| Place | Europe: Western Front |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | P00740.009 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white |
| Physical description | Black & white |
| Place made | Western Front |
| Date made | c 1940 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
GERMAN SOLDIERS MAN AN OBSERVATION POST ON THE WESTERN FRONT. ON THE MORNING OF 31 OCTOBER 1942 ...
Description
GERMAN SOLDIERS MAN AN OBSERVATION POST ON THE WESTERN FRONT. ON THE MORNING OF 31 OCTOBER 1942 QX7110 PRIVATE W 'BLUEY' VICKERMAN, 2/32 BATTALION, FOUND UNTEROFFIZIER GEFREITER ERICH HERMANN MORTALLY WOUNDED ON THE EL ALAMEIN BATTLEFIELD. SHORTLY BEFORE HE DIED HE GAVE PTE VICKERMAN HIS DIARY SOME PHOTOGRAPHS, INCLUDING THIS PHOTOGRAPH, AND OTHER PERSONAL PAPERS. AFTER THE WAR ONE OF VICKERMAN'S CHILDREN TOOK THE GERMAN SOLDIER'S DIARY TO SCHOOL TO A GERMAN LANGUAGE CLASS. THE TEACHER, RON WILLMOTT, READ THE DIARY AND WITH VICKERMAN'S PERMISSION TRIED SUCCESSFULLY TO CONTACT UNTEROFFIZIER HERMANN'S WIDOW. RON WILLMOTT SUBSEQUENTLY TRAVELLED TO GERMANY AND RETURNED THE DIARY TO HERMANN'S WIDOW. A COPY OF THE DIARY, PHOTOGRAPHS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS WERE SUBSEQUENTLY DONATED TO THE MEMORIAL AND ARE HELD IN THE PRIVATE RECORDS COLLECTION AT PR86/158.