- Contributed by听
- wneled (William Ledbury)
- People in story:听
- Herrman Goering.
- Location of story:听
- Koblenz-am -Rhein 30th April, 1935.
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A3616878
- Contributed on:听
- 03 February 2005
A party of eight of us, including a Welsh schoolmaster, who taught German at our school, set out from Victoria Station in London on 15th April 1935 for Koblenz-am-Rhein. On arrival at Koblenz Head Station, we were welcomed by the Mayor and one member from each of four families with whom we were to stay. As we were due to end our holiday on 30th April, Our family suddenly announced the fact that General Herrman Goering was to visit the town on that very day and that they would have been insulted if we did not stay to see him! (Hitler himself had been expected to visit but Goering had been sent to deputise for him)
Our school master very hastily sent a cable to our Headmaster seeking permission to delay our return until 1st May. This was granted.
We watched the big parade from the balcony of their massive Modehouse. Storm Troopers lining the streets and Luftwaffe overhead, it was indeed something to behold!
A moment of panic among us. I remember turning to the lady of the house frantically asking her how we should salute. She replied 'You should do ze same!. I shudder to think that we actually did the Nazi salute and to this day, have never been able to find out what exactly we should have done at that time.
After that amazing parade, Goering was to be heard shouting our country down, every other word seemed to be 'England' He was said to have planted a tree in the town before departing. Only hope that at leastthe local dogs appreciated it.
Forward to the spring of 1948 now. I mentioned earlier on in this story that we POWs had wondered if we were ever likely to meet any airman who had ever bombed the Herrman Goering Works when we were in Camp 1Vc Sudetenland. Well that moment arose when in the Victoria Inn, Sigginstone, Vale of Glamorgan, of which my wife and I were tenants, some time in the spring an airman and a lady friend (he had a typical moustache) came in from the nearby St.Athan Airforce station, and he admitted having dropped many a bomb there. Upon asking him did he know where exactly the POW camps were, he said no he would not have known which was or not, even though they were aware that they existed in that area!!!
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