WAR SOUVENIR WATCH RETURNED TO GERMANY

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27734, 11 August 1955, Page 7

WAR SOUVENIR WATCH RETURNED TO GERMANY

An inscribed German watch, the souvenir of a Christchurch World War II soldier, was returned to its former owner in Germany last month, 11 years after he lost it. Some remarkable intelligence work has ended a war-time episode but may have led to a peacetime adventure around the world, by a West-German goldsmith from IdarOberstein.

When C Company of the 23rd Battalion, 2nd N.Z.E.F., made a night attack on a little church hill near Campoli in Central Italy on May 31, 1944, a German soldier Reinhard Gemmel was one of those captured. Lieutenant (later Captain) J. K. Burtt, of Christchurch, where he is now a public accountant and president of the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association, came out of the attack with a souvenir which he later brought home. It was a pocket watch engraved “A. 5. with the inscription inside the case; “To mark 25 years with the firm. From the staff of Eltwerke. Idar. 23.3.1933.” Recently Mr .Burtt set about to try to return the watch to its owner. He did not know it belonged to Reinhard Gemmel and the inscription was his only clue. The maps of Germany he consulted did not even show where the town of Idar might lie. Eventually he consulted a friend. Mr C. J. M. P. Berger, who wrote seeking the help of the “Offenbach Post.” the newspaper in his own home town. The newspaper asked the police, and soon wrote back that the owner of the watch was still alive and gave his name and address.

So Mr Berger, who was off to visit his father, last month took the watch home. Mr Burtt sent his good wishes and both the watch and the message were received (according to a German correspondent in Frankfurt) with great joy and a meal of strawberry tart and whipped cream, washed down with Rhine wine.

Reinhard Gemmel slipped out to his workshop during the meal and made a little silver rose which Mr Berger will bring back to Christchurch next month.

Mr Burtt also sent a photograph of his family and. a message that he would be pleased to meet Mr Gemmel if he ever visited New Zealand. Now the German goldsmith is interested in emigrating to New Zealand.

Mr Burtt said last evening that he was going to inquire if that was Sracticable and if there would be scope ere for Mr Gemmel’s skill.

“The most amazing thing is the way in which Mr Gemmel was found for the name Idar was the only clue we had,” he said. “It might be asked why I have left it until this year to see about returning the watch to its owner

but things were pretty confused in Germany after the war and also it was Mr Berger’s intended visit that gave me the opportunity.” Mr Burtt explained that when he got the watch it.had only one hand and therefore could have been of little use to him. “The attack was made in the dsrk, I saw an object that proved to be a watch and being a Kiwi, I took it ” In Christchurch he was able to get another hand put on it but in the meantime had lost the glass and another was not available here for such a watch. He was told that he would have to send to Germany.