Treasured chess set, carved by an Italian Prisoners of War
A treasured chess set carved by an Italian Prisoners of War possibly from Setley POW Camp 65 has been handed down to the next generation.
Linda’s father-in-law, Major Leslie Hoskins who was with the 8th Army in the Desert for some of the war, was wounded and later sent to help run a prisoner of war camp in the New Forest Area. He was originally from Totton, Southampton.
During his time there one of the Italian Prisoners of War carved him a chess set which has now been handed down to Linda’s eldest son, Major Hoskins sadly passed away some 20 years ago (1993), but the chess set is still cherished and played with today.
Linda would be grateful for any information about her father-in-law in particular if it was Setley POW Camp he was stationed at, as he seemed to have fond memories of this time.
Linda Rumbles
You can find out more about the history of Setley Prisoner of War camp along with the stories of the people there all linked together in the article: Setley Prisoner of War Camp – Overview
Many beautifully made carved wooden toys were made by the prisoners at Setley during the war and given to the local children. I remember receiving a ‘pecking hen” toy and a snake made from many wooden segments strung together. I can’t remember if these toys were made by the Italians or Germans but I suspect the former.