Victor Long (1SAS)
Those horrific images were seen at first hand by 82-year-old Victor Long, of Essex, a former SAS member who was one of the first British soldiers to enter the camp 60 years ago on Friday. These memories stay with you, you can never forget.
He said: “After we entered the camp, one of the first things we came across was a huge open grave that was almost full of dead bodies.
“There were lots of dead bodies everywhere and the people that were alive were in a bad way. We weren’t allowed to leave the camp until we’d been fumigated because there was so much disease around.”
Mr Long said it was “impossible to forget” some of the things he saw at Belsen.
“Today has brought things back – these memories stay with you, you can never forget.”
He said he agreed with the head of the British army Jackson who, in his earlier address, made clear who he thought of as the real heroes of Belsen.
“I don’t believe that those soldiers were the only heroes,” Sir Mike said.
“The real heroes were those who suffered so in the camps – what they had to go through is almost beyond comprehension.”
April, 2005
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Belsen Online Archive
This archive has been established after my own relative, Reg Price, took part in the liberation and subsequent humanitarian effort of Bergen Belsen in April 1945. Reg produced this famous sign at Belsen. As part of the 113th DLI, Reg and his comrades were at Belsen for 5 weeks and left when the last hut was empty and ceremonially burnt down. This archive compiles all available resources to build a lasting tribute to all the men and women who helped - any unit, any nationality. If you have a relative, or any info, on the relief effort at Belsen, we’d love you to please get in touch. Email us: liberator@belsen.co.uk – Thank you Nick Price Creatives • Facebook • Twitter •
