He returned ten thousand miles on his way home. Now the war veteran has christened the renovated Spitfire
Norman Lewis's life story would be published in a book. In 1940, this British soldier was captured by the German army in Poland. Little did he know then that he had ten thousand miles and five years to live before he met his family again. He told his story to journalists during the christening of the refurbished Spitfire aircraft at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent, England.
Gallery: Sapper Norman Lewis (102 years old) joined the British Army in May 1939 before the outbreak of World War II. He says: "When it started, they immediately called me and sent me to France."
Enlarge PictureSize PictureExpand Full ScreenGallerySapper Norman Lewis (102) joined the British Army in May 1939 before the outbreak of World War II. He himself says: "When it started, they immediately called me and sent me to France." Author: Jacob KingSource: ČTKZoom pictureDimensions He was originally ordered to blow up a bridge approached by German tanks. However, the bridge was blasted after several attempts and Lewis and the whole unit found itself in direct conflict with the Germans. Author: Jacob King . When he tried to unite with other soldiers and find his men, he was captured by a group of German soldiers. He felt a blow to the back of his head, and the German soldier told him in perfect English, "Stand up, the war is over for you." Belgium, Holland, Germany to Poland. "When the train stopped, we were in Poland at a place called Torun. I was held there in a large fortress for about six months. They stripped us of our uniforms. They gave us a Polish uniform. We didn't have shoes. We didn't have socks. I only got two blankets and a can of food. ”Author: Jacob KingSource: ČTKExpand imageZoom imageZoom image to full screenAfter a time he was transferred to a prison camp, where there were 23,000 men, he spent two and a half years in the place. He remembers smuggling a radio and a map of Europe into prison and hanging it on the wall. "We heard that D-Day came and one of the boys had a red pencil and wrote every day how far the line was going. The Germans knew about the map, but did not pull it off the wall. Every day they went inside and watched the shifts of the front. "Author: Jacob KingSource: ČTKZoom pictureDimensions pictureZoom full screen" One day in 1945 we heard gunfire. It was a Russian front. The German soldiers decided to leave, but they wanted to take the prisoners with them. Everyone refused. At first they wanted to shoot us, but they were pressed by time, so they changed their minds, imprisoned us and threw the key. ”The Poles released them from prison and handed them over to the Red Army. However, the Russians did not know what to expect from so many men, so the prisoners were sent in the middle of winter on foot to Warsaw, two hundred kilometers away. moving to Odessa. After spending several days in a Ukrainian port, a British ship arrived, transporting former prisoners of war via Turkey to Egypt, then to Italy, Gibraltar and finally to British Liverpool. home, saying, "I'm in Egypt, I hope to see you soon." He later learned that the telegram had been on the table for several hours and had not been read. Everyone was afraid it contained a death report. However, the parents were surprised by the telegram, they did not understand why their son was in Egypt. 'It's me, Dad, Norman.' My dad was a strong man, but for the first time in my life I saw him collapse. ”Norman's story has another happy ending. After a few days at large, he met a girl he had married a year later. "We were married for seventy years until the woman died five years ago. We have three children and seventeen grandchildren. ”Author: Jacob KingSource: ČTKExpand imageZoom imageZoom image to full screen Norman Lewis is supported by the SSAFA organization, which documented his story. This charity cares for British war veterans and the families of soldiers who fell in battle. In collaboration with the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, they asked the veteran to take part in a ceremony during which a reconstructed Spitfire aircraft was introduced, which symbolically accompanied Norman throughout the war and was behind the decisive battle for Britain. Author: Jacob KingSource: ČTK
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