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Clifford Beckwith – Green Howards
My dad Clifford Beckwith was among the first British soldiers to enter Belsen. He never spoke of it other than to say they were told not to give food to the prisoners as it would make them ill. He said he never felt so helpless. 574 total views
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Mervyn Gonin – 11th Light Field Ambulance
This month marks the 70th anniversary of Belsen’s liberation and reporter James Marston went to find out more about a Suffolk man who was on the scene. 466 total views
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Don Sheppard – Despatch Rider
Ahead of the 75th anniversary of Bergen-Belsen’s liberation, former despatch rider Don Sheppard, now 99, recalls what he discovered at the Nazi death camp 618 total views
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Conrad Wilson (AFS) Letter
Conrad Wilson, wrote, including a few rare recollections he wrote about his role as an ambulance driver with the American Field Service searching for survivors when the British Army, with whom he was serving, liberated the camp. This was a part of Conrad’s life that he suppressed for decades after the War, rarely if ever speaking of it. That silence changed, briefly at least, in 1969, when Bill wrote to Dad asking about his role in searching for survivors in the Camp—something that Bill’s father, Dave, had mentioned on occasion but said that his brother never talked about it. 311 total views
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Hugh Ewart – 41 Commando
Former Royal Marine Commando Hugh Ewart, 92, passed away last Saturday and his family are hoping standard bearers and buglers will give him a fitting send-off tomorrow. 441 total views
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Ted Smith – Canadian Pilot
Ted Smith, 92, was a Canadian pilot during the Second World War who saw frequent combat. But it is a spring day in April 1945 that’s seared into his memory. He arrived at Bergen-Belsen, the Nazi concentration camp, two days after it was liberated. Here is his description of the horrific scene he encountered. 327 total views
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George Leonard (63rd ATR)
Even before it had been officially liberated by the 11th Armoured Division on April 15, 1945, George Leonard was there behind enemy lines with a tiny force of just 200 soldiers under a flag of truce. 796 total views
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Hugh O Hara – 11th Armoured Brigade
This is the horrifying image of young soldier Hugh O’Hara helping to bury thousands of death camp victims after liberating notorious Bergen-Belsen. Hugh, who served with the 11th Armoured Brigade, sits at the wheel of a bulldozer, a white hanky at his face, looking out over dozens of dead bodies. 459 total views
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Albert Drew – Tank Regt.
My Dad’s older half Brother, Uncle Albert. (Top right in the picture above the swastika flag) was at the Liberation of Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. 557 total views
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Freddie Gilroy – Royal Artillery
Freddie Gilroy and the Belsen Stragglers is a statue by sculptor Ray Lonsdale which overlooks North Bay of Scarborough, England. 569 total views
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