CAKE GIVEN GERMANS

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21203, 28 August 1940, Page 11

CAKE GIVEN GERMANS

TWO RAVENOUS AIRMEN Two women in a remote Cambridgeshire village will long remember two German airmen who, escaping from their shot-down aeroplane by parachute, called at a cottage and received cups of tea and cake from the cottager and her daughter. The two men and a third from the same aeroplane were captured by Local Defence Volunteers. First to see the Germans was Mrs S. Brown, young wife of a mill worker. “As I was looking through the window,” she said, “ I saw something hanging in the sky. I called my husband and ran to my mother’s cottage nearby. My husband and my father dashed out to find the gamekeeper, who is a Local Defence Volunteer, and mother and I stopped in the house.” Mrs Brown’s mother, Mrs Dan Hills, took up the tale. After my husband and son-in-law had gone to fetch the volunteers,” she said, “my daughter and I saw the two Germans appear on the roadway and stand by our gate. They called out, “ Food, please.” “We did not go out, and one of the Germans said: ‘We are German fliers. We want food.’ They looked to be about 24 or 26 years of age, and one of them was obviously an officer. I said to my daughter: ‘ can shoot us,’ and so I thought we had better give them some food. “ I quite forgot that we had been told not to give Germans food in such circumstances, and I hoped I did not do wrong, but I gave them some cake and a cup of tea. They were simply ravenous, and I felt quite sorry for them. “ They were very nice and polite to us, and thanked me very much indeed, and said the cake and tea were most acceptable. The officer spoke fairly good English. A little while later we heard footsteps and saw the Local Defence Volunteers coming up with my husband. “ The Germans went up to our men quite calmly and unconcernedly and put their hands up and surrendered without any trouble at all.” Before they were taken away the two Germans were taken by a man and his stalwart sons to their farm for a couple of hours. They chatted with their captors during this time and were given cigarettes.