A team of historical detectives in Poland have created a film which sheds new light on the last moments of a genuine Isle of Lewis war hero.
Zaginiona Ekspedycja (Lost Expedition) are a team of young history enthusiasts who have been inspired to look into the real stories behind Second World War in their local area.
Working with the local museum in their home town of Malbork, in Pomerania, Northern Poland, they’ve traced artefacts, photos and letters which reveal the horrors of life in Stalag XXB, the Nazi-run work camp constructed in the countryside.
And one of those they’ve studied is Aird prisoner-of-war Malcolm ‘Clicks’ Mackenzie, who was captured at St Valery-en-Caux and died in the work camp at Nazi hands.
Malcolm’s hard war and heroic death have been brought to life with a re-enactment in their history film, posted on YouTube on Saturday (18 March).
The 30-minute film, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAF22rJFC3M, has English subtitles and shows how Malcolm stood up to a German guard to defend a man too injured to work – and how Malcolm himself was shot dead as a result.
Malcolm’s nephew, Donald Macleod, said that watching the film this weekend was ‘very emotional’ and brought back his memories of his mother and grandmother talking about his uncle’s death.
He said today: “Malcolm died in September 1944 and I was born in 1946 and named for him – my full name is Donald Malcolm Mackenzie Macleod.
“The Polish historians were in touch with me to ask for my help pronouncing the Gaelic inscribed on his tombstone, but that is all the involvement I had.
“They have done a great job with the film – it’s very professionally done and really makes me feel emotional, seeing his last moments re-enacted and thinking of the sorrow that my family felt in losing their brother and son.”
Malcolm’s story is just part of a YouTube series created by Zaginiona Ekspedycja, who use museum artefacts to recreate some of the settings and events they describe.
Museum curator Tomasz Agejczyk said: “We also plan to make a website where all the POWs will be presented. I want to preserve the memory of them.
“In my opinion, as a historian, we need to remember people about whom no one has spoken loudly in Malbork for fifty years.”
And film-maker Michal Kierzkowski said: “We feel amazing knowing that we can somehow honour those people who spent their time in captivity in our city, in Malbork.
“The story of Malcolm MacKenzie touched our hearts, and we decided to reconstruct it in our film.”
The pictures show the Lost Explorers in their opening credits, a still showing Malcolm ‘Clicks’ Mackenzie in the film, and Stornoway man Donald Macleod with his picture of his uncle.