to borrow from John Lennon life was what happened when you were busy making plans.
It was the arrival of a 700 strong contingent of South Africans in the Autumn of 1943 – moved to Germany by train from central Italy as the Allied invasion gathered pace – that kick started the rugby scene at Stalag 1VB. They were an energetic bunch containing a good sprinkling of useful provincial and club rugby players, and one future Springbok in Fiks van der Merwe. Transvaal full-back Gus Ackemann had also been tipped for Springbok honours before the War intervened.
Although living conditions were spartan and an icy German winter didn’t initially encourage much in the way of outdoor sport, the arrival of Spring saw a 32-strong Hut League start up, making use of the large, grassy parade grounds where the Germans permitted sport to be played during the ample free time.
It appears to have been a mutually beneficial arrangement. The POWs could attempt to retain a degree of fitness and work off much angst and frustration while the Germans could see exactly what a good proportion of the fitter and more able prisoners were doing for long periods of the day.
Inevitably there was soon talk of escalating the Hut League and staging a few ‘internationals’. South Africa were the main instigators and on the QT formed a selection committee with van der Merwe and Major Ochse – their chief medical officer – as the most prominent members. A detailed list of all decent South African players at the camp was drawn up, with their form being evaluated at inter-Hut matches. No ad hoc affair this.
An ANZAC XV were lined up as their first opponents and 30 players were selected for a ‘final’ Springbok trial with the teams published in one of the Camp’s underground newspapers, the Observer, which took a keen interest in all things sporting. From surviving copies we have full details of two of the Tests that transpired and results in the others.
First came the challenge though of kitting out the South African team. National pride was at stake and much ingenuity went into the preparation and offered up a chance for the non-sportsmen to get involved and demonstrate their skills and commitment.
The Red Cross had been allowed to deliver a consignment of balls and whistles and also a large number of long sleeved white vests, but that was about all. The latter were transformed to green jerseys by using the dye from the uniforms of Russian or Italian soldiers in camp. For the gold collars, cuffs and sock tops the camp medics dissolved a quantity of the large stockpile of anti-malaria tablets while former tailors devised and sewed in a Springbok emblem.
For the boots a number of former cobblers in camp stepped forward. The rugby boots were basically well worn regulation Army boots with the heels removed. From those heels six studs were fashioned and attached to the soles of boots. And for laces the strong twine used to tie the various Red Cross parcels served nicely.
The troops’ cigarette rations were used to bribe some of the German guards for bits and pieces – mostly shorts – while ahead of the game those not playing volunteered some of their meagre rations for those who were participating. Although there seem to be no surviving pictures of South Africa’s opponents, we can safely assume that the same process occurred in getting them kitted out.
A set of posts were quickly knocked up from Hut planks and an annotated German map of the camp clearly shows a well-marked combined rugby and football pitch on one of the parade grounds.
Come the first match and the ANZACS were not quite as strong as might be expected – there wasn’t a big contingent of Australians and Kiwis at Stalag 1VB and they weren’t spoilt for choice. South Africa, however, were not happy with their 21-0 win and the versatile van der Merwe decided to move himself from scrumhalf to No.8 where he could have more influence on affairs.
Five years later van der Merwe, the star of Northern Transvaal’s successful 1946 Currie Cup campaign, played in the Springboks back row that helped defeat the All Blacks in the first Test at Cape Town, although, alas, he suffered a nasty ankle dislocation in that game, an injury that brought his career to an end.
“Five years later van der Merwe played in the Springboks back row that helped defeat the All Blacks in Cape Town ”
Playing alongside him that day was prop Okey Geffin, another POW veteran who spent most of his time in Stalag XX, where former Springbok Bill Payne recruited the burly Transvaal man and taught him the game, including how to kick goals barefoot because they had no boots. Geffin went on to become one of the few props who have been front line Test goal-kickers.
We digress. Back to Stalag 1VB. National pride was beginning to stir and a fixture with Wales, who boasted a strong contingent in camp, had already been confirmed when the other three Home Unions said they also felt able to field a combined side. The offer was accepted, and the game slotted in before the Wales match, with South Africa being pressed hard before winning 14-3.
