259113 Pte. Thomas Francis Pass British Army Sherwood Foresters from:Breedon on the Hill Thomas Pass served with the Sherwood Foresters in WW1. He was captured by Germans at Bullecourt (28th of March 1918) during manoeuvres with the Sherwood Foresters and was registered at Parchim Camp on 24th of July 1918.
Although he hardly ever spoke at all about his wartime service, he indicated that he and other PoWs were not treated well by the Germans. He once (reluctantly) mentioned that there were hens nearby to the PoW hut and that some prisoners kept putting any crumbs of their meager meals through a hole in the hut wall to attract a hen. One day a hen ventured close enough to the hut for a prisoner to grab it. The way it was described was: "it's feet didn't touch the floor and the prisoners were soon eating a better meal!"
Most of time, if anyone mentioned the war, he became very withdrawn and tearful but wouldn't explain why. I wish we had more knowledge and a better understanding of what he went through.
Tom was fortunate to have survived the war and return to his home in the Midlands where he led an active life until his later years and died in 1971.
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