Dr Middlemiss kept this record in a small diary in pencil during his period as a POW. Some additional notes were added at the time of transcription, to a pen and ink copy, in April 1987. These are shown in brackets. Also, some Editor's notes have been added for the Website.

Page 1: March 1944 to May 1944

10th March, Friday.

About 900 prisoners of war, mostly 'Yanks', left today to continue their journey northwards. Very cold this week. [Food at the Rome Studios camp consisted of: Morning: Ersatz tea or ersatz coffee*. Midday: One out of sauerkraut, porridge, barley, barley and potatoes, macaroni and tomato purée or dehydrated vegetables. Usually a very little meat, either fresh or tinned. Evening: 1/5 loaf, 'butter' and/or cheese and butter and/or jam or just 'butter' ('butter' = margarine. )

*Editor's Note: ersatz = substitue. Many things in World War 2 were ersatz in Europe, on both sides of the conflict .

17th March, Friday.

Got on a working party.

21st March, Tuesday.

Sent off a message to be transmitted to England by radio*. [This was picked up by the radio monitoring service and my mother was informed that my name had been read out. Previously she knew only that I was "missing, believed prisoner of war". ]
*Editor's Note: We are not sure if these names were given out on civilian radio, or on a special Red Cross channel.

22nd March, Wednesday.

Sudden move announced 4pm. Moved from Rome to Laterina by lorries 8pm. Brief glimpse of the Coliseum and the Pantheon. Halt at dawn on the shores of Lake Trasimeno.

23rd March, Thursday.

Thence past Cortona and through Arezzo to Laterina (Tuscany). Arrived late morning at POW camp, in Hut 11 with Ted Copling, Cyril Codd and Eric Dilworth [Dulag 132].

26th March, Sunday.

Sent off Red Cross card home.

5th April, Wednesday.

Shipment including 675 British POWs left for Germany. Eric Dilworth and Cyril Codd went with them. March had been mostly fine but with cold N.E. wind. One or two days were wind-free and quite warm, enabling us to sit outside the hut all day.

6th April, Thursday.

Dull morning. Fine afternoon.

7th April, Good Friday.

Drew for a working detail inside the camp (with Ted Copling). Fine afternoon. Cabbage and barley midday. Macaroni and barley evening; fair lashing from working party skilly.

8th April, Saturday.

Very thin pea soup. Thinnest skilly yet. A large party attempted to break out of the camp evening; much shooting.

9th April, Easter Sunday.

Short service morning. Very thick cauliflower soup for both skillies; good.

10th April, Monday.

Very fine day. Evening in particular unusually warm. Tried to get a hair-cut and shave but the queues were too long [all the razors had been confiscated by the Germans]. Rinsed out pants and vest afternoon. Skillies good, same as yesterday but less cauliflower, more macaroni.

11th April, Tuesday.

Sunny and warm afternoon. Had hair-cut morn. Skillies good again - thick barley with remains of cauliflower.

12th April, Wednesday.

Hot sunny day (chilly morn till about 9). Shave aft. Cauliflower skillies again - leaves and stalks morn, flower evening, the latter somewhat thin.

13th April, Thursday.

Fine and warm again. Had bath afternoon as well as possible with my tiny sliver of soap and handkerchief for flannel. Sweet rice midday; good thick cauliflower soup evening.

14th April, Friday.

Fine hot day. Cauliflower soups. Fireplaces, wood and a boiler now installed in ruined hut at end of camp.

15th April, Saturday.

Pea soup morning, thin but with fair amount of pease sediment. Cauliflower and barley eve, good. Much Allied aerial activity round the camp these fine days; no opposition whatsoever. Many rumours - Rumania packed in, oilfields captured; Roosevelt has given Germany so many days to surrender; Allies have advanced in Italy, have not advanced in Italy; Laterina to be a permanent camp [as distinct from "Dulag" = transit camp; a shipment going out on Monday, on Tuesday, etc.

16th April, Sunday.

Boiled shirt morn. Skillies - thin spinach soup; some macaroni added eve. Getting very browned off with this place.

17th April, Monday.

Somewhat duller. Had shower and delouse aft and moved to Hut 1 [Hut 1 had wooden bunk beds. Hut 11 had only had straw on the floor. Lice were very abundant at Laterina]. More browned off than every. Skillies - macaroni, very thin with bully morn but thick with flour eve, good. Lost my little blue indelible pencil, last of that bought at Kirkuk.

18th April, Tuesday.

Fine morning but dull and rainy aft. Felt rotten morn but improved after dinner. Skillies - good thick barley. Washed socks and tea cloth aft.

19th April, Wednesday.

Showery. Cauliflower skillies, thin morn but thick and good eve. Red Cross inspector came round aft. Made bread porridge eve.

20th April, Thursday.

