Lost German POW letters are discovered
Dec 27 2010 by James Moore, The Journal
LOST letters from German prisoners of war who were held captive in the North East have been discovered after over 60 years.
Over 4,000 German officers were held at Camp 18 at Featherstone, near Haltwhistle, Northumberland, after the Second World War.
Hundreds of the soldiers would regularly leave the camp to work on local farms, and it was here that friendships were formed.
Tynedale farmer Thomas Moore has unearthed letters and black and white photographs sent by former prisoners of war to his father after the German men had returned home.
The two men who wrote describe how they look back fondly on their time in England and tell of the terrible post-war conditions in Germany following the fall of Adolf Hitler.
Mr Moore, 61, who farms at Slaggyford, in the South Tyne Valley, said: “I am too young have been alive when the war was on but I remember my dad telling me about the prisoners coming to work.
“He said, despite the war, everyone generally got along all right and they worked hard.
“The letters are fascinating and, at times, are quite heartfelt. Conditions in Germany after the war were terrible and they both speak of how little food there is, and they asked my dad if he could help.
“They are a fascinating insight into what the conditions were like in Germany after the war.
“Reading them sends a shiver down your spine.”
