Following Her Father's Footsteps Part 5

Today, TORUŃ DAILY PHOTO concludes its journey following the footsteps of Prvt. Leonard Green...

Glenn Standish in front of the POW graffiti

The graffiti drawn by POWs in the wash room

The Two Bath Stewards

Exploring the dark wash room

Reading some of the messages

A poem written by a British POW

An image of what appears to be a ship sinking. Was this a reference to a real WWII tragedy?

Following Her Father's Footsteps Part 5: The Washroom and Messages from the Past

We continued to follow Piotr down the long dark passage. Eventually, we reached a room with silence on the entrance wall. Flashing our torches around the room we soon came face to face with images from the past. It appears that our British POWs in Stalag XX-A were very artistic and talented! we continued onto a couple of other rooms where we read hand-written messages from the past. Incredibly fascinating!

Following Her Father's Footsteps Part 4

Exploring the dark tunnels with nothing but torches and the light

from the odd mobile phone

Flash light from the camera really does help to guide your way!

Rosalind and John with Piotr and Leon inside Fort XI

Following Piotr down the steep steps into the kitchen

All that remains from the former kitchen of Stalag XX-A

Rosalind inside her father's former prison

Exploring the basement of Fort XI

Part 4: Inside Fort XI and the former kitchen of Stalag XX-A

We arrived at Fort XI and waited for Piotr to arrive (he was held up by the local security guard, wondering what we were doing there). Eager to explore her father's former prison...Rosalind decided to enter the dark fortess alone....though it wasn't long until Piotr (and his torch) managed to turn up!

We entered through the hole in the wall and walked along the dark tunnels. Piotr took us down some steep steps and we soon found ourselves in what was once the kitchen of Stalag XX-A. The cooking equipment has long since gone except for the fume extractor in the ceiling. There were numbers and a cat drawn on the side of it. Were these from WWII as well?

Following Her Father's Footsteps Part 3

Toruń Daily Photo continues to follow the footsteps of Prvt.Leonard Green...

Rosalind Ridout, Piotr Olecki and Leon Wosik

Piotr takes us around the fort

Glenn holds the base of an original bottle from the 1940s

Another bottle...this time more intact!

Rusty tin cans left exactly where they were...over 70 years ago!

Leon and Piotr shows us some newspaper cuttings about Stalag XX-A

Leon Wosik with his photograph album

A decidedly creepy shot looking out of the fort

Part 3: Leon and Stories Galore!

En route to Fort XI, we made a short detour to pick up Leon Wosik. Leon is now in his early 80s and as a child often played with the POWs around the grounds of Fort XI. Having Leon with us...was like having a walking, talking, breathing part of history! He had a collection of photos and newspaper cuttings of Stalag XX-A. He also had many stories of what it was like to interact with both the POWs and the Nazi soldiers. Rosalind showed him the photos of her father Leonard, a tall strapping figure who looked very British...but believe it or not was also 100% Jewish! He managed to keep this big secret away from the Nazis and hence survived.

Walking around the exterior of the fort, we also came across intact bottles and rusty food cans...all dating back from WWII! It's amazing what you can still find at Fort XI.

Following the Footsteps of Toruń's POWs: Inside Fort XI (Stalag XX-A)

View looking into the fort from the main entrance. A large hole

in the ground (out of shot) blocked our direct route

View from one of the many rooms

Due to the hole in the ground we had no choice but

to go through a hole in the wall...

...which had clearly been made with some sledgehammer!

The poorly lit tunnels and corridors

Modern graffiti on the walls of one of the cells. Here the prisoners

would have slept in bunk beds stacked 3 beds high.

Our guide Piotr leads us deeper into the fort

Light at the end of the long, dark tunnel

Inside Fort XI (Stalag XX-A):

With nothing but a torch and the periodic flash from my camera we walked through the endless maze of tunnels inside Fort XI. Dark, cold and very eerie, you really get a sense of what it must have been like for the prisoners held inside. You have to be very careful where you walk. There is a lot of rubble and blocks of stone scattered on the floor - remnants of what looters have already chipped away. Empty beer cans and bottles lie around. The fort is currently in a very sorry state...this is no tourist attraction. Yet, the main incentive for our little adventure was lying just around the corner. We were about to come face to face literally with history...

Following the Footsteps of Toruń's POWs: Fort XI (Stalag XX-A)

Our guide Piotr Olecki (founder of Toruń's Historical War Museum) inspects

the gates that mark the entrance into the fort

The original gates

An eyesore: modern-day graffiti

The bridge leading up to the entrance of the fort.

Fort XI

Following the footsteps of hundreds of POWs

Faded titles above the entrance

This small reservoir was used by the British POWs as a swimming pool

Fort XI:

Fort XI was originally built between 1877 and 1881 by the Kingdom of Prussia as part of the defense chain around Toruń. During WWII Fort XI was used by the Nazis to house mainly British prisoners of war and was part of the Stalag XX-A camp. Also imprisoned within these walls were high-ranking French and Norwegian officers. Today the fort is in a state of disrepair and stands derelict. A great shame.

Tomorrow join us as we venture beyond the walls and deep into the fort...