Haven't slept too well for a couple of nights; itching quite a lot.

Machine started up.  Big felt broke about 10.30 - now have to await arrival of new felt.  By 8.30pm I'd eaten ¾ of a 1½kg loaf issued tonight.

Other half of night shift to work at 7.  We were going in at 1, but at 8.30 a felt arrived so we're on nights.  This does not prevent them wanting those who started at 7 to go back to unload 2 trucks and then do 12 hours work tonight.  When 'chef' was tackled he said "I thought you'd be pleased to do it".  When told we weren't he said "You'll be sorry about it". 1.0am everyone except Rogers, the Mables(?) and English returned to quarters for no given reason.  The way they were talking we are all expecting to be returned to the big camp.  The felt broke within 10mins of it being put on.

It has snowed on and off for a week.

Received November's pay - 26Mk 10Pf.  Some of the lads received mail.  Rogers had fall and was taken unconscious to Döbeln.

Parcels came - 2 + 100 cigarettes

All the room had no sleep last night - (parcels). Up for meal at 1.30.  Stayed up for an hour.  Up again at 3.20 & 4.0.

Touch of toothache.

Bloke came from Döbeln to get us to select a "confidence" man.  Len English chosen.

7 Canadian and 1 American Xmas parcels arrive.  Spare time spent reading, cleaning up etc.

Red Cross kit arrives - trousers, pants, socks & pullovers.  Tooth still aching.

Scared myself when I looked in ' mirror - all ribs and stomach.

In bed with stomach - no work

Letter from Nip (his eldest brother, Charles - known in the family as Nipper) - first one.  Everyone OK thank goodness.  December pay 37.50Rm (Reichmarks),

New guard arrived.  Hans has left.

Had just got to bed when "roused" again by bloke come to disinfect room.

Saw civvy doctor

Received tablets for chest

Still plenty of snow around

New shifts start 5am - 3.30pm; 12.30pm - 11.0pm

Unloaded coal at station.  Watched kids ski-ing & sledging.  Jaw swollen, but tooth doesn't ache - yet!

Wagon at 5.0; just finished as train drew up at 7.30.  Willi acted like a madman - jumped up and down on hearing train, threw down shovel and ran up ramp calling "Alles mann".

Red X kit issued - shaving stick, hair brush & note book.  Also half a dozen new books (rather highbrow!)

A dozen or so PPs (personal parcels) arrived addressed Italy. Unlucky.  Found numerous "Times" as late as 18^th Oct.  Good reading.

Had 16 letters - 14 addressed Italy

3^rd NOK (next of kin parcel) arrived.  3½lb Choc.

Tooth aching.  Truck of alum made it worse.  Left work because of tooth-ache.

Had no sleep with tooth last night.  Roßwein to Dentist.  Tooth filled.

Rain, sleet & snow

Wrote to Paymaster

Area "confidence man" brought playing cards, boxing gloves, skipping rope & games.

Film at Roßwein - French - couldn't follow it very well, but it made a pleasant change. Played 'Big Business'.

Dentist again.  18Rm for filling 3 teeth.

NOK received.  1^st addressed here.

Trouble when unter offiziers came - unpunctured tins, stuff under beds, no red patches.

Out on green - boxing & football.

New 'posten' arrived.  Erich to go over Friday's 'do'.

Easter Day.  Pictures - left here 8.30, back 11.40.  Afternoon outside - football, tug-of-war, sparring.

Played bridge; played with kids (skipping).

Finished off bread.  1½Kg issued last night.

Lovely & warm & sunny all this week - seems longer than a fortnight ago that it was raining.

Missed train with wagon.  Willi speechless.  Getting along famously with kids.  2 rubbers of bridge

Bitter wind, rain & hail

Expected a "gangster raid" so put this "out of sight". …"

No more of this year was copied/recorded.

"Enemy in area" sounded - rumour of tanks in Chemnitz & Döbeln.  Stood outside expecting to see our lads coming along the road - no such luck!

2 Thunderbolts came over and shot up Döbeln station.  "Tanky" and George Wise "ferte(?)" (not missed)

Thunderbolts & Lightnings active in Meissen direction

Awakened 8.0am (by Pop) - "Wir sind ferte". Eventually left at 9.30 - villagers crying. Gave much kit away and got some cake for it. Seven blokes hidden in factory George not interested, so agreed to go with him. Marched into Roßwein with kit in 'Steamboat's' cart. Left there at noon for Lomatz [Lommatzsch] Didn't make it. Put up in barn at 10pm about 10Km out of Lomatz - place called Dreissing.[Dreißig]

Owner of farm gave us coffee. Left 8ish made Lomatz 1ish. Hung around with police trying to decide where we should go. About 3.0pm told to go to Meissen. Went to first village (about 5Km) and put up for the night. People very friendly, gave us spuds & "quark" in evening. Flogged vest & pants for 2Kg loaf.

