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HMS Oswald
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The Sulmona prisoner of war camp
The Sulmona prisoner of war camp
From Taranto the crew of HMS Oswald moved to the island of Poveglia, near Venice, where they worked on repairing the local roads and gardens. Then, in October 1940, a train transported them to the prisoner of war camp in Sulmona. At each station Italian soldiers faced the carriages with fixed bayonets, however, they did allow people to throw bags of sweets to the hungry prisoners.
The prisoner’s brick built huts at Sulmona had a concrete floor and furniture consisting of iron beds with two blankets, two sheets and a pillow. As the weather in the camp grew colder the prisoners felt the need of warm clothing. Ninety per cent of the boots had holes and their owners fixed wood to the soles to keep their feet off the snow. For socks they used pieces of sheeting bound round their feet.
The crew of HMS Oswald as prisoners of war in Italy (RNSM)
To find out about escaping from captivity, select Next
