大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War Site by Margaret Walsh of The Royal Star and Garter Home on behalf of Bob Ellis and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

Near where we lived there was a prisoner of war camp. We found out afterwards that they were the remains of Rommel's Africa Corps.

At the end of the war when Germany surrendered, the prisoners technically were released. They were given British Army uniform with no badges and allowed to walk around outside. They were told not to wander too far.

My father was the manager of the boot and shoe repair shop. One day this German soldier came in and took his boots off and said to my father in very good English, "could you repair these please, but I have no money?" My father duly repaired them for him. The German soldier looked at him and said "I have no money." My father said that was all right and told him to go.

The following day this German soldier came back to my father's shop and he'd got 10 pairs of boots with him! So the other 3 blokes who worked with my father all laughed. They waved him in and took the boots and mended them for him.

The only thing I remember about the war is seeing a flying bomb - a V1 - going past. Fortunately he didn't stop. I was about 6 at the time.

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