Liebenau Internment Camp, Germany: Part 7

Picture 7

Two nineteen-year-old polish girls gave dazzling displays of national dances. My brother Peter, aged seven, was also something of a camp musician. He was recovering from TB. Hardly surprising; the bread consisted of potato and sawdust and one of the heftier nuns used to ladle out bowlfuls vegetable stew. Each helping was accompanied by a finger wipe against the edge of the tin plate. I remember a tubby Polish lady, Mrs. Novak, who regularly slurped down all the leftovers.

As Liebenau was close to Switzerland, my brother was sent to a Swiss sanatorium after his operation through the mediation of a Swiss relative. Two months later he returned with a small button accordion on which he could play any tune we asked for. Like the Pied Piper he would head a procession of children round the camp square all roaring out German folk songs to his accompaniment. No tune was beyond him.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.