Now I can write for a few seconds. No news. The Wait Goes on.
But Christoph in my doubting if it is Dad I I am asking myself why would 2 French men be up in that area - I think of the French in Camps to the East, but you supplied incredible information and that is:
You said Mr. Neifer states that “behind the arch on the left was the carpenter, during the war it was a prison camp with wounded FRENCH soldiers, today the youth hostel. ….
But to continue with my wanderings, if these 2 French men who would have been well enough to escape, were physically that well, they would never have been kept at the Hospital or in the barracks at the Abbey. Space had to be at a premium especially in these bombed out conditions that you described.
And we know of the 71 prisoners that were found at Waldbrol only 2 were ambulatory, That would have been a heck of an accomplishment hiding and running/walking with a crutch or a limp or who knows what other malady and no food or .... Mr. Norton was grateful to have 1 crutch and he had lost so much weight and was weak.
So now I can not believe the 2 French men came from Siegburg/Michaelsburg Abbey but that is not to say they could not have come from another Camp/Hospital that was nearby. But from Dad’s stories the escape was not something he would not want to do again.
But I have a few more thoughts on this and I do believe it is Dad they were mentioning.
Now I must continue my wait but soon have to leave, ugh.
Jean J