Weather unsettled. Half pot of fish soup midday. Cauliflower, spinach and peas eve.

21st April, Friday.

Brighter. Skillies - spinach and lettuce, some cauliflower, rice flour. Eve very thick, best yet; made seconds, i.e. 1 1/3 pints over again and bags of meat in second helping. High German officer visited the camp aft. Yanks given pay cards for shipment aft.

22nd April, Saturday.

Had shave morn. Pretty fine day but east wind. Skillies consisting mostly of spinach, not very thick. List of British shipment read out; Allen and Booker the only two of our party on it.

23rd April, Sunday.

Fine day but blustering east wind. Washed pants aft. Sweet rice midday, very good. Rice and onions with flour eve, quite good.

24th April, Monday.

Fine day; east wind. Washed vest aft. Skillies - macaroni.

25th April, Tuesday.

Rewashed vest aft. Rumour of landing near Genoa continues strong - but news from a pilot brought in eve dispelled this. Skillies - spinach tops, lettuce, onions, some rice; thick eve. Rain evening.

26th April, Wednesday.

Dull and windy. Sweet porridge midday; oatmeal, rice, some greens and onions eve; both very good. Made bread porridge eve.

27th April, Thursday.

Cold east wind; dull and cloudy morn. Spinach skillies; made seconds eve, when fairly thick.

28th April, Friday.

Fine, sunny; cold east wind. Beans, good.

29th April, Saturday.

Spinach in barley; very good eve. Eve a tunnel in Hut 1 was discovered. All had to move out at _ hour's notice; Ted and I found a place in Hut 5. Our section scattered.

30th April, Sunday.

Fine day. 500 came in from Aquila and Torresabina, mostly "civvies" [i.e. British who had been prisoners of the Italians, had escaped at the armistice in 1943 and had been living in the country disguised as Italian civilians]. Washed collar and top of battledress blouse aft. We were allowed to go back to Hut 1.

1st May, Monday.

Took parting "dysentery research" morn. Fine day, threat of rain at night. Rice, onions and flour; good flavour.

2nd May, Tuesday. Loudspeakers fixed up. Shave aft.
3rd May, Wednesday.

Pea soup! - although onions added were an improvement eve. May rumours these days - second front, etc.

5th May, Friday.

Haircut apt. Reaction to hopeful rumours of recent days now setting in.

6th May, Saturday.

Beans again; good flavour.

8th May, Monday.

Shower and delouse aft. Many rumours of Laterina being made a permanent camp. Dull morn, fine aft.

9th May, Tuesday.

Dull and cold. Strong rumour that Rome fell on Sunday.

10th May, Wednesday.

Sweet barley morn. Thick barley, macaroni, oatmeal, flour and bully eve; good. Continued bombing near the camp for last 2 days and night. Issue of 4 cigarettes each, bought for us by a Yugoslavian prisoner. The Yugoslavian was promptly robbed morn. I swapped my cigarettes for butter and jam.

11th May, Thursday.

Shipment went out at night, of nearly all the Yanks in the camp, with some British and Russians. Sauerkraut morn, for the first time here.

12th May, Friday.

All Hut 1 moved to Hut 12 and section divided aft. Shave aft.

13th May, Saturday.

We fed with the Italian section today. Pea soup, eve, very good with much onions and barley. Had seconds.

14th May, Sunday.

Good cheese today, Gruyère (?) round. Thin greens midday, but evening one of the best skillies, broad beans and fresh meat. Our section was re-formed evening. Heard officially today from the Jerry radio of the Allied advance in Italy.

15th May, Monday.

Rice and bully, rice and onions; good. At night Good was exposed stealing half a loaf.

16th May, Tuesday.

Good was removed from our section morn.

17th May, Wednesday.

Oatmeal and macaroni midday (add one's own sugar). Evening oatmeal, macaroni, onions, bully. Both good.

18th May, Thursday.

Drew for inside working party. Sold it to Ted for one extra skilly.

20th May, Saturday.

Showery and thundery. Made bread blancmange.

21st May, Sunday.

No cheese.

22nd May, Monday.

Cold and showery. Italian classes started.

23rd May, Tuesday.

Self-sweetened oatmeal and macaroni midday. Made seconds.

24th May, Wednesday.

Shower and delouse aft. Pea soup (mid-peas and sauerkraut) - excellent flavour.

26th May, Friday.

Self-sweetened rice midday.

28th May, Sunday.

Suggestion to cut out working party skillies at mess meeting. Issue of 1/3 gherkin and a little buckshee bread evening (5th day of double jam but no margarine).

29th May, Monday.

Washed shirt, handkerchief, socks aft. Rice and macaroni pudding. Felt fitter today. Cheese issue today.

30th May, Tuesday.

Very small shipment went out evening.

31st May, Wednesday.

Cheese and double jam again, but bread ration seems to be getting smaller every day.