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by L/Cpl Frederick Thomas Lodge (Author), James Hyatt (Editor), Bonnie Lodge Fraser (Editor)
The wartime diaries of Fred Lodge underscore his perilous passage through World War 2 including the Dieppe Raid and three years as a POW in Germany. Fred was a quiet, kind, considerate and courageous young Canadian who trained in Canada as an infantry soldier; practiced his military skills in England; waded onshore at Pourville, France on August 19th, 1942; survived intense German gunfire; saw his buddies killed, maimed, indeed slaughtered. Somehow he survived that awful day at Dieppe and was transported to Stalag VIIIB and later to Stalag IIC in eastern Germany. As a POW he was often hungry, bored, shamed, shackled, witnessed summary executions and was forced to participate in a death march in early, 1945. Through it all Fred Lodge was courageous and true to his beliefs no matter what obstacles, temptations or mistreatment came his way. He always did his best and the "right" thing. Fred didn't hate Germans although he had no respect for inhumane NAZI zealots. With the Russian Army fast approaching, Canadian POWs were evacuated westwards in January,1945 in bone-chilling cold and snow. Over four months they were marched west with little food, no warm clothing, little shelter and no reason to think they might survive. However, Fred and most of his fellow POWs did survive and in late April, 1945 they were liberated and returned to England. Somehow Fred Lodge remained the same quiet, kind, considerate and courageous man he was at the beginning. This story, as told by Fred Lodge himself, is a gripping tale. He passed through the hell of war and emerged whole, could you do the same?
