Derrick's story: 'I was a prisoner of war'
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Young pilot Derrick was held in military camps and forced to join the famous 'Long March' to Germany in which thousands died. He was freed just before VE Day.
"I joined Squadron 112, known as 'The Shark Squadron'. We were doing a raid over Italy when I was shot down. I was shot in the engine and lost all my glycol, so my engine just seized.
"I got as high as I could and then headed south until I saw a nice big field where I crash landed. I wasn’t injured at all."
Now 100, Derrick shares his extraordinary story of survival
After crash landing, Derrick was taken in by Italians. But his impatience got the better of him.
"The Italians took me along a trail, leading over a hill. When we got to the top of the hill, there was a little shelter, like a bus shelter. And they said, 'Sit down, wait.'
"I sat down and waited, but being an impetuous youth, after about 15 minutes, I thought I’d follow them down. I saw what I thought were two Germans. They shouted out, so I shouted, “Good morning”, thinking they'd understand about as much Italian as I did.
"They didn't move, so I went boldly through and greeted them in Italian. Unfortunately, one of them came out with a mouthful of Italian, which I didn't understand, and raised his rifle. They took me to a local jail."
Derrick was interrogated that evening then sent to a prisoner of war camp.
"I was in Stalag Luft 7, which was just a ring of barbed wire, watchtowers and a lot of six-foot huts like garden sheds. I was elected to be the physical training instructor.
"After a few months, we were marched into another camp which had very nice, long huts. Each room had two three-tier bunk beds, and we were given a pallet filled with straw and told, 'This is your home.'
"The toilet was a long ditch with seating on the top of it. And we had two so everybody could go at the same time if they wanted to.
"As POWs, we were treated well, as long as we went along with things. But if you did wrong it was the cooler, which meant solitary confinement and minimum food. Of course, if you tried to escape, they'd shoot you, or at least shoot at you."
As the Germans retreated, they took the POWs with them on what became known as the 'Long March'.
"We had to march to Berlin, which took two or three weeks. I mainly remember how cold it was. We used to go to sleep in these barns and dig a little hole in the hay, or whatever.
"You get into threes - one of you puts the blanket down then the two get in beside him, and their blanket would go over the lot. So, there were three wrapped in this blanket, and we used to pull in a bit of the hay around us.
"We learnt not to take our boots off. If it was cold at night, you couldn't get your boots back on as they were like iron until they'd thawed out. So, you slept with your boots on.
"There were no facilities, no food, except whatever the Germans could scrounge on the way. It was just a case of keeping going."
Derrick was liberated just weeks before the war in Europe came to an end.
"We ended up in the camp at Stalag Luft III - a very large camp with a lot of civilians. I’d just had my 21st birthday when we could hear the Russians coming. The Germans didn't realise they were so close.
"It was amazing as when we woke up in the morning we found there were no guards, just a few Russians around the camp. Within an hour, we were down the local town having a look around.
"We got on these lorries and went to the Canadian camp. From there, we were flown back to England where we were given six weeks' leave on double rations.
"I couldn't speak to my mother as she didn't have a phone, so I just got the bus home. I remember there was a big 'Welcome home Derrick' sign over the front door.
"When she opened the door, she shouted, 'He's here! He's here!'"
Now struggling with sight loss, Derrick needs your support.
"It was like a mist came over me one day, and it's been there ever since. I have a little peripheral vision left but I can't watch the television, and I've got to get the right distance to be able to see somebody's face. The best thing about the charity is that they look after me."
Read more about VE Day 80
VE Day 80: Remnants of a brutal war
The joy on VE Day was universal, but as Alice, Derrick and Joan attest, almost six years of war had taken its toll.
VE Day 80: After the Darkness
Read and listen to our Second World War veterans share their remarkable stories of VE Day.
VE Day 80 - Do it for veterans
Celebrate 80 years of freedom while giving blind veterans the freedom to lead independent and dignified lives.
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