The incredible story of a German POW who stayed in the region after World War II
Two volunteers strive to clear the way amid the snowdrifts blocking the road between Cannock and Wolverhampton in the famously severe winter of 1947.
But behind this picture is the story of an enemy who came to stay.
In a feature the other day we told how German prisoners of war continued to be held at local prison camps after the end of the Second World War and were used as a source of labour.
It prompted Phil Jones, formerly of Cannock but now of Penn Fields, Wolverhampton, to get in touch to tell us about one German POW who chose never to return home.
He was Godfrey Sittig, the young man on the left of the picture, and later Phil was to get to know him quite well.
The photo was taken at Middle Hill, a couple of miles south west of Cannock, as the pair from the Teddesley POW camp at Penkridge strove to clear snow for buses to get through. In 1994 the photo was used in a local history book called "Cannock Chase" by Sherry Belcher and Mary Mills.
Phil recalls: "As he looked familiar, I took the book round to show the person I thought it was. I was proved correct.
"On the edge of Highfields estate, on the west side of Stafford, lived Mr Godfrey Sittig. Over a cuppa he told me some background to his story.
"Godfrey – an anglicised version of his name – had travelled by train from a Sheffield POW camp over the Easter weekend of 1945. The destination was Penkridge, and on arrival they were lined up in the station yard in three columns. Being marched out of town, the final destination was Teddesley Camp.
"Known officially as 194 Working Camp Teddesley, the facility had been set up following the departure of American forces after D-Day.
"There were separate compounds for Italian and German prisoners. Some aggressive Germans would shout abuse and make chicken noises across to the Italian compound."
Phil says repatriation started in 1946, though many had heard that conditions back home were desperate and had decided to stay put, and maybe take a chance on getting local employment.
"Godfrey was happy to work on a farm at Burley Fields, in the shadow of Stafford Castle. Letters from home outlined shortages in coal, water, power, bread and other essentials. He took from this an unwritten encouragement to make a life in the UK. He later worked for a chemist, and learnt the skills of photography as a hobby.
"In early 1947, Godfrey, with a few other volunteers who were still residents at Teddesley, made their way to Middle Hill to help locals dig out the huge drift.
"Following the closure of Teddesley later that year, Godfrey took several jobs and settled locally. His final destination was Dorman Diesels in Tixall Road, where he helped in the assembly of the Q range of engines.
"He became a talented amateur photographer, being a member of the Stafford local society. He was awarded LRPS (that is, Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society), following a photographic survey of Stafford Castle.
"He was also a well known judge at Midlands' inter-society photographic competitions.
"Godfrey never mentioned his time before internment at Sheffield, though colleagues at work used to speculate. During our conversation he showed me many photos taken at Teddesley, and helped to illustrate the story of those who came to Britain, though not by choice.
"The 1970s were a difficult time. He visited family members in what had become East Germany, and felt he was being ‘monitored.’
"Godfrey never returned to what became a unified Germany, having made a life in England."
