The Hub November 2022

Lest we forget

Over the years, I have been able to pass along stories that my late friend, Ike Hewitt, shared with me about POWs from WWII. This year is no exception. Here is a piece written by Percy Sekine, along with a postscript.

Percy Sekine Sgt WOP/AG 83 Squadron

Scampton

We took off from Scampton (83 Sqdn) on the night of the 10th January 1942, the target was Wilhelmshaven. My crew, Martin Fletcher 1st pilot, Leonard Fox 2nd pilot and Ginger Holme WOP/AG.

Over Germany, approaching the target, either through flak or failure, our Hampden’s port engine packed up and with a full bomb load we started to lose height. The port engine also housed the motor generator so we could not eject the bombs, which we had to do, to stand any chance of getting back. To ditch in January '42 was certain “curtains”. Martin told me to release the bombs manually but it was no good and we were rapidly losing height the orders were to get out.

I jumped out under three thousand feet, Ginger followed. The last I heard before this was Leonard asking and helping Martin to control the rudder pedals, less than a minute later they crashed, lighting up the sky with the explosion. Martin and Leonard are buried at Sage, a cemetery on the road to Wilhelmshaven, which I have visited. I owe my life to Martin a fine Rhodesian.

I was captured about five hours later, the usual interrogation, and the first of many camps, VIIA. I escaped from here in July '42 by climbing the wire between two sentry boxes, aided by pouring rain which deadened sound and caused the patrolling sentry to shelter under a box, allowing me to climb over between the two. Unlike you who went under one, yours was the better idea, but either way we were very lucky!

I was free for seven days and after several “episodes” was caught outside Innsbruck.

There were two more escapes, one under the wire by tunnel, the next through it, while on a working party. I guess the only other way would be by flying!

P.S.

(Percy’s account is remarkable, not so much for what he says, as for what he omits! One of the “episodes” he refers to was the occasion when, in normal R.A.F. battledress uniform, he joined a queue at a mobile German soup kitchen and enjoyed a mug of soup before continuing on his way - only Percy would have tried that and got away with it!

Another was when he marched in broad daylight through the town of Bad Tolz at the head of a squad of German soldiers - Jim)

A little follow-up shows that after the war, Percy continued to lead an incredible life.

Percy Sekine was a distinguished sensei of the Hammersmith, London-based Judokan. He represented Great Britain in international

judo tournaments four times in the 1940s and 1950s and was never beaten. He was also a coach of the British national judo team.

Born: February 20, 1920 Died: October 15, 2010

Dave Scott