16. Robin's German Connections ... Don't Mention the War(s) ... WWI, WWII, WWIII.

Anyone who knows me well will know one topic that will bring tears to my eyes. It is when I recall my dear Grandfather, Harold Sharp, telling me of his experiences in the First World War - WWI ( 1914 - 1918 ). He would talk of the Christmas Football Match: Germany v England, when there was a short, unofficial truce, before they went back to their own trenches, and resumed killing each other. What particularly moves me, was his personal account of his being among the "walking wounded", making their way back through the confused lines. German and Allied soldiers would be walking together, helping each other, until they eventually parted company, sometimes bidding "farewells", to their respective Field Hospitals. His was "Le Treport", the name of his bungalow in Agister's Lane, not far from Arbourfield Army Camp. His eldest son, my Uncle Ern, was in the 8th Army "Desert Rats", during WWII, coming up through Africa, through Sicily and Italy. I inherited my wicked sense of mischief from Harold, as my dear Uncle Berny and Aunty, near Sandhurst Military Academy, will confirm. They share many memories, with my Cousin Geoff, now retired and sailing in the Med. The Sharps are Thatchers.

Jack never used a camera much, and has always tended to avoid one. So if he discovers these words about him, we should remind him of his two major public appearances: the photo on the right was among many published in "Golfers World", when they did a special article on the Sunningdale Artisan's Golf Club. Another was when he appeared on BBC Worldwide, broadcast into 200 million homes: doing Geocaching in Richmond Park with our neighbours. Jack was happy for me to take this picture of us enjoying a rare hour or two of October sunshine at Bray Lake. Click on pictures to enlarge. Jack has worked for the Waterboard Blacknest site since befor the War ( 1939-1945 ). Jack has told me far more detail than we have room for here. He was called up and was among those captured near Dunkirk. When the Germans caught him, he happened to be sheltering in a farmhouse, near the Belgium coastal town of De Haan. It just so happened that he was with Sid de Haan, who eventually set up SAGA Holidays. They made the long march, then train, to Stalag Luft 8b, in what is now Poland. Jack and Sid were in adjacent bunks for most of the war years. There was a little known exchange of prisonors, and Jack returned with about 100 of his fellow POW, through Scotland, and down to Aldershot. He says that was the worse bit - all that news about what had happened while they were away. It was then down to the south coast, to join all the other Allies, waiting for D-Day. Jack has always said that only "Saving Private Ryan" gives a realistic picture of battle. It seems (allegedly) that some of his mates, after realising that they were about to be sent across, said "b*gg*r that for a game of soldiers", rioted, and burnt down their nissan huts. The Army would have had them shot, in WWI, but split them up and gave them "cushy home postings". Now it seems that Jack has forgotton this tale, and says that, under the Geneva Convention, they could not be sent to the same front - but could have been sent to fight the Japs. Jack was posted across to France and Belgium, as the Allies advanced, and was stationed near De Haan again. He remembers German POW being used to clear the mines they had laid, with the occasional fatal explosion. He was posted up to Holland, until the war ended, and he was demobbed soon after. He returned back to England, and his old Blacknest Water Pumping Station Job. He married Ida in Sunninghill St Michaels's Church in August 1945 and the Local Council gave them their first house in Crossways. They took a delayed Honeymoon in 1947, near De Haan in Belgium. Jack met my NATO German friends, like Gunter, years ago. Jack has many amusing "Royal" stories, but they do not belong here. Jack mentioned that, under Hitler, red headed Germans were rounded up, like Jews and Gays, to be taken to the Death Camps. This reminded June and myself of our dear red-headed German friend, who spent her war years in Berlin. I wonder if she will ever meet Jack ? The "What did we do today" image for Sunday 30th October 2016, has direct relevance to the above.

Fritz was my first German friend, and I rapidly discovered not to believe the typical stereotype of Germans not having a sense of humour. This was when I left school in 1963 and started an Ordinary National Diploma, in Engineering, at High Wycombe Technical College. I spent over 4 hours each day commuting from Wokingham, by moped, train, and then bus. Part of the course was to learn German, because Germany was a little more enlightened on what "engineer" meant - someone better trained than a doctor or lawyer. Fritz taught me words that were not in our German lecturer's vocabulary. It was fantastic for my wife June and I to meet Fritz and his wife, Janet, over 50 years later, when we made contact again in 2015. The same can be said for Lord Peter Carrington - but that's a different story. The shared links that Janet and I have, to numerous friends, are too numerous to mention here. There is no substitute for face to face meetings in Tring :-)

© 1991-2017 Robin Lovelock.