- Contributed by听
- Family History Day - The National Archives
- People in story:听
- Carl Percy Knothe
- Location of story:听
- El Alamein et SA
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A3365561
- Contributed on:听
- 04 December 2004
My grandfather Carl Percy Knothe, being born in South Africa and brought up with an English backround fought in WW2 at El Alamein.
His father , Carl Johannes Knothe owned a farm in Potgietersrus and during the war was approached by one of his German cousins, also a Knothe, to help with the Nazi cause.
My great grandfather of course refused, he was a supporter of the Allies and his son was fighting in Egypt.
After being refused, his cousin went and reported my great grandfather to the authorities as a Nazi sympathiser.
He was arrested and taken from his farm and his family and put in a camp where he was interrogated.
My grandfather was withdrawn from the front, taken back to South Africa and detained in a camp where he too was interrogated.
By the time he and his father proved their innocence and were released, the war had ended.
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