Made Meissen middayish - were sent on to a military barracks across the Elbe & out of town. Stayed there 4 hours. Had pea soup 1½Kg bread between 5. Marched 7Km from there to Großdobritz where e met up with all the rest of the working camps in the area (including English, Tye and Lumley who we'd left in the factory)

Thunderbolts and "crushers" busy quite close here - probably Reisa. Bread 1½Kg between 5. Barley 1 pt between 2.

Bread 1½/5, barley & spinach soup (1pt). Back to first prisoner days - just lounging about. No authentic news "wenig essen". Possibility (we're told) of a 120Km march either today or tomorrow ending on other side of Elbe. Don't believe it.

Moved off at 1.0am; fairly moonlit; into Meissen again over Elbe and then south; passed Dresden-Chemnitz autobahn. Did somewhere about 35Km. Nearest village Pohrsdorf. No bread; spuds about 7pm - good "do"!

All day on bed. Barley midday (1 pt). Spuds in evening. Bitterly cold - rain & sleet. Rumours rife - Yanks in Freiburg; French panzer spitzen in vicinity; if alarm goes we're to be moved on.

Not moving today. Feldwebel told Panger (haupt-verteilman) that he expects us to be here till peace. Today's rumour - 2hr armistice; English & American ambassadors withdrawn from Moscow; peace talks going on - it's anticipated the outcome will be that we'll join Germany against the Russkis. Again no bread. 1pt barley midday. Pinched some spuds so did most others. Result - no spuds tonight.

1pt barley - nothing else

2Kg spuds per man. Made 3 meals. In evenings 1pt barley

250 grammes bread (for 4 days) 2oz (approx) meat, candy syrup 156gr. Sugar 2oz approx issued for 7 days rations. Also barley & potato meal & potatoes for use tonight. Moved off 10.30 through wooded country - landed up at 10.0pm after about 30-35Km at (could not determine).

Made spud stew & barley with candy syrup.  Had spuds & then made barley & had that with the result that now (2.0pm) I feel fuller than I have for many a day.  Spud meal & kraut soup in evening (1pt)

Up 7.0ish to get ready to leave.  Supposed to leave at 9.0; left at 10.45.  250 gr bread.  Marched 18-20Km through Fraunstein [Frauenstein] Mulde [Mulda] to Helbigsdorf.  Latest rumour - England USA & Germany against Russia expected as result of San Francisco conference.  Did march with only 1 halt - about 5hrs marching.

Up 7.30 for roll-call.  Made potato & dried veg soup.  Made mint tea brew midday.  Soup again 4.0pm.  Farmer has given us pound of spuds a man.  Latest rumour - Russians in Döbeln; we didn't see eye-to-eye with Russia over Polish question and as a result have ceased activities in West.  Jerry withdrew troops from south to guard Berlin & we didn't take advantage of this.  Later rumour Yanks linked up with Russians in Reisa - we occupy it as it is on west bank of the Elbe.  Germany wants capitulation with us but not with Russia - we say "geht's nicht" and everyone was waiting to see what will happen

R's birthday.  Up at 7 for roll-call then fetched wood at 8.0am.  Pinched a pocketful of greens on the way.  Had barley & oats boiled up when we returned.  Then greens, then brew.  Roll call 2.0pm.  Today's rumour - Germany have accepted capitulation; government's not for discussion. Later - we have demanded capitulation and have not yet received reply.  More griff from an American speaking postern (supposed to be wearing civvies under uniform) - Germany more or less given in and we are now just waiting for big boys to get together.  No fighting on any front.  This afternoon when lads went fetching wood Jerry troops in woods were packing up & "ferte"-ing. Their Feldwebel has told them to.  Lads strolled over to them & they said without being asked "Krieg vorbei".  Another bundled up his blankets, gave them to a kid & told him to run home with them.  One gave his rifle to one of the lads saying he didn't want it.

