Christmas guests from Setley Prisoner of War Camp
As a small girl I lived in Lymington, one Christmas, presumably at the end of the war, families in Lymington were asked whether they would entertain a German POW for Christmas. My mother said we would, and a young soldier called Gerhard came and spent Christmas with us. He had obviously been told that there were two small girls in the family (my sister Ann was three years older than I), as he brought with him a pair of rope sandals for each of us which he had made. In the German tradition we opened our presents on Christmas Eve and enjoyed a lovely Christmas with our visitor. I believe that at the time he was 23.
You can find out more about the Setley Prisoner of War Camp in this overview article that has links to different stories, memories and activities that happened at the camp.