Audlem Probus Club's latest speaker topic proved an unexpectedly meaningful experience for one visitor, revealing personal family history details from World War 2 he had never known.
Stephen was raised in the Audlem area. He knew only that his mother and father met whilst she was serving in the British Army, and his father,Franz, was a prisoner of war in a camp somewhere in Cheshire. Franz never talked about his experiences, although Stephen did discover that his father, a German military conscript, fought on the Russian front before being captured by the British.
Having read that last week's (Jan 23) visiting Probus Club speaker, Graham Dodd, would feature stories about POWs held in WW2 camps in Cheshire, Stephen couldn't resist dropping in as a guest. The result? He says: "I learned a great deal and now I'm encouraged to do more research.
Unfortunately, the speaker couldn't pinpoint which camp my Father was held in, but I think it would have been the one he referred to at Walgherton, near The Boar's Head.
"I know my Father and Mother went to Hamburg after the War but there was nothing for him there and they returned to Cheshire."Stephen showed Club members his pictures of Franz and his Iron Cross medal. Now Stephen can build on those few treasured, highly significant links to his father's past.
Next Audlem Probus Club presentation – "Liverpool and Slavery",looking at the City's reputation as the slavery capital of Europe. -10am, Feb 13, Audlem Public Hall. Visitors welcome.
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