In March 1943, Captain Frank Edward Elgar was taken prisoner by German forces, in North Africa, while serving with his regiment, the Sherwood Foresters. Elgar's diary charts his journey through Italy and his life in several POW camps over twenty-four months, from the time of his capture in Tunisia until March 1945, by which stage he was in Germany. His final two months as a POW, prior to liberation by the Allies in May, are documented in a letter that he later wrote to a friend.

This transcript of Elgar's original manuscript POW diary, recounting his experiences during the two years of his captivity, forms an important historical record. Written in compelling and frank detail, his account is not only of great interest to his immediate family, but also to the wider public, as it provides a valuable insight into the rigours and routines of life in German POW camps during the Second World War.