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My father, George Eden, was a native of Soham and, during the war, worked for the War Agricultural Committee. He was told one day that he was to be working with a bus load of Italian prisoners based in a compound in Ely. He travelled with them, to Swaffam Fen where they were to work. He found them very hard working chaps and got on very well with them. They used to make toys out of spare pieces of wood which they sold for cigarette money. After those he had German prisoners and also Ukranians, all of whom were also hard working. The next lot of prisoners that he had were “conscientious objectors” whom he found were lazy and wouldn’t work as they thought that it was beneath their status to have to work on the land. Towards the end of the war he had Land Army Girls who were all hard working and a happy bunch of girls. I’ve sent a photo — my father is on the right hand side of the picture.

Ethel Ashman
Formerly of Soham

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