- Contributed by听
- Burmarsh45
- People in story:听
- Christopher John Coe
- Location of story:听
- Burmarsh Hythe Kent
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A4418192
- Contributed on:听
- 10 July 2005
At the end of the war my parents shared their home with two German prisoners before they were repatriated after the cessation of hostilities.
The two prisoners were a father and son both of whom had been soldiers before their capture by the British. In civillian life the Germans had been carpenters, ordinary working class folk who had been drafted into military service by Hitlers army to fight in Europe.
As a 'thank you' to my parents for their hospitality the carpenters skillfully constructed from very basic timber scraps, a beautiful tea tray and small trinket box and also a toy cupboard and wooden truck for myself. I was a very small boy at the end of the war.
The tray and little box survive to this day and were given to my eldest daughter when her Grandma died at the age of 94! Sadly the toy cupboard and truck fell victim to woodworm a few years ago.
How wonderful to think that from all the pain and suffering of WW2 these simple gifts have survived as a memorial to the very ordinary folk who became unwillingly enmeshed in the hostile action.
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