A gift from a German P.O.W. after an act of courage
Item
Title
A gift from a German P.O.W. after an act of courage
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Identifier
9624.cpd
Subject
Darley, Bernard
Abstract
On the 3rd September 1919 L.A.C. Bernard Darley (Service no. 28345), R.A.F, was commended for fighting a fire at Workshop No. 2 M.T.R.D. Royal Air Force, St Omer . He entered a burning building and fought the fire from within to prevent the explosion of two petrol filled tanks and electrical fire to the nearby power station, at great risk to his own life.
He was assisted through the entire operation by a German Prisoner of War named Otto Arndt (No. 585) of the 139th P.O.W. Company. The two became friends. Otto crafted Bernard a matchbox as a gift. The matchbox is inscribed with the words "Souvenir from France / St Omer / Otto Arndt".
He was assisted through the entire operation by a German Prisoner of War named Otto Arndt (No. 585) of the 139th P.O.W. Company. The two became friends. Otto crafted Bernard a matchbox as a gift. The matchbox is inscribed with the words "Souvenir from France / St Omer / Otto Arndt".
Date
September 1919
Date Created
1919-09-03
Temporal Coverage
1919-01-31
Source
Artifact
Medium
Metal
Type
Memorabilia
number of pages
4
Contributor
Admin
Merilyn Jones
Publisher
The Great War Archive, University of Oxford