Harry Crowther’s story

19 May 2024

Clare’s story about her Grandparents: The story that was told to us about Granny and Granddad was this: Harry was Auntie Elsie’s boyfriend at the start of World War One. Ells was only sixteen and a bit “flighty.” Ethel (granny) was older, eighteen and we think that she had a boyfriend, Tom at the start of the war who was killed early on. Harry was taken prisoner we think at 1st Ypres Battle of la Bassee 1914 Ells confided in Ethel that she felt she could not keep writing to Harry because she wanted a boyfriend at home not shut away in Germany. Ethel insisted that she write to Harry with her feelings and took it upon her self to write to him for the rest of his time as a prisoner of war saying that she could not bear to think of him so far from home and with no special friend at home. At some point in 1917 he escaped and was hidden by a German farmer and his family in their barn. Food was scarce and all Germany was hungry but he was better fed there than in the prison camp. He was cared for by two little girls, we cannot remember their names other than that they were typical German sounding names, like fairy story names. They would bring him his food each day and he would tell them about this life in England. He was repatriated at the end of the war in 1919. In the early 1930’s he was working as a guard on the railways at Bournemouth Station when he heard his name being called. He turned to see two smart young women running down the platform arms out stretched, their faces wreathed in smiles. He did not know who they were to start with and was rather taken aback, but then he said that he could see that it was his two little angels all grown up. They said that they were on a holiday to visit. . .