大象传媒

I came to England as a German POW in September 1946. The war had finished 16 months ago and I had been working as a prisoner with a German Workshop Company in Italy for about one year.

We were not allowed to communicate with our families, but we were all eager to return home, starting a new life and helping with the reconstruction of a new Germany.

Eventually my turn came for repatriation. However at the repatriation camp of Munsterlager in Germany we were told, that instead of going home we were to be shipped to England to help with the harvest.

I was posted to No 9 Bomb Disposal Squadron at Huyton near Liverpool. Our job was to dig out unexploded bombs left behind from the bombings by the Luftwaffe. Although it was against the Geneva Convention to employ prisoners for such dangerous work, we did not complain and got on with the job. After all, we were fed adequately and had a roof over our heads, whilst at the same time in Germany many people were starving and lived in squalor.

A limited communication with our loved ones was allowed now. But the one thing bothering us most was, the fact, that the time we had to serve as prisoners was open ended, in contrast to criminal prisoners who were given a fixed sentence; we did not know when we would be allowed to go home.

Our camp was surrounded by barbed wire and guarded by Irish Guards. We left the camp only to go to the different bomb jobs, to which we were transported by lorry.

Civilians were not allowed to speak to us, as the non-fraternization rule was still in operation. Just before Christmas these strict measures were relaxed. We were allowed to walk within five miles of the camp and stay out till ten o鈥檆lock.

British people were allowed to invite German prisoners to their homes for Christmas. The reaction was overwhelming and showed the true nature of the British people. Although Liverpool had suffered badly by the bombings of the Luftwaffe, a flood of invitations arrived at the camp.

Most of the British soldiers had been sent on Christmas leave and as German POWs were not allowed to use public transport, a skeleton staff of Officers and NCOs had to deliver the Germans to their hosts and return them back again to the camp.

With a fellow prisoner I was taken to an elderly couple at Bootle. The lieutenant went up to the front door, rang the bell and informed the person opening the door; 鈥渉ere are the two Germans you asked for鈥�.

We had tried to make ourselves presentable in our prisoners garb. But I felt very nervous, I had not set foot in a private house for years and was anxious to behave in a proper manner.

I needn鈥檛 have worried the welcome was very friendly. There were no formalities, we called each other by our christian names and managed to communicate quite well; the interpreting was left to me, as I had learned some English at school.

I can hardly describe my feelings when we were invited to sit at the table for the Christmas meal. There was still food rationing, but it was evident that these people had made a special effort.

True to British custom, the master of the house was carving the turkey and saw to it that their guests received an extra large portion. I was close to tears when I started to eat.

In the afternoon a younger niece appeared to take the weight off the older people and to play games with us young prisoners till late night when we were collected for the ride back to camp.

This act of human kindness shown to me by those few people represented the general feeling of the majority of the entire nation at that time. I shall never forget this to my dying days.

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Genevieve Tudor (the volunteer) of the 大象传媒 Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Heinz Elfner (the author) and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

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