Personal information

John Campkin from St. Ives was taken prisoner by U-409 (Massmann) when the U-boat encountered a lifeboat from Eulima on 24 Feb, 1943. He was landed at Brest on 12 April and taken to the POW camp Marlag und Milag Nord.

In 1972, when John Campkin was master of the Shell tanker Vitrina, he said that commander Massmann was an honourable man, who gave tins of water, tins of bread, a navigation chart and a course to the nearest land to the survivors left behind in the lifeboat, but unfortunately they were never seen again. He also recounted that he was well treated while being a prisoner aboard U-409 and on one occasion experienced a long attack with depth charges by Allied warships.

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