During the war, Brook House Farm had four German POW`s working on
their land.
This comes from a first-hand
account by Arthur Clampin who worked there during the war.
Farm workers were classified as being in a "Reserved Occupation"
and therefore exempt from National Service.
Arthur Quote:- One prisoner could speak very good English,
as he had previously attended an Agricultural College in Germany.
Consequently, he was a tremendous asset to the farm as well as acting
as an interpreter for the other three in the group. They were all
good workers and preferred to work on the land, rather than be locked-up
in the Camp.
We know from Arthur`s account the POW`s arrived from Halstead, but
it`s very likely some others in the village,
may have come from Stoke or Boxford.
Here we have a letter
written to one of the POW` by the name of Karl Rossman.
by Bessie Garrad who lived at Brook House.
Could Karl be the person
Arthur is referring too ?
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Elizabeth (Bessie) Mary
Garrad was the daughter of William (1833 -1921) and Isabella Garrad
who lived at Brook House.
Bessie was one of 12 children.
William was a landowner and gentleman farmer of 1,000 acres in Bures
and neighbourhood,
employing eight labourers and two boys.
Bessie died unmarried in 1968 and buried in Bures Cemetery.
Letter donated by
Torben Bahnert in Germany, with his comments in blue.