Ernest Watson Ascah was born in Peninsula, Gaspe in September 1911. Ernest was the son of Albert Ernest Ascah (1871-1955) who farmed and fished with his brother Lewis McGregor. Ernest’s mother was Agnes Laura Phillips (1881-1964). In September 1939, shortly after war was declared by Canada, Ernest married Florence Chapman Cousins who worked at the Mount Royal Hotel in downtown Montreal.
Ernie enrolled in Montreal’s Black Watch and was sent to England to train. According to Microsoft Co-Pilot:
The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, based in Montreal, played a significant role during the Dieppe Raid on August 19, 1942. Three platoons from the regiment were involved in the operation, landing at Puys, just east of Dieppe. Their mission was to support the Royal Regiment of Canada with machine guns and mortars. However, the raid faced severe challenges, as the German forces were well-prepared and heavily fortified. The Black Watch troops were pinned down by intense mortar and machine-gun fire, leading to heavy casualties. The raid ultimately did not achieve its objectives, but it provided valuable lessons for future Allied operations.
Source: Wikipedia.org
Ernie was taken prisoner and kept a journal. In 2000, at his death, I was executor of his estate and found the Journal- “Dates to be Remembered”. In what follows is a heart-rending account of POW life in Germany. Particularly vivid are his accounts of the last few weeks of confinement as the Allies penetrated deeper and deeper into Germany.
Ernie’s story is not unique. There were hundreds of thousands of Canadian and allied POWs taken to Germany and Poland during the six-year conflict. The below account is grim and would challenge anyone’s capacity to endure and to overcome the deprivations of POW camp life.
Below are some sketches taken from a wartime log book supplied by the Y.M.C.A. There is humour contained in some of these sketches which offer some respite from the grimness of everyday life in the camp.
Much of a POW’s and Ernie’s preoccupations came from fulfilling basic needs such as food as well as the need for emotional support from home. Red Cross parcels were evidently prized as were letters from families.
Reference is made in the journal to a tunnel being discovered. Tunnelling was a common effort by troops to escape captivity and is captured in period films of the Second World War, like the Great Escape.
Also recorded are the names of comrades and their home addresses. It is unclear from the context whether these are campmates or those who possibly died.
In 1945, matters shift with the arrival of more prisoners as the Allies launched their coordinated invasion of France. Ernie records digging a grave for an American soldier which must have been traumatic.
In the past 5 months of the conflict, Ernie and his POW comrades were marched from camp to camp as the Russians began their move into in Poland and then into Germany.
One of the most poignant observations comes at the end of the Journal when he observes:-“Thousands of civilian prisoners arrived. Never have I seen a sight like it. Impossible to believe.”
Dates to be remembered:
Captured 10:30 a.m., Aug. 19th 1942
When(sic) to “Vernieul”, Aug. 20th
Left “Vernieul” (Normandy, France), Aug. 28th
Arrived “Lamsdorf”, Sept. 1st (southwestern Poland)
Tied at noon, Oct. 8th
Red Cross issue of food cut off for 2 weeks
Kept 2 minutes Silence, Nov. 11th
First letter from Mother written on Oct. 8th, Received Nov. 21st
Chains feet on Dec. 2th.
Sixty five men move out of barracks Dec. 15th
Got first Red Cross parcel between 2 since we were tied up Dec. 15th
Christmas parcel given out Dec. 23rd.
Chains off Dec. 25th and gates opened.
Gates open Dec. 26th & 27th.
1943
“Comfort Parcel” from people of Canada Feb. 1st.
Feb 8th To be issued 1 Red Cross parcel per week. As from Feb. 1st. I get a parcel & quarter. What a week this will be.
April 20th Gates close for 2 weeks Straf.
Aug. 1 Changed over with New Zealander.
Aug. 19 Went to Breslau on working party.
Sept. 1 Arrived back at Lamsdorf
Sept. 15 Changed back
Nov. 11 Kept 2 minutes silence.
Nov. 18. Jerry found tunnel.
Nov. 22 Chains taken away.
1944
Jan 25 100 Canadians. Left compound for Stargard (northwestern Poland)
- Dowling B25.285 R.C.E., 2nd Field Cmp, P.O.W. 26,392
Sandy Shusterman, B25128, R.C.C. 2nd Field Co., R , P.O.W. 25855
Ernest Robichauld, 97 Maple Avenue, Amherst, Nova Scotia F 91640, R.C.E.
A.E. Pennington, 1464 Victoria Avenue, C/o W.O. Austin, Windsor, Ontario, Royal Regt. Of C., No. 67032
Feb. 2. Remainder of Candian Pte. Left for Stargard.
Feb. 4. Canadian Red Cross Cooking utensils arrived, the first knife and spoon I have had- quite a treat. Compound filled up with South Africans and Englsih N.C.O.s
Feb 25. Left Lamsdorf for Stettin (Szczecin, northwestern Poland)
Feb 26. In Breslau abd Glogau (Wrocław, southwestern Poland)
Feb 27. Arrived at Stettin in the morning and Stargard same day.
May 14th. Went to hospital to have my thumb lanced.
May 31. Had a letter from Florence written on May 1st.
June 2nd. Came back from hospital.
June 2nd– got my teeth from the French dentist.
June 10th. M.O. issued ribbons for volunteers.
Nov. 5. Jerry Johnston was shot on a working party.
Nov. 7. Several B.W. (Black Watch) men arrived with fifty prisoners. They have been captured for weeks.
Dec. 10. ½ Red Cross parcel to be issued this week. Next week there will be no issue. Christmas week there will be ½ a parcel. That will be the last of the Red Cross unless more comes in.
