She turned to close the wooden gate behind her, the original metal gate having long gone to the war effort. She didn’t know why she bothered, as the children would open it again, but it was a habit. She forced the feelings of despair down as she took one step after another until she reached the front door. She opened it quietly. Maybe he was asleep. Even as she thought that, she left guilty wanting to avoid her husband.
But she heard voices. It sounded like Derek and Tom. She moved quietly not proud of wanting to eavesdrop but her curiosity won out. She stood at the door to the living room, they didn’t see or hear her. Tom was sat on the sofa, his foot dangling over the side while Derek sat upright in the wingback chair her Maggie had given them for a wedding present.
“Did you have Jews in your camp?”
“Not the way you mean, no,” Derek replied.
“What does that mean?”
“Some of our lads were Jewish, not that we told the Hun that. We learned that lesson early on in the war.”
“What lesson?”
“The Nazis didn’t have time for Jews. The usual rules didn’t apply to those poor sods. Taken out and shot, if they were lucky.”
Sally put her hand to her mouth. What was Derek doing? Tom was only eleven. He didn’t need to hear these details. Yet, Tom seemed engrossed and she hesitated to interrupt.
“Did you meet many Nazis? I mean real ones, not just guards wearing a German uniform.”
“You mean there is a difference?” Derek countered. But Sally heard the hint of respect and curiosity in her husband’s voice. He also sat straighter.
“Of course there’s a difference.”
Sally winced at Tom’s tone; now was not the time for his know-it-all attitude but Derek didn’t seem bothered.
“Explain.”
“The ones wearing the uniform are doing their duty. That’s their job. They have to defend Germany and you being British, are prisoners of war, right? So, they have to keep you prisoner.”
“I guess…”
“But that doesn’t make them Nazis. They could have been conscripted for all you know. They did that. The Nazis ran out of soldiers, so they took grandfathers and cripples and even boys like me and put them in uniform. I don’t think they put boys in as camp guards though.”
A sound suspiciously like a laugh came from Derek but it was quickly smothered.
“My teacher explained it to me. I was in trouble for speaking out of turn. Again. And the headteacher told me I should be grateful for being allowed to stay in England, where it was safe. I told him he should have the kids who called me names in his office, not me.”
“What did they call you?”
“A Nazi and a Hitler-lover. Shows they were stupid that did. How could I be a Hitler-lover? But the teacher took their side as usual.”
“So, this headteacher what did he say?”
“He explained to me what was happening in Germany. How boys like me were fighting against Russian tanks, sometimes without even a gun or anything. He said to remember that when someone called me names. Names couldn’t hurt me but tanks – they are a whole other story.”
Derek nodded at that but his next words surprised Sally. “He’s wrong you know. Not about the tanks bit. And it’s true, that many of the guards were conscripts or those you wouldn’t usually expect in an army. Some were old and others were crippled in the first war.”
“So, what was he wrong about? Aunt Sally says I should listen to the headteacher, but if he’s wrong then I should tell him, shouldn’t I?”
Derek smiled at Tom, making Sally’s heart flutter.
“Let’s not get ahead of yourself, young man. No adult likes a pup like you to correct him. As I said, your headteacher was right about a lot of things. It was telling you that calling you names can’t hurt was where he was wrong. Never underestimate the power of what you say. People remember the words well after the injuries they suffered have long recovered.”
“I guess.” Tom didn’t sound convinced. He stayed silent for a couple of seconds before he started again. “So, what was it really like in the camps? Papa and my brother, Heinz, were in one once. Heinz wasn’t in for long. Our stepmother got him out. But Papa… he didn’t come home.”
Sally restrained the urge to go cuddle the child. She willed Derek to be careful in his reply, to hear the unasked question. What did they do to his father that he couldn’t come home?
“I’m sorry to hear that son. Your papa didn’t deserve that. Nobody did. A lot of people got sick in our camp too and they died. The food was awful and there wasn’t enough of it. We were always hungry...”
“Worse than Mrs. Brown’s?”
“Mrs. Brown? Oh, you mean Enid. Yes, much worse. You would feed the pigs better than the stuff we got to eat.”
“Heinz said he and Papa didn’t get good food so that’s probably what happened. Papa would have given his food to Heinz to keep him alive. He was like that. Always looking after other people.”
“So, your Papa, what was he like?”
Tom took a deep breath. “He was nice, at least to me. He had a lot of friends, as he was a doctor before Hitler came to power. Mother, my real mother and him lived in a big house. Aunty Chana told me all about it. She said it was bigger than a palace but I don’t remember it. We had to leave and live in a smaller apartment when I was born. Aunty Chana told me Mother didn’t like it there and that’s why she died.”
“And your father remarried.”
“Yes, to my Nanny. She was mine before he married her. Then I had to
