Private
Albert Henry ‘Bert’ Newnham
6402415
Bert was the MO’s chauffeur. He is pictured here with his 15cwt Bedford Truck.
After the battle at Amiens, Bert was captured and spent 5 years as a prisoner of war, first at Fort Thorn and later at Marienburg. He remembers that the men often used to break out of camp to get potatoes from the adjoining fields. His first job was on a farm, haymaking and then, in the winter, picking sugar beet. Later, he was put to work in a factory, bending iron for prefabricated houses. Whilst a POW he suffered from diptheria, treated by sticking needles in his bottom, which put him off needles for life!
In 1945, Bert was forced to take the Long March towards Germany for several weeks, until the Allied advance intervened and he was released.