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Gift from the enemy included in History of World

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The Tunbridge ware work table also included in project

KENT NEWS: A needlework box made by a German prisoner of war as a present for a Land Army girl has been included in a project telling the history of Kent.

The hand-crafted treasure owned by Eden Valley Museum in Edenbridge has been chosen as one of 10 items in the county which have a story that brings the past to life.

It joins a Tunbridge ware work table belonging to Tunbridge Wells Museum and Art Gallery already included in Kent’s entries in the History of the World project, which we featured in last week’s paper.

This unique partnership between the BBC, British Museum and 350 museums and institutions across England aims to find artefacts that make connections across the globe.

One hundred objects from the British Museum’s collection are being featured in a documentary series which began broadcasting on BBC Radio 4 on Monday and will run throughout this year.

As part of the project BBC Radio Kent has worked with museums across the county to find 10 items which reflect life in Kent and its place in the world.

The needlework box was the first item given to Eden Valley Musuem when it opened in Edenbridge High Street in 2000.

Peggy Leppard, who has lived in the town since January 1949, presented it to the museum to put on display to the public.

She was given it as a Christmas present by a German prisoner of war called Christoph, who she worked with milking cows at Stonewall Home Farm in Chiddingstone Hoath as part of the war effort.

Christoph had been captured in Russia during the Second World War and sent to America, before being transported back to Summerhill Prisoner of War camp in Tonbridge.

After being an exemplary prisoner he was released with a colleague Herman to live on the farm, which is now called Brookers Farm.

They worked alongside Peggy Chapman, who became Leppard after marrying and was serving in the Women’s Land Army.

Together they hand-milked 60 cows every day to ensure Britain did not run out of food.

Christoph, who had been a farmer in Germany before the war, was a skilled craftsman and made the needlework box out of bits of salvaged wood.

He used pieces of mahogany, beech, sycamore and pine to make the domestic piece with compartments inside.

Jane Higgs, the honorary curator of the museum, said: “It was a prized possession for Peggy for more than 50 years, and it was lovely of her to present it to us.

“It is now our star object and we are really pleased it has been included in the History of the World project.”

The volunteer-run museum reopens on Wednesday (FEB 3) after closing on December 18 for a winter break and Ms Higgs is hoping people in west Kent will come and see the needlework box and other items from prisoners of war they have on display.

She said: “The Women’s Land Army was very interesting and I hope the story behind the box will bring more focus on their efforts.

“It would be lovely if we could find out the surname of the prisoner who made this box and where he lived, then we could contact his relatives.

“We had a lot of prisoners of war in Kent, the Battle of Britain took place in the skies above us and we were at the forefront of the Home Guard. This is part of our history and it is important people know this.”

Visit www.bbc.co.uk/kent for the list of the county’s 10 objects, or www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld to view the 100 objects chosen from the British Museum.

POSTED: 31/01/2010 14:00:00

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