Bill O' Callaghan's Affidavit
The following is the affadavit of Bill O'Callaghan taken on November 6th, 1946 after the war: The Affidavit is headed as follows:
IN THE MATTER OF GERMAN WAR CRIMES AND IN THE MATTER OF THE KILLING OF BRITISH PRISONERS OF WAR IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF LE PARADIS IN MAY 1940:
"I William Reginald O.CALLAGHAN (formerly No 5770251 Private W. R. O'CALLAGHAN, the Royal Norfolk Regiment), with permanent home address at 17, London Road, Dereham, Norfolk, take oath and say as follows:
1 On the 27th May, 1940, ny battalion, the 2nd Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment, was in position near LE PARADIS. I was employed as a signaller with the Battalion HQ. After connections with the Brigade had been cut, we were entirely surrounded, and the CO told us to destroy and break up telephones, wireless sets, etc. We destroyed all correspondence, and made our way one at a time from the cellar into a barn, We were subjected to mortar fire, and had some casualties. To save further loss of life the CO, Major Ryder MC ordered us to surrender. At this time it was early afternoon.
2 We hung a towel on the end of a rifle, and shortly afterwards all firing ceased. We opened the door, and started to file out with our hands above our heads. The first dozen men out were mown down, then the firing ceased. We marched down to a field about 300 yards away, here we were searched. After we were searched the wounded were attended to, and we were lined-up in threes, and marched across a field. After we had been searched some high ranking German officer (I think he had red lapels on his greatcoat) came up and spoke to the other German officers there (I cannot remember how many there were), and waved his hand, whereupon we moved off.
3 We halted on the road, about 200 yards from where we had been searched, to let some vehicles pass. We started off again to march along the road, and met German troops who behaved in a very brutal manner towards us, hitting us with their rifles and pushing us about. On the march we halted once or twice, and it is possible that one of those halts occured just before we turned off into a gateway leading into a farm. On passing through this gateway I noticed a pasture on our right, and a farm building on our left.
4 As I was turning into the gateway I noticed a machine gun in front of us which appeared to be mounted in front of what I thought looked like a farm lavatory. After having passed through the gateway the gun was then on my right. The whole column continued to march forward along the side of the house, with their hands still behind their heads, when suddenly firing started. The men started falling from the front of the column. When I saw the men falling I threw myself forward and fell into a slight depression in the ground, and in falling stretched my arms out before me, and sustained a slight flesh wound in the left arm. After the firing stopped I heard my comrades shouting and shrieking in their agony. I then heard what sounded to me like the fixing of bayonets, and shortly afterwards I heard moans and shrieks from more of my comrades, which sounded to me as if they were being bayoneted. I did not see this, since I did not lift my hand, as I was afraid of being bayoneted myself. There was also pistol and rifle shots, which lasted for several minutes. The Germans left before long, after having made sure that there was no sign of life. After a while two Germans came and stood behind me and I heard them talking, but they left again without having done anything.
5 I must have gone to sleep then because we had had very little sleep during the past 18 days. The next thing I knew was that someone was pulling me and I woke up to find out that it was a comrade by the name of Bert POOLEY who was lying underneath a pile of bodies beside me. I asked him if he was hurt badly and he asked me to get him out. I went to the nearby barn, opened the door and saw Germans inside. I went back to POOLEY and carried him away for about 300 yards where I placed him underneath a bush. I went and fetched a blanket and then we made our way as best we could until we came to a burning farmhouse where there was a concrete pigsty. I made this as habitable as possible and we both stayed there.
6 Three days later a French civilian woman found us there. She supplied us with food, bandages and dressings etc for POOLEY'S wound although she was endangering her own life by helping us. Eventually other French civilians also came to see us there, some of whom also brought food.
7 One day while I was away from the pigsty, trying to get some food, I saw a car turn into the farmyard and two Germans and a Frenchman got out and went to the pigsty. They left again about 15 minutes later and I returned to the pigsty. POOLEY told me that they had said that the Frenchman was to take us to his house in the village and that we were going to be fetched from there by an ambulance and taken to hospital. The Frenchman, however, never came back to fetch us. But some days later, I think at the request of a Polish refugee to whom I had spoken, a French ambulance came to take us away to a hospital in BETHUNE. I remained in hospital for 16 days and was then fit to join a column of British prisoners marching into HOLLAND.
Sworn by the above named William Reginald O'CALLAGHAN at 6, Spring Gardens, in the city of Westminster, this second day of November 1946. Signed in the presence of Chandos H. PERRY, A Commissioner for Oath.
