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Introduction

John Denis Caves (known throughout his life as Denis) was born in Opotiki in the eastern Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, on 4 March 1917. It was in hometown Opotiki that he met Jean McGregor and they were engaged in 1939.

In September 1939, New Zealand along with the other Commonwealth nations declared war on Germany. Denis volunteered to serve in the New Zealand Army, but failed his medical test due to varicose veins and instead put down a deposit on a nearby farm. Before Denis could take ownership of the land, the New Zealand Army called him up for service. Denis reclaimed his deposit before heading to training camp in Ngaruawahia

Denis lived a lifetime in the next five years. He rode out the 1941 Fijian hurricane. He survived gruelling desert combat in Egypt and very nearly lost his life at the Battle of Sidi Rezegh in 1941. He then spent six months on garrison duty in Syria before his brigade was thrust into the line at Alamein. Denis was captured in the Second Battle of Ruweisat Ridge in July 1942 and held captive at Benghazi, for two months, then transported to Italy. He was a POW in Italian hands for one long hardening year until Italy surrendered in September 1943 and the Germans took control. Denis endured a further 18 months in POW camps across Eastern Germany - Stalag VIIIA Görlitz, Stalag 344 Lamsdorf and Stalag VIIIB Teschen - involving forced labour in sugar factories, coal mines and on railway lines when his health allowed. In January 1945 Denis began his final and most trying journey - 720 miles on foot, often in snow with little and sometimes no food, westward from modern-day Poland across Czechoslovakia to Germany. Denis was liberated by American troops in Bavaria after 96 days march.

Denis, like so many of his comrades, rarely spoke about the war when he returned to New Zealand. Seldom did he reference his exploits and experiences, only occasionally confiding in his son Michael who served in the New Zealand Army. Yet memories of his days in battle and captivity could not be erased and returned to haunt Denis in his final days. Denis died in Opotiki on 27 April 1989.

This book is Denis' tale expressed through letters exchanged with Jean and his parents. These letters tell the remarkable story of survival in battle and captivity. They also tell the story of Denis and Jean whose unfaltering love persevered against all odds.

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