248899 Bmbdr. George Henry Hope British Army 120th Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery from:Sunderland My grandfather, George Hope, was taken prisoner on 21st of March 1918 Essigny, France and eventually taken to Stendal Prisoner of War Camp on 17th September 1918. He was reported as missing and his wife with 4 year old daughter (my mother) assumed he was dead and moved in with relations as a means of support.
My grandfather told us that he survived by swapping his cigarette allowance for black bread. He told us that he escaped and lived in an orchard for a week or so but was recaptured but he never ate another apple in his life! My grandmother was eventually contacted by the Red Cross to say that he had been found and he was sent home to Sunderland. My mother remembers being taken to the railway station to meet him but he was not on the train. When they got back home he was already there waiting for them. His health was ruined but my grandmother nursed him back to some strength but he never regained full health and was permanently deaf because of the guns.
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