Work Camp  11072 GW

Location: Gradnitz

Type of work: Railway

Man of Confidence: Cpl James C Johnston, POW 1732

Number of Men: 138

Known to be present

Albert Freeman	Jack Woodward	Robert Randall
Linley, Read, Moore	Queenslanders	Robb, Sinclair, Turkington + 1

The Little Theatre

Thanks to Jean Riding, Dave Freeman and Joe Woodward for the photographs.

The Liberation of 11072/GW

Date of visit: 24 May 1943

General Description

This camp is situated in an open field near a railway line some miles outside Klagenfurt. The compound comprises just the one large barrack, there is practically no ground otherwise.

Interior arrangement

Lighting in the camp is good. Fuel for heating is very scarce.

Bathing and washing facilities

The washhouse is rather badly equipped in that there are only 27 washing bowls for 102 men; furthermore the one boiler holds only enough water for about 50 men. The prisoners on the other hand, are allowed to go swimming each Saturday and Sunday for two hours.

Toilet facilities

Adequate.

Food and Cooking

The food is cooked by the prisoners themselves. No complaint. As for the cooking of Red Cross food, the fuel question is making it somewhat of a problem, as the supplies have to be divided between the washhouse and the private cooking.

Medical attention and sickness

There is an acknowledged sanitator in the camp and he has adequate supplies of medicaments. Sick prisoners are transferred to the Camp Lazaret in Klagenfurt (Weidmannsdorf).

Dental treatment in Klagenfurt by a civilian dentist.

Clothing

Everything in order.

Laundry

The laundry is washed by the men themselves.

Money and Pay

In order.

Canteen

There is a small canteen but poorly stocked. The men urgently require toilet paper and razor blades. This will be transmitted to the YMCA by the Delegate of the Protecting Power.

Religious activity

In order.

Recreation and exercise

The prisoners are able to play football and cricket.

Mail

Parcels arrive regularly. Mail is delivered once weekly.

Welfare work

In order.

Complaints

The Man of Confidence states that they all consider the size of the compound as being totally out of keeping with the number of inmates. There is neither a mess- or a day-room nor a hall for theatrical entertainments. Furthermore, new crockery is needed, some of the men drinking out of empty tins at present. Also they would like to go to a cinema sometime.

All these points were discussed with the Accompanying Officer who promised to find satisfactory arrangements.

General impression

Good camp.

Date of visit: 7 September 1943

94 men. There is no day-room in this camp. The firm has promised one and the wood is already available, but the means of transport were not yet accorded by the Riechsbahn. The Accompanying Officer on the demand of the Delegate insisted that the barrack containing the day-room must be built before the cold season sets in. A new cook-house is just being finished at will be at the camp's disposal in a few days. No other complaints.

Date of visit: 19 November 1943

174 British and 2 USA prisoners of war. This camp has considerably increased in number as about 80 men have joined from Italian captivity. In the new barrack was no night latrine and the accompanying Officer gave orders to have one installed. There too, the blankets are much worn out and were ordered to be exchanged. No other complaints. This is a fairly good camp and the man of confidence reported good understanding and personal contact with his firm and the camp authorities.

The Liberation of 11072/GW

(From an account written by a reporter attached to the 8^th Army, May 1945.)

 'As Sixth British Armoured Division pressed on towards the Austrian frontier in the van of 8^th Army; the news filtered through to over 100 British and Dominion Prisoners in the ARB. KDO. 11072/GW at GRADNITZ-EBENTAL, near KLAGENFURT.

Two days before the arrival of out men the Germans allowed the prisoners to move about freely in the town. As our mobile column entered KLAGENFURT and while the Divisional Commander was accepting the surrender of the German Corps Commander in the barracks, the freed Prisoners of War were thronging the streets to greet Sixth Armoured Division.

A British Corporal took me down to the Camp. The Union Jack was flying. The men had put it up that morning, despite the threats of SS men. These SS were marching to captivity and had not yet been disarmed. They avowed their intention of shooting down the flag.  Luckily for them, discretion prevailed and the flag was left flying.

Most of them were captured in Greece or Crete. They told me that for the first six months they had a particularly hard time. During that time, their weekly ration – and Red Cross parcels had not yet begun to come through – consisted of the following: Bread and biscuits, 1 lb., Rice, 1 lb. 8 oz., Sugar and Honey, 1 and a half oz., Salt fish, 2 oz., Tomato puree, 6 oz., Total 2 lb. and 14 and a half oz.

After their capture, they marched for 5 days with practically no food. Again, en route for Austria, they entrained with only a tin of Bully and 2 Biscuits each. They were given nothing else except Water and Soup by the Yugoslav Red Cross at Belgrade. During their early days in Austria, the food situation was acute. They were given equal rations with the German soldiers and sometimes more. Nevertheless, this was on the starvation level. Then the Red Cross parcels began to come through and these saved their lives.

Working on the railway, constructing their own Air Raid Shelter, making a soccer pitch, organizing concerts, marching in the village on Armistice Day, burying a comrade, these men from all over the Empire, lived in complete harmony, with a firm determination to show the Germans the kind of men the British are. They were able to receive news every day with two radios obtained from Austrian Partisans and a crystal set made in the camp. These sets were concealed in ingenious places during the numerous searches.

The camp has now been taken over by the 2^nd Battalion, The Rifle Brigade who were the first 8^th Army troops into Austria. The men look extremely fit and their one thought is to get home as soon as possible.'