Today I visited St Mary’s church Barningham winter to re-stain a wooden cross, marking the grave of one of my aunts. I have always known that there was a POW and transit camp (pre D day) for the US army, situated in Barningham hall grounds, North Norfolk. My mother has always said that there were Italian pow’s there, however it appears that Germans were there as well. This is a view from the church across to the park where I believe the camp was. The church. Whilst waiting for the first coat to dry, I decided to look inside the church and saw this at the front of the church. pic here. http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/Barningham.html It appears for such a small village, many men served in the Great war. But no mention of those in ww2.
Can never seem to get more then two pics in one post. So here's more I then spotted this picture on the wall. The inscription underneath reads. Protestant P.O.W.’s with their pastor, Dr Gunter Hanson. At the invitation of the Rev’d Cyril Wilson of Barningham the many devoted Christians held their own services in the church, when their pastor had to go to another camp, they joined the English services. The Y.M.C.A. published Morning and Evening prayer leaflets in German, so they could follow the service and the Rev’d Wilson would ask all to stand, while they said the Lord’s Prayer in their own tongue. When possible we would choose hymns set to German tunes. Roman Catholic’s were given transport to mass at Sheringham R.C. Church on Sunday mornings. The picture I took of the church is roughly where that picture was taken but the trees behind the church are no longer there. When I returned home I googled Barningham Winter POW camp but not a lot of information out there. However I did find this little story. http://barninghamgroup.co.uk/archives/tag/pow Wonder if that lad is in the pic? Just makes you proud of those people, who knew that the enemy had just bombed their cities or shot at their troops. Yet they still treated the POW's as fellow human beings.
