245000 Pte Ronald Arthur Hope British Army Sherwood Foresters from:Bridge Street, Langley Mill, Nottinghamshire My Dad, Ron Hope never talked about his time in the war. However, he would never allow us to go to Butlins at Skegness. Mum said it was too much like a POW camp. Dad was a POW.
I believe he was captured somewhere near Dunkirk. I think a few of them got away and made it to a little town, then were captured. From the little my Mum could tell me, he was marched to Poland and became a POW in Stalag 8b. She said he never took his boots or socks off during the march, maybe to avoid frostbite? He had the softest and nicest feet in the whole family.
I believe my Dad was put into the coal mines in Poland (he was a miner anyway) and according to his sister (my aunt) he was well fed and not treated too badly.
When he returned to Langley Mill after being liberated, the whole village turned out and held a street party for him. Right up until his death, he was always made a fuss of by the locals and was very well regarded.
Now that I am older, I can understand that Dad's time as a POW did have some impact on the rest of his life. He just wanted to be loved.
He worked hard all his life, and only had 2 years retirement, dying of a massive heart attack at 67.
I have his service medals and a photo of him in uniform in a little Memory Cabinet on the wall.
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