[transcription and transcription annotations have been provided by the collection donor]
Fri July 1, 1944: to Fri July 8, 1944:
no entry.
Sat July 9, 1944:
Weather’s hot, windy and dusty. Gusts of wind makes the dust fly until at times you can’t see across the road. Lot of the fellows are taking their bunks apart and cleaning out all the lice that are sheltering there. This has become quite a task with most of the fellows.
Sun July 10, 1944:
Weather cold, dull, a little rain, which was a relief after all the dust we have been having the past few days. No mail to-day. The bakery and butchamer, which we bombed in the last air-raid seems to be working okay.
Mon July 11, 1944:
Weather fair.
Tue July 12, 1944:
Weather started out with rain, but later in the morning it cleared up, sun came out.
Wed July 13, 1944:
no entry.
Thur July 14, 1944:
Weather fair.
Fri July 15, 1944:
Weather fair, not too hot.
Sat July 16, 1944:
This morning was nice, but there was rain most of the afternoon. There was an air-raid warning and this time we were all made to go to our barracks and stay inside. We didn’t hear anything or see anything. These raids are getting frequent, which is a good sign.
Sun July 17, 1944:
Weather poor as it was dry, windy and dusty.
Mon July 18, 1944:
Weather bad. It was dull, rainy and cold. It is more like November weather, rather than the middle of summer. No mail, no parcels. We all get Canadian Red Cross parcels to-day. Heard that the Gerries are searching block 11, for something. Nobody knows what it is
Tue July 19, 1944:
This morning started off with a big surprise. Ever since we arrived at this camp, we’ve been counted each morning around 7am and again in the evening at 5pm, of course there had been exceptions when something went wrong and the morning parade was much earlier. According to German rules all POW’s are to be counted at 5am and again at 5 pm and I said before we are used to getting on parade in the morning at 7 and you soon forget the rules. This morning the German feldwebel (sergeant) along with half a dozen of his guards burst into our barracks just about 5am, yelling and screaming, waving their rifles and bayonets. The sergeant with a revolver in his hand and the look in his eyes as if he was liable to use it, if we didn’t get out in a hurry. Everybody ran like hell. In a very short time we were all in the parade square along with all the other barracks, who received the same treatment. The compound commander tried to find out what was wrong, but he couldn’t learn anything. That was a part of being a prisoner of war, wherein you are in the hands of a bunch of crazy Germans. The count was completed and we all returned to our huts. That was the first time we have been roused out since Ukrainian Joe left the camp.
Wed July 20, 1944:
Weather is a little better. To-day the Germans handed out two books to all POW’s. The first was Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler and the second was all about the Olympic Games held in Berlin in 1936. Mein Kampf is printed on German newspaper stock and makes good toilet paper.
Thur July 21, 1944:
Weather good. Rumor has it that there was an attempted assassination of Hitler, however nothing came of it. It was not successful.
Fri July 22, 1944:
Weather good.
Sat July 23, 1944:
Weather started out bad, rained all day until about 4o’clock in the afternoon, then it cleared up.
Sun July 24, 1944:
Weather fair.
Mon July 25, 1944:
Weather fair. Gen has it that the Russians are advancing fast and are not very far from Warsaw.
Tue July 26, 1944:
Weather clear and hot.
Wed July 27, 1944:
Weather hot. A lot of fellows sunbathe. Something happened to-day that we have not seen in quite a while. The Gerries are using the Heil Hitler salute, instead of the military one they have been using until a few days ago. The gen is now that the Russians are only 30 kilometers from Warsaw and they are bombing the hell out of the city.
Thur July 28, 1944;
Weather was raining most of the day. Gen last night was average.
Fri July 29, 1944:
Weather dull, with a little rain. The gen to-night is that there is street fighting in Warsaw.
Sat July 30, 1944:
Gen still good.
Sun July 31, 1944:
Weather is bad.
