- Contributed byÌý
- ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Learning Centre Gloucester
- People in story:Ìý
- Willey Reuter; Patrick Barrett;
- Location of story:Ìý
- Prestbury, Gloucestershire
- Background to story:Ìý
- Civilian
- Article ID:Ìý
- A8080229
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 28 December 2005
Willy Reuter as a prisoner of war in England in 1945
This story has been contributed to the People’s War by the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Learning Centre on behalf of Patrick Barrett, with his permission.
During the war my parents lived at and ran Upper Hill Farm, on the hill overlooking Cheltenham Racecourse at Prestbury. Towards the end of the war they had some German prisoners of war who worked on the farm.
I was a very little boy (I was born in December 1941) and I thought all the German PoWs were smashing because they had the time to play with me.
I particularly remember Willy Reuter, whose family ran a toy factory and who made toys for me, and in 1998 after German reunification he came to England looking for me and to my great delight we renewed our friendship. After that we have visited him and his family at their home in eastern Germany near the Czech border. We also shared our photographs and memories of that time.
He was born on November 22 1919 and was a prisoner of war (PW Willy Reuter No 659302) from January 1945 to May 1948.
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