Sichert, Fred (Oral history)

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1740613176
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1687692952
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Description

Object description

German civilian in Nuremberg, Germany, 1933-1943; served as paratrooper with German Air Force and captured at Saint-Lo, Normandy, France, 1944; POW in Camp 18, Featherstone, Northumberland, GB, 1944-1948; post-war life in Carlisle, Cumbria, GB.

Content description

REEL 1:Aspects of period in Nuremburg, Germany, 1925-1943: family background and childhood; description of Nazi rallies; reaction to anti-Jewish laws and seeing Jewish girl wearing yellow star; story of refusing to join Hitler Youth and subsequent attack on home by Brownshirts; story of being sentenced to three months in prison after refusing to say 'Heil Hitler'; reaction to being drafted into SA; reason for volunteering for paratroopers; description of bomb damage and dead bodies in streets; story of being reprimanded by official for refusing to go into air raid shelter; story of listening to BBC broadcasts in secret. Aspects of operations as paratrooper with German Air Force in Germany and France, 1943-1944: opinion of Russians fighting on German side; stationed on aerodrome in Saxony; training; reason for unpopularity of Bavarians in company; posted to South of France in advance party; description of bombing; story of being captured at Saint-Lo, Normandy, 1944; attitude to being taken prisoner; description of searching for mines with bayonet; disembarked at Southampton, GB; story of seeing British solider for first time. Aspects of period as POW in Camp 18, Featherstone, Northumberland, GB, 1944-1948: story of meeting own doctor from Nuremburg; opinion of treatment by British and conditions in camp; story of POWs agreeing not to escape if allowed out of camp. REEL 2 Continues: learned English while working on farm; attitude to going back to Germany; story of celebrating 21st birthday in camp; opinion of billet in workhouse; story of falling into latrine pit while walking on moors; story about German speaking guard; relations with other farm workers; story of not being allowed to eat with other workers; continued to work on farm after end of war; attitude to fraternization; story of meeting future wife on farm; granted British citizenship, 1971; story of being first German POW to marry in GB, 1948. Aspects of post-war life in Carlisle, Cumbria, GB: question of adjusting to British way of life; joined local branch of Buffaloes, 1963; attitude to identity and nationality; story of being interviewed by officer, 1945; holidays in Germany with family; story about brother's experiences as POW on Eastern Front; further memories of family.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1990 to the present day (production), Second World War (content), Second World War (association)
Creator: University of Huddersfield (Production company)
Sichert, Fred (Interviewee/Speaker)
Light, Rob (Recorder)
Production date: 2015
Dimensions: whole: Duration 60, Number Of Items 2
Catalogue number: 34406

Object associations

Associated people and organisations

Sichert, Fred
German Air Force
British Prisoner of War Camp, No 18 Camp, Featherstone
Associated places

Featherstone Park Camp, Northumberland
Carlisle, Cumberland, England, United Kingdom

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Sichert, Fred (Oral history)

Description

Object description

Content description

Object Details

Object associations

Associated people and organisations

Associated places

Our collections information

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