Monthly Archives: July 2011

Captain J. H. Derek Millar

J. H. Derek Millar grew up in Scotland. He qualified in 1937 from Edinburgh University and had been working in hospital medicine when the war broke out and he volunteered for service.

He was posted to go overseas in 1941. He served in North Africa and was captured in Egypt and was sent to Camp 59.

As one of two medical officers in the camp, he was confronted by primative hygienic conditions, poor nutrition and insufficient food in general, harsh climate, pests and parasites, and lack of medicine and tools for carrying out routine care.

On September 9th, the day the Italian Armistice was announced in the camp, Sergeant Major Hegerty, who had been commanding officer at Camp 59 for one year, relinquished his duties. Captain Millar volunteered to take over command of the camp.

It was in this commanding role that Captain Millar—just five days later—negotiated with the commandant, Colonel Bacci, for release of the prisoners.

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Carnival Time

The photos in this post are from Maggie Clarke, daughter of Camp 59 British prisoner Denis Crooks.

Denis kept a suitcase—a veritable treasure trove—of letters, newspaper clipping, and photos related to his POW experience.

Maggie explains, “We didn’t find his suitcase full of these letters until after he died nine years ago. We also have some photos which he took of camp life, although as he said, he would have been shot if he had been caught! He must have got to a point where he didn’t care.”

She continues, that the photos “aren’t of brilliant quality as he somehow had them developed in camp! I seem to remember he mentioned bribing one of the guards! Mind you, by reading of some of the inventions he and Bob made, they probably made their own dark-room!”

Bob, of course, is Denis’ close friend and fellow prisoner Robert Dickinson.

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