大象传媒

In May 1945 at the end of the war the Royal Engineers Company I was serving in entered Hamburg. A week or so after, I was travelling with an RASC officer, Arthur Beardmore, through Blankenese, a high quality residential district. We suddenly saw a notice Golf Platz and both being keen golfers decided to investigate. The club was Falkenstein or Falcons Wood. It had been a championship course but 5 holes had been excavated for 'Dig for Victory'. Everything was in good order and surprisingly golf clubs were available but no golf balls. We returned to our unit and saw the appropriate Army authority and took over the club. But what about golf balls?Through a colonel friend of mine I managed to get a message to my elder brother who lived at Riverhead, Kent. He went into action and advertised in The Times, The Telegraph and other national newspapers asking for balls for the forces in Germany. Thousands were donated and the RAF at Biggin Hill flew these to Wunstorf, near Hannover. We were all set to go. The arrangement was that you could rent a few clubs and three balls for sixpence per round. Members of the armed forces from far and wide came to play and a good time was had by all. Falkenstein remains one of Europe's greatest courses and a perfect showpiece of golf design.

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