Between 1939 and 1945 almost 200,000 British and Commonwealth servicemen were held as Prisoners of War in Germany. All those under the rank of Sergeant were eligible for work and during those six years few enjoyed the rosy Pow life that is forever engraved in the imagination of the British public. In this mythologised version of events the camps are perceived as institutions whose atmosphere and conditions were a mixture between a severe boarding school and a strict holiday camp. The reality was chillingly different - instead, most endured a daily fight for survival.