Shropshire siblings to cycle PoW 'death march' route in tribute to grandfather

Herbert Parker fortunately lived to tell the tale to his grandchildren – three of whom are now planning to cycle the route to honour his memory, and to raise money for charity.

The Parker siblings – Chris, 35, David, 29, and Rose, 31, all originally from the south Shropshire town Cleobury Mortimer, are setting out on their journey on April 29.

They will cycle from Malbork, in northern Poland, where Herbert was held as a PoW. On May 8 – the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe day, they will arrive in the north German town of Bitterfeld-Wolfen, near Berlin, where their grandfather was finally freed after the gruelling march.

Seventy years ago, as the end of World War Two approached, 80,000 Allied servicemen PoWs were marched across Europe in the winter by their German captors.

Herbert "Tishy" Parker, the siblings' paternal grandfather, was one of those forced to walk the three-month march after years of malnourishment in PoW camps, risking death if he could not keep the pace.

Captured in 1939 as a 28-year-old serving with the 1st Battalion, Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment in France, he had spent over four-and-a-half years captive in various camps across Poland and East Prussia. Herbert recorded his experience in a journal after the war, following requests from his children to know more. It is an amazing story of positivity in the face of horrendous hardship.

He describes secretly working with the Polish locals to undermine the Nazi war effort by burying tools, the shocking death of his friend shot dead in his bed by a German guard, Red Cross parcels bringing much-needed food and hope from home – and the long march in the winter of early 1945.

He described the surreal trek as, desperate to avoid capture by the Russians, the German forces used the captive Allied troops as a human shield and potential bargaining chip as an Allied victory became increasingly inevitable.

He wrote: "Every day, the column of prisoners increased in numbers, as each town we passed through released the contents of their PoW camps, which could be hundreds or even thousands of men, which created quite a problem when it came to stopping at the end of the day.

"Some of the dwellings that we finished up in were run-down to say the least, factories, warehouses, churches, farm buildings and to crown it all about 100 of us were pushed into stables, late at night with the horses . . . you can imagine the pandemonium that set in.

"The winter months are definitely not the best time to look for food, especially the kind of winters they have in that part of the globe, so if we were lucky, and finished up at the end of the day on a farm, we went through it like a swarm of locusts, so I can understand why the local farmers looked petrified when we turned up uninvited.

"Most of the produce was eaten raw, which had dire effects on our digestive system. One good piece of luck came our way – a tractor pulling a big farm wagon received a direct hit and caught fire near us, being full of potatoes, within minutes, we had a supply of baked spuds for days."

His grandson Chris, who now lives in Oxfordshire, said: "Ever since I first became aware of grandad's PoW experience as a boy I have wanted to follow the route to see the places he passed through, and as a way of paying tribute.

"I mapped the route about five years ago and started sounding out my brother and sisters. Then last year when realised the 70th anniversary was coming up, it seemed like a 'now or never' moment.

"This will be an incredibly emotional journey in our grandad's footsteps – one which we hope will raise a lot of money for charity and be a fitting memorial to all the PoWs who took part in the forced march."

Their other sister, Kate Powdrill, 37, who now lives in London, recently became a mum and will not be able to join her siblings, but is helping with raising sponsorship. She said they were hoping to raise over £10,000 for two charities – the Lily Foundation, which works to find a cure for mitochondrial diseases such as Leigh's disease, which Jessica Newell, the daughter of a family friend, suffers from – and Unicef, which supports children affected by war.

Kate said: "We're sure our loving and fun grandad would love the idea that his epic journey home, part of a gruesome war, could help raise money for children whose lives have been impacted by conflict. The journal is a special family treasure and reminder of our grandad, who was always ready with a joke to lighten the mood and despite – or maybe because of – his experiences, always focused on the sunny side of life."

• To sponsor the Parker siblings visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Someone Special/thelongjourneyhome.