Thought you might like to see my response to Helen King. Cheers, Jim.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2010 9:06 AM
Subject: Re Raymond Francis Ridge.
Dear Ms. King,
I believe that your father is the amazing man who helped so many fellow POW's through the many troubles during our stay at Bankou, on the "death march" and at Luckenwalde. There isn't much more that I can tell you that isn't in the story on Joan Baron's great memorial website. Even at that time when I was nineteen years old, I was amazed that a man that had such severe physical and emotional problems would have the strength to extend himself beyond all of that to give so much help to his fellow POWs. Your descriptions of his night terrors bring back to me the experience of being awakened by the screaming of the man who obviously was reliving very traumatic events. At times for a few years after coming home, I had similar night episodes, which I can tell you, are very distressing.
The man that I remember was held in very high esteem by the whole camp. As we were at times in extreme situations, and many were hanging onto life by a thread, I am sure that the help that he gave, both physical and emotional, saved many a desparate young man. His example of pressing on to survive the possibility of surviving was one right up there with the wonderful padre that was serving a similar role. Both, I am sure, are remembered by all who were there.
You can be very proud of your father. There was no one there that filled the role of the man that I remember and I am sure that it is the same man you remember as your father.
That it has taken so many years to connect all of the stories is amazing. However, thinking back to the end of the war, no one seemed to want to talk about the bad times and no one seemed to want to hear. Even my family did not know the terrible parts of my experience for many years. probably into the 1980s. For the past four years I have been contacted by all of the families of my crew except on family. All who have come to see me seem to have had great appreciation for what I could tell them.
If there is anything more that I can do for you, just let me know. I assume that you live in Australia from where so many of our very good aircrew came . They were a very well respected group, full of fun and happy tricks. Although I have never been to Australia, I do have friends in Sydney with whom we have travelled on two or three occasions and with whom we communicate by e-mail quite often.
Sincerely yours,
Jim McPhee.