大象传媒

Life on many wartime farms 鈥� particularly those away from coasts or important towns was comparatively insulated from the war. Farming was a reserved occupation and so was mining, the principal occupation around the farm.

In some respects 3 POWS drafted in to help with the harvest and other labour intensive jobs were not so different from other casual labour 鈥� students, miners on 鈥渟ick.鈥� They fitted in well. There was the language difficulty of course. Robert, the eldest, could say very little; Hans made up for his lack of English words with jolly gestures; Werner spoke English quite well. The three were accepted as individuals, lived at the farm and were a very economical way of augmenting the farm鈥檚 labour force. Without television and seldom seeing cinema newsreels, farmers had no experience of German soldiers marching threateningly en masse.

Robert was a stooping elderly man from the western border with Alsace, too old really to be in the army 鈥� no storm trooper he! Nobody could possibly dislike cheerful, happy-go-lucky Hans from East Germany, stocky, round faced and friendly. Werner from the Rhineland, young and fair, more like the stereotype young German soldier was only just old enough for military service.

Robert did not stay long, anxious to get home to wife and family; Hans followed at the end of the harvest. Werner stayed longest and so useful did he make himself that he stayed on at the farm for some years after his release. His English, by the time he left, was very good, indeed he made many friends on and around the farm. He struck the occasional jarring note 鈥� Churchill, he said, was 鈥渁 warmonger.鈥� On another occasion he told us, 鈥淥ne day we will march together against Russia.鈥� Did he really believe that? We made no comment. He went, promising to return; a few cards were exchanged at Christmas, then silence.

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