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Family Search Family
Hahn and Sturm |
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Family Peter Hahn,
harvest festival
Aunt Elisabeth,
uncle Theo, Werner and
Uncle Willi, Alfons
and Oswald
Aunt Gretchen and
mother
Aunt Elisabeth and
Gretchen
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The photos on this page were all made in Silesia. My aunt Elisabeth had been so kind to give them to me. Here I would like to tell a story of my grandfather that I think is worth mentioning even educational and that I’m also proud to tell.
During the second world war POWs worked on farms because farmers were short on workers. Their sons and threstles had been recruited in the army, too. To the farm of my grandfather was asssigned a French prisoner. His name was Henri.
From Monday to Saturday Henry worked on the farm in the daytime. In the evening he returned to the prison camp. On Sundays the prisoners were allowed to rest or to do something else.
My grandpa and his family treated Henri just like a family member.
He worked with them, sat with them on the same table, and ate with them together. On a Sunday he just came by the farm to say “hello” and to get some cake from my grandmother.
Not every prisoner who worked on a farm at that time became enough to eat. Or was able just to show up on a Sunday to get some cake.
One day, a policeman watched through the kitchen window my grandpa’s family and Henri having dinner together. Here shall be noted, having dinner together with a prisoner was not allowed. After the policeman had noticed that my grandfather didn’t obey this order, he confronted my grandpa. He said to him that it was forbidden to sit and eat with a prisoner on the same table, and he had to report this to the authorities.
My grandpa’s answer was “The person who works on my farm will sit and eat together with my family on the same table. If you want to report this, go ahead.”
My grandpa was never summoned in this matter.
There is another incident that we were told when we were kids. It’s about a quarrel between my grandpa and Henri. The reason for the quarrel wasn’t told only how it ended. The quarrel must have been quite heated whereas Henri threatened my grandpa. Henri called my grandpa the derogatory French word “Boche” for German and pointed a pitchfork at him.
At that intense moment my grandpa decided to just walk away from this situation and to leave Henri alone. Additionally, my grandpa didn’t report this incident to the camp ward.
At the end of the war the released prisoners returned to their homeland. Henri returned to France well fed and alive; he had survived the war on the fields and at the table of Peter Hahn’s family.
My grandpa’s family returned to the Rhineland in 1946. After a few years they started to run another farm, but much smaller than the previous one.
After some years, Henri turned up suddenly at the doorsteps of my grandparent’s house in Waldesch. After the war Henri had searched for my grandparents and came by to show his respect and gratitude.
My grandpa’s family and Henri remained life-long friends and stayed in contact. They either visited each other or talked on the phone, which wasn’t always easy because of the different language.
Henri was lucky to survive the war on my grandpa’s farm. My grandpa was an honest and benevolent man who treated others who found themselves under not so fortunate circumstances humanly. |
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Copyright © 2006-2007 Ute Sonja Sturm. All rights reserved. |
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