- Contributed by听
- British Schools Museum
- People in story:听
- Mr Sidney Grey
- Location of story:听
- Little Wymondley, Hertfordshire
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A7013215
- Contributed on:听
- 16 November 2005
I was 16 when war broke out, I worked on the land at Wymondley Bury at Little Wymondley. The owner of the farm was William Ransom. I did all the jobs from cutting lavender and henbane to hoeing and harvesting.
About 12 German prisoners of war also worked there. I think they came from Royston. In the dinner break these men went into the woods to collect willow branches; their foreman said they made beautiful baskets which they 鈥渟old鈥 for about 5 cigarettes 鈥 鈥渃igaretten鈥 they called them.
Two of the prisoners - Fritz and Heinz from the Panzer Korps built a garage for the car that Mr Ransom gave to the foreman 鈥 it still stands. They said how happy they were to be working on the land and even said they weren鈥檛 looking forward to going back to Germany.
The German prisoners didn鈥檛 like the Italian prisoners working for Mr Hayley and living in a keeper鈥檚 cottage at Willian. These prisoners went for a drink at night in the Plume of Feathers.
We saw two 鈥楩ortress鈥 planes crash at Weston in daytime 鈥 we heard only two Americans got out alive.
This memory has been submitted by The British Schools Museum on behalf of Mr Sidney Grey
漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.
Recommended story
Story with photo