大象传媒

Coventry Blitz, POWs and Presents
I was bom in August 1939 so my wartime memories are vague. The first thing I remember specifically was the Christmas after the terrible blitz on Coventry. People had flocked out of the devastated city and sought shelter in the relative safety of Kenilworth (four miles away). Two rooms of our crowded house, which was already filled by our family, were made over for to these poor refugees who had lost everything.
We were five in our family. My father - working at the Standard Car Company in Coventry and shooting at the German bombers, which passed overhead, with a rifle. My mother. My aunt, who worked for a company called dark and Clueley in Kenilworth, later in the war she worked in the 'Food Office' dispensing orange juice, cod liver oil, rose hip syrup and dried baby milk. My grandfather also lived with us, working our large kitchen garden and raising hens although he was over seventy. He was generous with our surplus produce and could often be seen carrying a galvanized bucket full of fresh vegetables to our neighbours.
The family who came to stay with us was named 'Mallet', I believe there was a mother, father and son. My recollection is very hazy as I was obviously very young at the time but I do remember quite clearly that they were still staying with us at Christmas. Wartime Christmas was a pretty thin affair. My main present was a dressing gown made by my elder half-sister, probably from an old dress of her mothers, as it was strange, grey-green coloured georgette. Around my middle there was a huge, pale pink moire sash tied in a large bow and the skirt was decorated with an applique pink lamb. I was very proud of this gift and went to visit the Mallets to show off this dressing gown and my other gift, a large and colourful 'Schoolgirl's Annual'. I know gifts were scarce and my mother must have gleaned this trophy from somewhere, forgetting that I was far too young to read!!

Towards the end of the war the German POW's, who had been housed at the kennels of the North Warwickshire Hunt, in Rouncil Lane in Kenilworth, were allowed to work for people in the area, either in their gardens or, I think, on farms. To help my grandfather, who was now getting on in years, although fiercely independent, we too acquired our own German POW. I suspect the Grandpa never allowed Hans to actually work in the kitchen garden, this was not due to prejudice against Germans - Grandpa would have been prejudiced against anyone who dared to touch his neat demesne. Hans was relegated the garden proper which was my father's project, however there was little to do there either - so Hans made me sandals.
It was my birthday when Hans presented me with my sandals. They had plaited rope soles (like espadrilles), a piece of denim type material over my toes and buckled straps made of leather to go around my heels. Shyly Hans, who spoke no English, handed me a birthday present wrapped in newspaper - if he had given me gold it could not have been welcomer, my sandals had an air of elegance and 'foreignness' that was irresistible. I wore them for years until my toes dangled over the edge of the plaited sole and the straps no longer reached the buckles, and I always thought of Hans when I wore them.
At Christmas time everyone asked their POW's to lunch, Hans went with an English- speaking fellow POW to some other neighbours and that, sadly, is the last I remember of him. I never thought of him as an enemy (although I was terrified of Mr Smith who lived across the road and who, I thought, might be Hitler). I can not vouch that this is true, but I gained and impression that once Germany was almost defeated the English were very magnanimous to the POW's who had been for so long an enemy in their midst. I do not know if that is a true impression.
Now I am sixty-five and I have never forgotten Hans. As I got older I wondered if he had a little girl of his own to make shoes for, whether he had lost his family, what sort of family they were, where he lived....
Sadly, I shall never know. But thank you, Hans, I really loved my sandals and I loved you too for making them for me when you had so very little.
These events took place at 76 Birches Lane, Kenilworth
My name was Penelope Mary Spreckley

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