Museum Notebook: Bardia Prisoner of War Camp

A group of men recently freed from Bardia prisoner of war camp, holding a puppy, one of the souvenirs of the camp. Whanganui Regional Museum Collection Ref: M-MISC-056

The festive season is over and we are settling into the new year, sharing stories of our activities over the Christmas break. But this time 80 years ago a group of New Zealanders were sharing stories of an altogether different type of Christmas, having recently been freed from the Bardia Prisoner of War Camp.

Bardia, known in Arabic as El Burdi, is a Mediterranean seaport in eastern Lybia near the border with Egypt – a strategic position which made it hotly contended during WWII.

It was an important Italian fortification site before being captured by the British during the Battle of Bardia in January 1941, then quickly reclaimed by the Axis and used as a prisoner of war camp.

By then, the Lybian Campaign had become chaotic. Tank warfare had ripped the landscape apart and the lack of protection for detached Allies resulted in a disorganised retreat prone to capture, escape, and recapture.

The supply lines had been cut off and resistance to enemy tanks was futile so surrender was the safest option.

Once captured by Germans and Italians, Allied prisoners were searched and then forced to march to the camp, a trek up to 20 hours without food or water.

The camp itself was an acre of stony ground located on the cliffs overlooking the harbour. The walled compound had no roof, and only officers were allowed to use the shed or fenced exercise area.

The cold nights and sparse supplies saw up to six men sharing one blanket for warmth. There was little rain protection so the men built their own shelters using blankets, stones and salvaged iron.

Barrels of fresh water were strictly rationed. Some men were escorted down the cliffs to bathe in the sea, but the climb back up was too exhausting so salt water was brought up for washing. However, sanitary conditions were poor and dysentery soon arrived.

Three men combing through their beards, grown while prisoners of war at Bardia camp. Whanganui Regional Museum Collection Ref: M-MISC-050

Food was limited to starvation rations which provided just enough energy to survive. Upon arrival the prisoners were given a small tin of bully beef (thought to be horsemeat) and a bread roll. Daily fare consisted of a plate of macaroni and a piece of bread or a weevil-infested biscuit.

To mark Christmas, the prisoners were given rice, two packets of biscuits, 40 tins of bully beef, 20lb of jam and 10lb of cheese to share between 1100 men. As a special treat, each man was given two caramels and a nip of cognac, and their daily cigarette allowance was increased from two to 10.

But Bardia was being surrounded by the Allies again, and on December 30, 1941, the area around the camp was bombarded by the navy, army and air force. When the Germans found they were running out of supplies, they set fire to their remaining equipment and surrendered.

Three liberated prisoners of war displaying their souvenir German helmets. Whanganui Regional Museum Collection Ref: M-MISC-056

On January 2, 1942, the New Zealand Divisional Cavalry and the South African 2nd Infantry Division were the first to meet the prisoners. They handed the men Christmas packages and shared their food and water before escorting them to base camp for their first shower and shave in weeks.

Of the 1150 men rescued, 650 were New Zealanders. These three photographs from the museum's collection are part of a series of images of the men recently returned to base camp, showing their high spirits despite their hunger and fear.

• Sandi Black is the archivist at Whanganui Regional Museum.