Unfortunately, we did not have long to enjoy our hard-earned gains. The Russians opened their Winter Offensive in January 1944, and we soon found ourselves evacuating the camp and on the march back into Germany. This was a feature of the closing months of the war, when due to Russian & Allied advances, POWs were subjected by the Germans to long forced marches. We were given a rest of five minutes every two hours. On the second day, after we were getting ready to move on after such a short rest, I noticed the blanket lying in the snow along with other discarded articles. It had become too heavy to carry in our tired state. I pondered for a short time whether I should pick it up, but decided against it for the same reason.

Hopefully some Russian soldier got some comfort from it!”
Bill provided us with a further story from his long march from the camp. We used it as an example of how people during the Second World War realised the importance of keeping their spirits up, no matter what they faced.