Then came South Africa’s much anticipated clash with the Welsh for which we have a report in the Sports supplement of the Observer to refer to. For this game van der Merwe was listed as being unavailable having evidently twisted a knee against The Rest a week earlier. No matter, the Springboks still had class a plenty with eight players in their line up having played provincial rugby before the War with the rest of the team comprising of quality club players.
Wales took an early lead with a try from Grant from what sounds like a tapped penalty before Schaefer scythed through for a fine individual try for the Boks with Fabricus adding a second on the stroke of half-time with an opportunist effort to make it 6-3. After the break Schaefer was again on the scoresheet when he fielded a Welsh clearance and ran it back to touch down. Ulys converted and added a penalty and the Boks finished with a flourish, attacking off a lineout for Fabricus to score again.
These Test matches were now assuming considerable importance in camp life and there were two more challenges for the Springboks to meet. To celebrate South Africa’s Union Day – May 31 up until 1960 when it became a Republic – they had accepted an invitation to take on ‘The Rest of the World’ while Wales, despite the 17-3 defeat, felt they were hard done by the score line and immediately requested a replay at the earliest convenience.
Again we have the Observer report to refer to for the Union Day match which sounds like quite an occasion with South Africans to the fore all day. They conducted the morning parade and church service and then every able bodied South African in the camp took part in a display of gymnastics. In the afternoon came the game with the paper – written on wallpaper – stating that a crowd of 2,000 had gathered some half an hour before kick off. Another illicit camp publication, the 5-O-News, reports spectators had to be turned away.
Pre-match entertainment was provided by the non-playing South Africans who paraded as Zulu warriors with improvised shield made from cardboard Red Cross parcels.
It was a ferocious affair but the Boks scored a vital try midway through the half when van der Merwe made a break from deep and beat half the Rest team before passing on to Moore to score. Ackermann increased the Springboks’ lead with a penalty after the break and the closing stages were all South Africa with their stand-out backs Fabricus and Schaefer both going close before van der Westhuizen closed out the game with a second try for the Boks
Afterwards it was all back to the Empire Theatre – a bigger than usual hut used for meetings and drama productions – for a time honoured social. No beer, alas, but biscuits, tea, extra German bread bribed from the guards and much good fellowship. The kick back ended with the
communal singing of
“Officially no caps were awarded but the jerseys have never been worn with more pride”
national anthems.
There are a few gaps in the accounts of the final Test – the re-math against Wales – with no date given but circumstances in the camp appear to have worsened with a number of diaries and accounts of life in Stalag 1VB referring to the deteriorating health of the South African contingent at this time. Had a Red Cross food consignment been missed or waylaid, had they incurred the displeasure of the Camp commandment and forfeited certain privileges?
It’s unclear but South Africa struggled from the off against a much improved Wales team intent on revenge. The Bok fires burned brightly though and in a desperately close affair that was poised at 0-0 going into the final stages, Van der Merwe dug deep and found the strength and energy to force his way over for the deciding try.
Reading and writing of these sporting escapades it’s easy to almost convert them into comic book episodes in your mind’s eye, perhaps even glamorise them. Although that does not do them justice, I rather fancy that was part of the thinking and motivation behind them.
The reality of camp life could be so bloody grim, frightening and souldestroying that this was their attempt to first normalise and then bring a little fantasy into their daily routine. Captive servicemen died at Stalag 1VB on a daily basis from TB, typhus, suicide or just sheer exhaustion.
A big rugby match is a big rugby match regardless of all other considerations and the anticipation for those involved, even those just supporting on the touchline and those who sorted the kits out, was sustenance of sorts in a world where actual food was in desperately short supply.
The feeling of being in a team again, working together and sharing either victory or defeat with your mates instead of fretting constantly at your own miserable confinement was also a strong element.
Officially there were no caps awarded in any of these games but the respective jerseys have never been worn with more pride and it would be good to know more about these matches – and others in POW camps – and acknowledge those who participated.