Magic at War

By 1941, Captain Wilfred Ponsonby, professional army officer and amateur magician, had firmly established himself as an  ‘escaper’  among his fellow prisoners of war. Identified as a grand-blessé   (medically unfit prisoner of war) by the Germans, he very nearly got repatriated back to England in time for Christmas 1941/42. In the final part of a three-part blog, with hopes of repatriation dashed, he switches back to escaping... and gets home before the war is over. Poland for Christmas The  grand-blessés  were moved from Rouen, France to camps in Germany and Poland on 19 December 1941.  Wilfred Ponsonby was chosen to head out to Stalag XXI-D,  a POW cam p in Poznań (German: Posen), in Ge rman-occupied Poland. Allied prisoners were held in eighteenth century forts, 30 to 40 men per room in brick-built redoubts, or in houses nearby, in three-tier bunks.   “We arrived at Posen on Christmas Eve 1941 and, we had no Red Cross parcels or...

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...