1945
Jan 13. 200 Americans arrived from 4B- we are not allowed to speak to them. Had a personal parcel from Florence (wife). We are out of Red Cross and the food is much appreciated.Jan. 17 Red Cross parcels arrived and we were issued ½ a parcel per man per week.
Jan. 22. About 800 Americans arrived in terrible condition.
Jan. 23. About 375 Americans arrived they are not bad, only hungry.
Jan 30. All the Americans able to walk left today in a pitiful condition. Some were so hungry that they were eating their ration which had to last three days. Two Americans were buried today.
Feb 2. Was down digging a grave for another American which died. Was something I never saw before. The town being evacuated.
Feb. 6. 465 Canadians left for 2D for destination unknown. Carrying one Red Cross parcel of food and two days German rations besides personal stuff. Got to Altdamm first day by side roads about 20 miles.
Feb 7. Crossed Oder River to Grabów small town in Łódź Voivodeship, about 137 km from Warsaw)- about 20 miles- very tired. Got bread issue.
Feb 8. Traveled about 7 miles to Bismark (?) Tony and Burgess fell out. Heavy air- some were near.
Feb. 9. Rest all day in a barn.
Feb. 10. Did a short March a little past “Sochnetz” – got a bread ration of 8 men to a loaf and a little porridge.
Feb. 11. Went about 20 km. Shawdaw very tired. Roads full of evacuees.
Feb 12. Went through Strasbourg (border of Germany and France) and past about 12 km.
Feb 13. Spent day in barn. Scrounged carrots, onions and potatoes. Bread ration 7 men to a loaf. Also a small piece of sausage.
Feb. 14. Walked 26 km to Schwanbeck.(Mecklenburg) Had a soup and one piece of bread.
Feb. 15. Came to Pretzhau. Suppose to stay indefinitely. We are all on ground floor. Soup today but no bread.
Feb. 16. No bread today. Had a soup of potatoes & carrots.
Feb. 17. Got ½ Red Cross parcel from Camp at Neubrandenburg. 30 bag of flour to be baked.
Feb 18. Got a loaf of bread per man.
Feb. 19 Got a 1/5 of a loaf of bread. Canadians from 11D billeted up the road. A km. Or so.
Feb. 20 Nothing new to write.
Feb. 21 Got a 1/5 of a loaf of bread.
Feb 22. Nothing to write.
Feb. 23 Supposed to have left for a concentration area. It was canceled at the last minute. Some of the Serbs went. No bread.
Feb. 24 Left Pretznau (?) for a 12 km. march. Got three chickens- no bread.
Feb 25 Other Canadians and French joined us – a thousand Russians left this farm. No bread.
Feb. 26 Canadians 533 left for another farm – 3 or 4 miles, blew very hard. No bread.
Feb. 27 Rained and blew very miserable. No bread.
Feb 28 Stayed in barn all day. Had a little horse meat in stew and a 1/5 of a loaf of bread.
March 1 spread a little manure for extra- soup and 1/5 loaf of bread.
March 2 Nothing to write, A 1/5 of a loaf of bread.
March 3 Had a chicken and a 1/5 of a loaf of bread – a little meat
March 4 Cold and snowy. 1/5 loaf of bread and a little meat
March 5 Very cold and windy. 1/5 loaf of bread.
March 6. Cold. Was warned to be ready to leave in the morning. 1/5 of a loaf bread.
March 7 196 C and 3 French officers left Baroness and for Varnselow. For Dernewin. Was issued loaf of bread and marg suffrose to be rationed for three days. Traded chocolate and soap and got loaf of bread. Got on box cars. 52 men in our car. Went through New Brandenberg.
March 8 Day went slowly.
March 9 Laid out siding in all day & night. Siren went no attempt was made to get us off. Or get us an(sic) soup.
March 10 Spend all day on siding at Schwanewede (Breman-Lower Saxony border) . No food.
March 11 Came to Sonnenberg & had cup of soup. Before we left Schwanewede (railway had been heavily hit 30 engines & lots of cars broken. Two air warnings. Lots of planes passed over. No food.
March 12 Arrived at Bremenverde (Lower Saxony) at 7 o’clock had a ration of meat & a ration of bread.
March 13 Walked 12 km from Bremenvorde to 10B. No Red Cross here and bread is 9 men to a loaf. Potato ration very small 2 or 3 small potatoes.
March 17 Was re-registered today. 2 carloads of American Red Cross parcel arrived at station. Rations very small.
April 13 Thousands of civilian prisoners arrived. Never have I seen a sight like it. Impossible to believe.
April 14 Received orders to move out first thing in the morning. “Shadow” will not be coming?
April 15 Left at… 7 o’clock. Received one Red Cross parcel. Some got two and those that left last had as many as they wanted. Arrived at 10C Bad Schwartau (near Lubeck) at 6 P.M. Gun fire getting very heavy bombing and strafing going on all the time. This camp has been a naval officers barracks. They left 5 days ago. It is a first time in a bed or (sic) took of (sic) my clothes to sleep since the 6th of Feb.
April 19 Gorards left & Provost took of camp at 10 P.M. Camp was bombed and straffed.
April 20 heavy guns firing in the distance. Planes straffing all day.
April 21 Fighting getting closer..
April 23 Terrible barrage from Bremen steady from 11 P.M. to 5 A.M.
April 27 Shells going over head all day. Jerry tanks moving. [Indecipherable] set up near camp. Jerry seems to be retreating it is a great sight.
April 28 Welsh Guards are in camp – today we are free.
April 29 Met Major Gillson and had breakfast with him. He used to be S.M. at Aldershot. Was shelled for an hour in the morning. Shells dropped close. Had a great day running around towns.
April 30 Our troops shelled all night. Couldn’t sleep much.
End of text- seven pages ripped out.
AscahGenealogy.com 
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