WWI Prisoner of War Camp

Ann Padfield passed on to me a letter she had received from the North Weald Airfield Museum, who had in turn received it from a Jurgen Ide, from Germany. The original letter was written to Philip and Lindsay Mugleston who live at Hammonds Farm, Stapleford Tawney.

I reproduce the letter below:

Maybe it is a little strange for you to read this letter, but the name "Mugleston" is in my mind since my childhood and that is the reason to drop you these lines. My father was born in 1896 and became a soldier in WWI. In 1917 he became POW and was sent to England. where he belonged to the parents camp Pattishall Towcester, but he was billeted in a substation camp in or near Epping.

Since my childhood, I was born in 1933, he talked a lot about Epping and he often talked about a farmer, where he had to work, with the Name "Mugleston". In 2003 we went to Epping but nobody could tell us anything about the POW camp or about a farm with the name "Mugleston".

This year we started our research again and with the help of the internet, with the help of a friend and mostly with the help of Mr. Aitkin from the Airfield Museum in Epping Forest we finally were able to find your address.

I write this letter to thank you very much after so many years for the good care that your grandfather paid to my father. My father talked always in the best way about Mr Muglestone and he spent him highest appreciation. It was not really a good time, but with the help of your relative he had some good memories and he learnt a lot in those years. Later on, when he had inherited our farm, we also had had 2 Russian POW's to help us. He always said: "I was treated well in England so we will also treat them well". So we worked together with them and we ate with them at the same table. And when in 1944 a Lancaster Bomber was shot down near our village and six aircraftsmen were killed by the crash, he. -as the mayor of our village took care for a Christian funeral, as good as it was possible in those days. After the war, when we were occupied by British troops, he had good advantage by his knowledge of the language and good contact to the British officers.

All these memories are a part of the history of my family and my son is also interested in these old stories. There is one question left: where was the exact place of the camp. From my father I know that he sometimes worked on Hammonds Farm, sometimes in Epping. And because they had to walk, the camp must have been in the middle of these two places. So we suppose, that this WWI POW camp must have been in Hill Hall, at the same place, where during WW2 "Hill Hall Camp" existed as POW camp. My father also talked about a park, that they has to pass and that makes Hill Hall most probable.

May be you have heard about this camp or elder people in your region know something about the time in WW1, please let it me know.

Maybe, we will come to Epping again next year, and if it is pleased for you, we will knock at your door and say hello.

Jurgen Ide.

If anyone can throw any light on where the Prisoner of War camp was, please get in touch. [editor]