Awakened at 7.0am for roll call; held inside - reason - ground covered with snow; sleet falling; got up about 11.0 made brew - made meal about 3.0pm.  Today's rumour - Hitler has been killed in battle.  Admiral Doenitz new Fuhrer.  He says England and America should leave jerry alone to continue their struggle with Russia.  Other griff - French a few Kms from Döbeln.  Red Cross commission in Döbeln & it's full of American officers.  Am reading, off & on "Cricket between two wars" by Plum Warner.

Normal daily routine.  Up 7; roll call; back to "bed".  Up 9.30 to make brew; again at 11.30 for making soup; wash in afternoon; 3 cigs (French) issued today.  Have decided to cease keeping account of rumours as there are so many flying about.  They all seem to point to the fact that we won't have to exist like thismuch longer.  We're all real "hayseeds" - straw everywhere.  2 days rations today - for Friday & Saturday - bread 1500grammes between 7, 1 spoonful sugar; little barley; potato meal, sugar 25gr marg.  Bread & marg eaten tonight.

Pouring with rain all day; could do nothing.  Rations for 2 days up in evening.  Much the same.  Bread 200gms.

Still raining - get wet trying to make brew at 10.0am - had to abandon brew; same thing mid-day.  Loaf 1½Kg/3 supposed not to affect tomorrow's ration.  Got really wet making brew in afternoon so am anticipating a cold night.

Up early to make a move - fleeing from Russians. Roads jammed with evacuees. Marched 20 odd kms then found there was no place for us to sleep so had to go on another 8-10kms. When we arrived at last civvies told us war finished. Arrived 9.30pm told we were moving at 3.0am in morning for 30-40Km march to Yank lines - without rations - unless they happen to catch up with us - and that's not likely as thing's are - delivered in cart drawn by oxen. Zwönten [Zwönitz]

Moved off somewhere around 4 at a run - soon beat us & we slowed up a bit. At moment am enjoying about a hour's rest. Goy fed up with speed of convoy and as no chance of rations & and at midday George, Nobby & I took off to look after ourselves. First town we entered had feed and wireless was turned on for Churchill's speech. Heard that, moved off. Put up for night in barn had a few spuds. Had asked for place to sleep in farm earlier & had been told "go and sleep with the Americans"  Lößnitz for the night

Up 5.30; wash; farmer's wife gave us a sandwich each.  Set off walking.  Got 2Kms on way got picked up by 2 Yanks in a Jerry Red Cross car who drive us into Hacherstein [Hartenstein].  Here we waited for a while; got a cup of coffee.  Nobby gave soap for bread and we ate that.  Later we were moved on to a cross-road where we helped the Yanks search Jerries as they came in.  Took some bread & meat off one and we ate that.  Pocket knife and torchlight collected.  Taken from there to Zwicken [Zwickau] on lorry; given K rations (breakfast) - 8 biscuits, 3½oz Chopped pork & eggs, coffee mixture, 4 cigs, 4 cubes sugar, 2 fruit chewing gums.  An hour or so later walked to a field ¼ mile away to await transport.  Here we had another K ration - supper this time.  3½oz pork, 3 biscuits, 2gum, 2oz chocolate, bouillion (to be mixed).  It is now 3.40pm moved off at 5.0pm 40Kms to Gera.  Landed in Allied PoW camp.  We're told we'd be on our way to Blighty within 36hrs.  Got disinfected -spray.  Registered; issued with another K ration; given letter to send home then taken to civvy billets.  Had clean up; washed and shaved; wrote letter; cleared out kit to be dumped; had our our supper; now it's after 10 and time for bed.  Just as I got in bed they came round and said parade at 8.0am, rations 9.0am, move off to Erfurt at some time during day.

Paraded at 8.30 after a rather restless night through over-feeding - billiousness - K-rations too rich!  Divided into groups of 25 for transport.   Told we get rations at 9.0am.  It is now 11 and we're still waiting.  Expect to move out sometime today ........

Below is a photo of a Dutch soldier who befriended Jack whilst in hospital in 1943/1944.  On the Postcard reverse of this photo it reads

"To my friend A.J.Hann from his Dutch friend Willem as a memory to the time spent in the German Hospital from 5/12 1943 till 6/1 1944* - Don't forget Lefty(?) Your friend Willem"

and gives the following address - Willem vd Walle, Molenstraat 3, Strijen, Zuid Holland

*This date is probably incorrect as by 4 January 1944 Jack was back at camp (see above).  He had not arrived until October 1943 and the dates of the first part of the diary overlap the dates in the latter part (definitely 1945) so must refer to different years