montreal mike

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23957605


A British officer captured during World War I was granted leave to visit his dying mother on one condition - that he return, a historian has discovered.

Novocastrian

I'd have gone back too. Bratwurst mit Senf were way better in German WW1 prison camps than anything you could get in Britain.

montreal mike

For myself, I don't think German cuisine would be that enticing, although I have fond memories of Hamburg circa 1972.

(But I think the Brits have improved their cuisine since i left in 1962)

MillieF

What a wonderful story, I regret to say that I looked at it at work, and have had to pop to the loo to have a little snivel! What perfectly honourable and decent human beings, what a long way from our present day horrible theatres of nastiness.

Souvy

Honourable and decent people still exist.

This thread reminds me of something told to me by my now late mother, who grew up in the north of Scotland during WWII. A young German POW was considered to be so low risk that he was allowed to roam. He did lots of stuff for people. Peter was known to all. He stayed when the war ended and became a much-loved and respected member of the local society for the rest of his life.

Shard

Good anecdote. He probably stayed for the cuisine too

Novocastrian

My granddad (and my dad after him) were market gardeners near Newcastle. There were a couple of Italian POWs who were assigned to helping out with the farm work and they both stayed on after the war, one for life.

He was my "Uncle" Luigi.

GC44

Lots of German and Italian prisoners worked on farms in the UK as did British and allied prisoners in Germany.
As to wether this officer did the right thing or not, approximately 16000 British prisoners died in captivity during WW1 the majority from wounds recieved in action prior to capture although there were cases of starvation mainly in the other ranks camps. He would have experienced slightly better conditions in an officers camp but it would have been no Stalag Butlins.
Honour meant a lot to these guys and I'm sure in this case his word was his bond. These were still the days of "parole" were a captive officer could keep his sword or sidearm if he gave his word to his captors that he had capitulated.

Shard

Was it really about honour? It sounds as though he was obliged to return if he was not to create a harsh precedent for his fellow soldiers. It could also be that he assumed that by going back, the Germans would be suitably impressed and discharge him from being a prisoner. I'm speculating as I find it the notion of returning purely out of honour as somewhat romantic. The fact that he tries to escape the next day suggests that his motivations were pragmatic. Regardless, he was obviously a brave soldier and honest man.

Novocastrian

Sticks and stones, innit?. The winner gets to write the history.

GC44

Romantic maybe but people had different values in those days. As to attempting to escape it was still every officers duty to attempt to escape or at least hinder the enemy at every given opportunity.

cheeky_monkey

Yes agreed back then there was still a code of honour to be upheld on both sides and being an officer and a gentlemen back then meant something..so it does not surprise me one bit.

Shard

I suppose the young German men arriving at Oradour "back then" had a different interpretation of "honour"...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...n-in-time.html

I still think we're romanticising the past here.

RyanD

Well, this is a story of a truly honourable man. I'm afraid no one would be this honourable in similar circumstances nowadays...

Almost Canadian

Have you ever served in the Armed Forces?