Hi Nigel, I’m so pleased you enjoyed reading my Grandad’s piece. I’ll add the second one today for you and others to enjoy.

To answer your question about whether he managed to research further the ‘inner being’ I don’t know. However, you’ve got me digging into a few things that he wrote down, he called it ‘passing thoughts 1983–87’. Some of them are interesting, some are scars transposed to type after his time in POW camp.

He was angry with the Germans until the day he died. He just couldn’t forgive them. I fear he would turn in his grave if he learned that I have married one and now live in Bavaria! Oh dear.

He has dedicated a small section to them in his ‘passing thoughts’. Here they are:

The miracle of the German is not in their economic recovery, but in their ability to abide each other.

The German is often admired, respected and feared but seldom liked.

The German often laughs but seldom smiles.

If I were a German with a sense of history, I might take a chance on reincarnation and end it all.

The German’s will forever live in the shadow of their past.

I suppose we are all a product of our experiences and so I would never judge his thoughts or feelings on the nationality of the person most precious in my life. After all, my experiences are very different from his.

If I find any thoughts of his on the ‘inner being’ I will add to this comment. Let me know what you think of the second piece? Many thanks

Tim