If the
butter burned well the boat would go about 30 feet across the pool.
Some of these boats were masterpieces with a rudder for steering and
a cabin on the deck. I remember having a big race an the Fourth of
July with betting on the boat of your choice. If you were wealthy,
you could bet a D-bar. It took a lot of patience to build anything
this good with the material and tools we had, but it kept us
occupied.
One of the barracks down by the main gate had two young cats that had
wandered into the compound and been kept as pets. They talked about
eating them if they got hungry enough. Later in the summer one of the
cats died and they decided to have a military funeral for it. It took
several days to make preparations for this big event. The grave was
dug and a small wooden casket was built. In the English compound next
to us was a British, naval officer who happened to be in Europe when
the Germans first started war activities it 1939. He was the first
one captured and had been in prison camps for six years. During all
that time he had received many packages from home and had a complete
English Naval uniform with al1 the ribbons and insignia on a white
uniform. He wore it every Sunday while walking around his compound.
The German guards allowed him to bring a delegation to the funeral
and he led the procession in full uniform. It was a half day event
with the Catholic priest giving the eulogy.
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