大象传媒

Cyril and Ruth Sherwood who live in my village, remember the happy social events at the POW camp during the war years.They were young and just married. Ruth's parents kept the village post office and shop and Cyril cycled to work in the railway signal-box four miles away every morning. Frequently he got a lift with the lorry taking the prisoners to work on the farms.
Cyril said,"We were invited to ENSA concerts in the hall at the camp. Ensa provided entertainment for the troops in all the theatres of war and many famous artists started their careers with this enterprise. We had wonderful shows. Not much else was available near us out in the country."
Ruth added, "We had Whist Drives and Dances at the camp too."
Cyril continued,"The local football team with me and Dennis Pollard from the Mill played against the Italian Prisoners-of-War. Bill Barton remembers cycling across the fields to a dance to celebrate VE Day at the camp. Bill said,'If you drank whiskey with the C.O. you could get all the labour you needed.' His father gave each prisoner one shilling a day in their hand for working on the land. They were delighted."
Ruth remembered the beautiful murals the Italians painted on the walls of the Officer's Mess, and how clever they were at crafting and painting toys made from bits of wood and anything they could find. The toys they made were given to the local children. Ken Armstrong (son of the village joiner) and his sister, Christine, each had one. One had a chicken and the other a butterfly, both on wheels, which flapped their wings as they were pulled along by the children.
I get the feeling the Sherwoods and villagers who were there at the time have good memories of the local POW Camp days.

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