大象传媒

This story has been contributed to the People鈥檚 War by the 大象传媒 Learning Centre on behalf of Patrick Barrett, with his permission.

During the war my parents lived at and ran Upper Hill Farm, on the hill overlooking Cheltenham Racecourse at Prestbury. Towards the end of the war they had some German prisoners of war who worked on the farm.

I was a very little boy (I was born in December 1941) and I thought all the German PoWs were smashing because they had the time to play with me.

I particularly remember Willy Reuter, whose family ran a toy factory and who made toys for me, and in 1998 after German reunification he came to England looking for me and to my great delight we renewed our friendship. After that we have visited him and his family at their home in eastern Germany near the Czech border. We also shared our photographs and memories of that time, and Willy had written his down.

He was born on November 22 1919 and was a prisoner of war (PW Willy Reuter No 659302) from January 1945 to May 1948. This is what he wrote about his war experiences.

20-1-1945 Capture in Zetten (Holland) near Nijmegen
In the night of 19/20 January 1945 I was captured, surrounded by tanks on a farm in Zetten, near Nijmegen, Holland. Six years of war since my call-up to the military in 1939 when I was 20 years old, came to an end. I was searched and my weapons were taken, unfortunately my beautiful camera too. After many interrogations in different cams I was sent to a camp, a former cement factory, near Turnhout, a few miles from Antwerp, Belgium. In the Zanvoorde camp were approx 6000 prisoners who were under chaotic circumstances prepared for the transportation to England.

08-03-1945 Transportation to England
Embarkation in many small boatrs began on 8-3-1945. After arrival in England we were transported over three days in railway goods wagons and lorries to Hampton Park, London. We were accommodated in tents. Polish officers questioned us several times. Here I was given my prisoner鈥檚 number 鈥� No. 659302 together with my release number No. 26 which predicted a longer stay on the Island.

14-03-1945 Northern Camp (No. 174)

12-04-1945 Ripon Camp (No. 178)

10-07-1945 Springhill Camp (No. 185) near Moreton-in-Marsh

Food rations in all the camps were in short supply and guarding very strict. After a while the prisoners were used for farm work. Now for the first time we had contact with the English population: my school English helped a lot. On the big farm of Richard Wagner I met a girl, Oxford student Cl Fischer-Loes who very kindly organised a dictionary for me which helped me a great deal during my imprisonment. I still use it today.
After about a year and a quarter I was allowed to write home for the first time. The answer, restricted to only 25 words, relieved me as I learned that my relatives at home, now in the Russian zone, were still alive.
To ease boredom in camp I needed a pocket knife to make toys. A nice English man helped me. The rest of the materials for creating toys were somehow got together. The toys were very popular and I even made a little money which was forbidden for us prisoners. At a body search they found half a crown on me. After that I was no longer allowed to work on the farm. A white lie, when questioned by an English officer, secured me after 10 days not the usual confinement but a transfer to Gloucester-Quedgeley-Court Hostel (No. 142)

23-03-1946 Gloucester-Quedgeley (No. 142)

Here we had to stay in camp. We overcame boredom with nightly break-outs. On one of these I met a nice English girl whom I met frequently thereafter 鈥� always at night. When the German camp foreman heard of this I was transferred on.

12-04-1946 to Tewkesbury-Newton

Here I was able to work with nine other men in a flour mill under a Mr Healing. Our main occupation was painting. In the small carpenter鈥檚 workshop within the firm I found an opportunity to make more toys.

On weekends we were allowed to leave the camp from 10.00-18.00 in a radius of 6km. Through some good connections I managed to get a bicycle with which I made tours for up to 20 km on weekends.

20-04-1947 Sudeley Castle Camp (No. 37) near Winchcombe

While we were in this camp we had to work on several farms. On a Sunday bike tour I met Beryl Meese in Broadway. She lived in Redditch, Worcestershire (52 Sillins Avenue). We were good friends until my release. On a visit to England in 1998 with my wife, son and daughter-in-law, I was able to obtain Beryl鈥檚 brother鈥檚 telephone number from people who were living in Beryl鈥檚 parents鈥� old house. He told me that Beryl was on holiday in Canada 鈥� what a pity we missed her.

18-07-1947 Upper Hill Farm at Mr Barrett鈥檚

Here I spent the rest of my time as PoW on the Island. Mr Barrett fetched me to his farm after I had worked there a few times. He said: 鈥淲illy belongs to my family.鈥� His two children Heather (8 years) and Patrick (5 years) were good playmates and friends for me. Of course I made more toys. Even after 60 years Patrick鈥檚 family, the children and we are still good friends.

My release number 26 moved slowly nearer and after three and a quarter years as a prisoner of war I was discharged home.

Via the Camp Leckhampton I arrived on 25-05-1948 at the Camp in Friedland near Gottingen.

Here 1000 prisoners from England were exchanged for 1000 prisoners from Russia. I realised that I had been very lucky to have escaped Russian imprisonment.

With my time as a soldier and as a POW I have wasted altogether almost 10 years of my life 鈥� of my youth!
Willy Reuter

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