大象传媒

I WAS A SMALL GIRL DURING THE WAR LIVING IN HENLEY ON THAMES. TOWARDS THE LATER PART OF THE WAR A POW CAMP WAS BUILT IN THE FIELD NEXT DOOR TO OUR ISOLATED BUNGALOW. WE LIVED, IN FACT, ABOUT A MILE FROM THE TOWN CENTRE.
I'M NOT SURE HOW MANY PRISONERS THERE WERE IN THE CAMP BUT MOST OF THEM WERE VERY YOUNG.
MY FATHER AND MOTHER BEFRIENDED SEVERAL OF THEM AND IN RETURN THEY ALWAYS LOOKED AFTER US AS IN MAKING SURE WE HAD A SUPPLY OF FIREWOOD AND SNOW CLEARED ETC DURING THE WINTERS. ON THEIR RETURN FROM THEIR WORK ON THE LOCAL FARMS THEY WOULD THROW BRANCHES AND LOGS OVER OUR FENCE; THEN IN THEIR OFF-DUTY TIME THEY WOULD COME DOWN AND SAW THEM UP.
I USED TO PLAY THE ACCORDION AND SOMETIMES THEY WOULD BORROW IT TO HAVE AN EVENING OF SINGING IN THEIR CAMP. EVERY CHRISTMAS THERE WOULD BE A WONDERFUL CONCERT AT THE OTHER CAMP, SITUATED ALSO AT BADGEMORE, TO WHICH WE WERE ALWAYS INVITED.
IF I WAS ILL AND WAS UNABLE TO ATTEND SCHOOL ,WITH BOTH MY PARENTS WORKING , ONE OF THE LADS WOULD COME DOWN SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE DAY TO MAKE SURE I WAS OK.
WHAT HAS BROUGHT ALL THIS BACK TO ME IS THAT I WAS ATTENDING A 65TH BIRTHDAY PARTY OF A FRIEND RECENTLY AND ONE LADY THERE WAS DISCUSSING HER WARTIME EXPERIENCES WHICH LED ON TO HER TALKING ABOUT HER 2ND HUSBAND WHO WAS GERMAN AND HAD BEEN A POW IN HENLEY DURING THE WAR. THE CONVERSATION CONTINUED AND I REALISED THAT HE MUST HAVE BEEN AT THE CAMP NEXT DOOR TO ME. WHEN I ASKED HIM WHERE HE WAS A PRISONER HE SAID 'BADGEMORE' AND THAT THERE WAS A LOVELY FAMILY LIVING IN A LITTLE BUNGALOW WHO HAD BEEN VERY KIND TO THEM. I THEN SAID THAT WAS MY FAMILY AND I WAS THE LITTLE GIRL . WELL, YOU CAN IMAGINE THE SURPRISE AND SHOCK AND DELIGHT. WE HUGGED EACH OTHER MUCH TO THE AMAZEMENT OF THE OTHER GUESTS. WHAT AN UNLIKELY HAPPENING DON'T YOU THINK?

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