Magic at War

In Part 2 of this three-part blog, captured British army officer and amateur magician, Wilfred ('Wilf') Ponsonby, a British army officer and amateur magician, boosts the morale of his fellow POWs as the camp's resident magician. Meanwhile, he plots four escapes, and almost makes it to Switzerland... Conjuring in captivity   Morale boosting activity in Oflag IX-A/H (Spangenberg / Elbersdorf) was dominated by a rich variety of camp entertainment.   “I remember we used to have a lot of theatricals in the camp and in what was our dining hall we made a stage for our plays.”   Naturally, Ponsonby played a leading role in organising the shows. For example, he wrote the script for a production of Alice in Wonderland which the prisoners put on. Of course, when revues or variety bills were scheduled, he would step forward and do a turn as a magician.   Ponsonby’s letters home would ask for clothing, extra food, books and games to be sent out to him. He also asked for magic pro...

In this three-part blog, we tell the story of Wilfred ('Wilf') Ponsonby, a British army officer and  amateur  magician  captured  by the Germans in the  Battle  of France in 1940. In a remarkable set of events, Ponsonby ends up heading an escape  committee, writing coded letters to British  military intelligence, and supervising the use of secret escape devices. At the same time, he boosts the morale of his fellow POWs as the camp's resident magician. Ponsonby takes part in several escapes and makes it back to England before the war is over... An early escape, discovering magic and joining the army   Wilfred Montague Ponsonby (1905-1999) was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada. His mother was Canadian. His father, a British Army officer stationed there. The family left Canada when Wilfred was still a baby, to live in England, Ireland, and Malta, accompanying his father on different military assignments. On 4 August 1914, the day Britain de...

František Hladík (or Frank Hladík), known professionally as ' Verdini', was born near Tabor in Czec hoslovakia on 11 August, 1909. He discovered magic early in his life and joined a magic club run by Viktor Ponrepo, a Czech magician and a cinema pioneer. Making an impressive debut, Hladík performed his first professional engagement, 18-years old, at the Grand Theatre  in his country's capital city, Prague. By 1939, Hladík was an established performer, with over a decade of experience as a comedy magician. When World War Two started, he was touring his native land, appearing in a cabaret show called  Magic Lope .  But, on 15 March of that year, Hitler's armed forces invaded Czechoslovakia.  Adolf Hitler at Prague Castle,  Czechoslovakia (Source: Public domain) In the weeks that followed the occupation, thousands of Czechs left their country, most of them escaping to neighbouring Poland.  Czechoslovakia's politicians chose not to resist the Ger...