| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | AWM2019.22.145 |
| Collection number | PR04233 |
| Collection type | Digitised Collection |
| Record type | Item |
| Item count | 1 |
| Object type | Diary |
| Physical description | 67 Image/s captured |
| Maker |
Docking, Gilbert Charles Hill, James |
| Place made | Australia, Germany |
| Date made | 1944-1946 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copying Provisions | Digital format and content protected by copyright. |
| Source credit to | This item has been digitised with funding provided by Commonwealth Government. |
Wallet 1 of 1 - Diary of Gilbert Charles Docking, 1944-1946
Description
Diary relating to the Second World War service of 419930 Flight Lieutenant Gilbert Charles Docking, 455 Squadron.
Docking was navigator in a Beaufighter flying over the North Sea on 13 July 1944, when his plane was shot down. He and the pilot, Douglas Keith Carmody, were thrown from the plane and picked up by the crew of a German torpedo boat 24 hours later. They were then transported to the Prisoner of War camp Stalag Luft III-A at Lukenwalde.
This diary contains drawings by Docking illustrating conditions at Stalag Luft III-A, photographs captured by fellow prisoner James Hill (sent to Docking in 1946), and handwritten entries dated between 13 July 1944 to 3 February 1945. In these entries, Docking describes the forced march that the prisoners made from Lukenwalde to Spremburg, including experiences such as constructing makeshift sleds for belongings, being given cups of coffee by locals while walking, and sleeping in barns. The diary also contains newspaper clippings, book lists, a theatre program, and signatures of fellow prisoners.