SIDCUP: Former PoW returns to Germany for the first time since the war
8:00am Sunday 24th May 2009 in News
IT WAS a sentimental journey for Charles Constable when his son and grandson took him to Germany as a 92nd birthday present.
It was the first time he had returned to the country since escaping while being held as a PoW.
Mr Constable was hoping to find the man who risked his life by sheltering him from German soldiers.
The retired builder from Lydd Close, Sidcup, first met Erhard Vetter when he and fellow PoWs were sent to work at a stone quarry near Leipzig.
Mr Vetter, an ex-soldier himself, had been wounded in Russia and was one of a number of German civilians unable to fight who worked alongside the PoWs in the quarry.
Mr Constable, a driver who fought with the 8th Army and was captured at Tobruk in 1942, said: “I worked seven days a week.
“The guards would stand over us making sure we didn’t slack. If you did, you would be shot.”
Mr Constable had been working at the quarry for 18 months when, in December 1944, the PoWs were forced to leave because western forces were advancing.
Their German guards marched them for three days towards the Russian front, then changed their minds and marched them back where they had come from.
But before they moved on again, Mr Constable and two other PoWs escaped.
They headed for Thammernhain, where Mr Vetter lived, but met him on the road and he agreed to come back for them after dark.
He took them to his home and the PoWs hid in the loft.
Mr Constable said: “If the German troops had found out he would have been shot.
“I will never forget my friend risked his life for me.”
The PoWs stayed hidden for four days before deciding to make a run for it.
After saying goodbye, they headed west and eventually arrived at the American lines.
In May 1945, Mr Constable returned to England after an American pilot agreed to fly him back to Bournemouth, and was reunited with his wife, Irene, after five years.
The couple have been married for 70 years and have one daughter, two sons and nine grandchildren.
When he finally returned to Thammernhain with his son Brian, 62 and grandson Kevin, 38, Mr Constable was hoping to be reunited with his friend.
With help from the family where they were staying, they tracked down the Vetter family, only to learn Mr Vetter and his wife had died a couple of years before.
But their daughter Lisa, now widowed and in her 70s, still lived in the village, just two doors away from her father’s home.
Mr Constable said: “It was a shame he had died but wonderful to see his daughter.
“She was only 10 years old the last time I saw her. “We exchanged photos and memories of her father.
“She took us to the quarry where I had worked.
“Nothing has altered although it is no longer in use.”
Mr Constable was also able to go into Mr Vetter’s home and show Brian and Kevin where he had hidden from the Germans.
He said: “In spite of my ordeal, I have fond memories of my friendship with Erhard and I am glad I returned to reflect on those.”