IN THE MATTER OF GERMAN WAR CRIMES AND IN THE MATTER OF THE KILLING OF BRITISH PRISONERS OF WAR IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF LE PARADIS IN MAY 1940:
"I William Reginald O.CALLAGHAN (formerly No 5770251 Private W. R. O'CALLAGHAN, the Royal Norfolk Regiment), with permanent home address at 17, London Road, Dereham, Norfolk, take oath and say as follows:
1 On the 27th May, 1940, ny battalion, the 2nd Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment, was in position near LE PARADIS. I was employed as a signaller with the Battalion HQ. After connections with the Brigade had been cut, we were entirely surrounded, and the CO told us to destroy and break up telephones, wireless sets, etc. We destroyed all correspondence, and made our way one at a time from the cellar into a barn, We were subjected to mortar fire, and had some casualties. To save further loss of life the CO, Major Ryder MC ordered us to surrender. At this time it was early afternoon.
2 We hung a towel on the end of a rifle, and shortly afterwards all firing ceased. We opened the door, and started to file out with our hands above our heads. The first dozen men out were mown down, then the firing ceased. We marched down to a field about 300 yards away, here we were searched. After we were searched the wounded were attended to, and we were lined-up in threes, and marched across a field. After we had been searched some high ranking German officer (I think he had red lapels on his greatcoat) came up and spoke to the other German officers there (I cannot remember how many there were), and waved his hand, whereupon we moved off.
3 We halted on the road, about 200 yards from where we had been searched, to let some vehicles pass. We started off again to march along the road, and met German troops who behaved in a very brutal manner towards us, hitting us with their rifles and pushing us about. On the march we halted once or twice, and it is possible that one of those halts occured just before we turned off into a gateway leading into a farm. On passing through this gateway I noticed a pasture on our right, and a farm building on our left.
4 As I was turning into the gateway I noticed a machine gun in front of us which appeared to be mounted in front of what I thought looked like a farm lavatory. After having passed through the gateway the gun was then on my right. The whole column continued to march forward along the side of the house, with their hands still behind their heads, when suddenly firing started. The men started falling from the front of the column. When I saw the men falling I threw myself forward and fell into a slight depression in the ground, and in falling stretched my arms out before me, and sustained a slight flesh wound in the left arm. After the firing stopped I heard my comrades shouting and shrieking in their agony. I then heard what sounded to me like the fixing of bayonets, and shortly afterwards I heard moans and shrieks from more of my comrades, which sounded to me as if they were being bayoneted. I did not see this, since I did not lift my hand, as I was afraid of being bayoneted myself. There was also pistol and rifle shots, which lasted for several minutes. The Germans left before long, after having made sure that there was no sign of life. After a while two Germans came and stood behind me and I heard them talking, but they left again without having done anything.
5 I must have gone to sleep then because we had had very little sleep during the past 18 days. The next thing I knew was that someone was pulling me and I woke up to find out that it was a comrade by the name of Bert POOLEY who was lying underneath a pile of bodies beside me. I asked him if he was hurt badly and he asked me to get him out. I went to the nearby barn, opened the door and saw Germans inside. I went back to POOLEY and carried him away for about 300 yards where I placed him underneath a bush. I went and fetched a blanket and then we made our way as best we could until we came to a burning farmhouse where there was a concrete pigsty. I made this as habitable as possible and we both stayed there.
6 Three days later a French civilian woman found us there. She supplied us with food, bandages and dressings etc for POOLEY'S wound although she was endangering her own life by helping us. Eventually other French civilians also came to see us there, some of whom also brought food.
7 One day while I was away from the pigsty, trying to get some food, I saw a car turn into the farmyard and two Germans and a Frenchman got out and went to the pigsty. They left again about 15 minutes later and I returned to the pigsty. POOLEY told me that they had said that the Frenchman was to take us to his house in the village and that we were going to be fetched from there by an ambulance and taken to hospital. The Frenchman, however, never came back to fetch us. But some days later, I think at the request of a Polish refugee to whom I had spoken, a French ambulance came to take us away to a hospital in BETHUNE. I remained in hospital for 16 days and was then fit to join a column of British prisoners marching into HOLLAND.
Sworn by the above named William Reginald O'CALLAGHAN at 6, Spring Gardens, in the city of Westminster, this second day of November 1946. Signed in the presence of Chandos H. PERRY, A Commissioner for Oath.