In December 1944, an eighteen-year-old German soldier, captured in Normandy earlier that year, spent Christmas in a British prisoner of war camp. Along with his fellow POWs he was desperately homesick and missed his family. In his diary he wrote:
CHRISTMAS 1944 – BEHIND BARBED WIRE
On 24 December 1944 we celebrated German Christmas, the festival of joy, behind barbed wire. Everyone looked forward to the festival and the preparations were in full swing. We had the most beautiful Christmas tree in the camp and we had decorated our hut with pictures and fir-twigs. When the Holy Eve arrived the preparations were complete. Outside on the camp square the Christmas tree lights were lit, the choir sang carols and the camp leader spoke some appropriate words. Then we all went into the huts, each to celebrate the Christmas feast.
Assembled under the glow of the Christmas tree we sang the most beautiful songs about Christmas and about home. One of the comrades spoke about home and about our fate, and brought us so near to home that all of us had tears in our eyes, and thus many went out silently into the holy night. At every bedside the candles burned and every one of us dreamed of home, and in our thoughts we were at home in the midst of our loved ones.
When the Commandant went around the huts to pick out the three best ones, ours got the second prize out of 25 huts. He was very pleased with the cleanliness and tidiness of the huts with their Christmas decorations. We had shown him a real German Christmas.