189112 Cpl. George Homewood British Army 1st Battalion The Buffs from:Edenbridge George Homewood was my father. The army was his family from the day he ran away from his foster home in Lamberhurst and walked to Canterbury to enlist, he had to lie about his age to get accepted. He spent much of his time in the far and the near east. He met and married his first wife whilst serving in Burma, unfortunately his wife died in child birth. He never spoke of this until around a week before he died. My mother was his second wife, they enjoyed 45 yrs of married life. He was a corporal at the time of his capture, together with his squad he had hidden in a barn but a young soldier with him lost his nerve when the hay around them was prodded with bayonets. He was sent to Stalag XXA but from here the story becomes sparser, he "like many" did not speak very much in detail of the camp life. Only relating specific happenings and events,such as the fact that he became a tailor "altering"`uniforms for the escapees. Using ink and boot polish to "dye" the material. His fingers were not delicate but it seems he could "sew" with the best, and his embroidery equals the best you can find. He told me of the radio kept in the bass drum of the camp orchestra, of the time the prisoners were getting rowdy and louder whilst being held on the parade ground, ordering the guards to raise their rifles made no difference to the POWs behaviour and this prompted the commandant to draw his pistol and shout "Stop or I shoot myself" needless to say that caused even more uproar among the POWs. I remember one time walking down the local High St on a Saturday when we heard my fathers name called out, it was a man who had been in the same camp, and had recognised my father, not bad after 20+ years. My father has passed away But I write in the hope that somebody out there will be able to add to my limited knowledge. I have a photograph of Dad and the rest of his hut? I will share this if anybody can add names etc.
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