Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Second World War on The Wartime Memories Project Website
Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Second World War on The Wartime Memories Project Website
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213638
Gnr. Norman "Bishop" Jenner
British Army Royal Artillery
My father-in-law, Norman Jenner (Gunner 888206 in the Royal Artillery), was captured at Dunkirk and spent the rest of the War in Stalag 8b (Stalag 344) near Lamsdorf. Like everyone, he had a pretty rough time there and would never talk about it, so unfortunately I don't have many memories to share. What I do recall from many conversations during which he shared little was that his nickname was "the Bishop" - maybe because he was a committed Christian and/or he was well spoken and older than most of his fellow inmates, being born in 1910. He also said they often had sugar beet to eat, which was not a balanced diet, but filling. He also said that although the Brits had a hard time, it was nothing compared to the Jews, Gypsies and Slavs who were treated as subhuman.
He suffered from malnutrition during his stay in Stalag 8B and this brought on blindness which he suffered from the mid-fifties until his death in 1993. I have two photos of Norman with some of his POW friends taken soon after the War. I would love to know who they are and to make contact if possible. I also have a photo of Norman's nephew which must have been sent to him at the camp as it is stamped "Stalag VIIIB geprüft Nr 35".