Guiding Memories | "The G.I.S. and Me" Page 10

"The G.I.S. and Me"

Page 10

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We knew Miss Watson very well, having done our Campers Licences under her, but it had to be done. She duly inspected us on arrival and then when everything was shipshape - with tents up, camp furniture made and supper cooked - she returned. We went to bed and slept like logs; until early in the morning Miss Watson came running over to say that the War was over - Japan had capitulated! What a wonderful end to our overnight hike! I can't remember the date?

On October 9th 1945, I got my call into action. I was to take the place of 'Smithy', the Deputy Leader of GIS 136 Brunswick, Germany - a general relief team. She was a school teacher, and had only been given three months leave of absence. It was very sad for the team for she was very popular. Ford Smith was leader, and the team consisted of nine women and three men. They were in charge of what had been OFLAG 79, the famous Prisoner of War camp currently in use as a transit camp for Yugoslavia - but were being transferred to Brunswick to organise the DPs there.

It had been the Headquarters of the Luftwaffe, and the vast building was by then the Army HQ for the area. It was in Brunswick that the whole of the Western Offensive had been planned.

General Hull, the youngest General in the British Army occupied Goering's beautiful home, and his shooting box in the forest not far away was a Polish hOspital for seriously injured troops. The General was a great support to us and the Anny had done, and were doing a great job. They and the Red Cross were our 'bosses'

I took the train for Purfleet, and stayed the night at Stafford lodge, the transit camp, where I shared a room with a Guider from Aberdeen who was in the Red Cross. I met a lovely girl in a red fez hat who was the wife of Ferdinand Stoll (Jean Varcel), who was waiting to go back to Luxembourg. Jean Varcel was his war-time name, and he had worked in the Belgian underground at the BBC during the War. He was Chief Scout of Luxembourg and a most attractive young man, and his wife was travelling with him. Unfortunately, it was doubtful whether we would be on the same boat. The Captain had a superstition about taking women. Anyway, I and the Red Cross were first on the list. And in the end he took all three of us and we joined Ferdinand on board.

I said I had never met a Luxemburger before, except one, and he was a cousin of 'our' refugee! How small the world is! They were next door neighbours, and had been at school together!

The Sergeant of the transit camp was a Guider, and I was met at Ostend by a liaison officer who was a Scout - he was looking for some of his Scouts who had not turned up. He took me and two Scout International members to the hostel there, and we had supper. I sat next to a frail little Belgian woman who was on her way to England. She had also been working in the Belgian Underground, and was going to England at the invitation of a number of Airmen whom she had helped to escape during the War. I think probably she was going to receive an honour. She said that she had discovered that her son was a member of the Underground,

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