Toy Bird Gifted by German POW and Royal Navy Journal
Creators: name: Project Team, Their Finest Hour
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 430304
subject: British history
classificationCode: 430308
subject: European history (excl. British, classical Greek and Roman)
classificationCode: 430316
subject: International history

description: The female contributor shared that she received the balancing toy bird in approximately 1943, when she was 3 or 4 years old. The toy bird was a gift the contributor received on a journey to Kent to from a German prisoner of war. The bird is designed in the style of a Bavarian cuckoo clock and was from Bavaria. 
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<br>The contributor recalled experiencing machine gun fire along the roads, which came from planes, and she had to hide in a chicken shed. The contributor recalled the presence of the Home Guard, and the house where she lived was commandeered as a bomber lookout place. The contributor also recalled doodling in a field near her home and having to hide in the cellar of an old manor house. During this time, the contributor's home included her parents, 2 siblings, an aunt and a cousin. The aunt's husband was in the Royal Navy, and they moved in with the contributor's family due to severe bombing where they had lived. The contributor's father was a Special Constable, and her mother was a member of the Women's Voluntary Service where she manned a water pump to fight fires. The contributor recalled the war efforts bringing the village in which she lived together, and she mentioned signposts that were turned around. The contributor's wartime experiences left her with a fear of enclosed spaces.
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<br>The male contributor brought a journal that he had kept during his time in the Royal Navy, which he stated that he had joined to see the world. The contributor enjoyed his time in the Navy. At the time, the contributor shared that radar was new and exciting. He was posted in the Pacific, specifically Australia, and this opportunity of war offered him a significant change from his childhood in Sandhurst. The contributor remembered putting depth charges into the water to clear it of sharks. He mentioned how refreshing the sea was and that they would machine gun sharks while people were swimming. 
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<br>The contributor joined a US fleet in Australia, and Sydney had reminded him of home. He shared that his fleet sometimes rescued pilots when planes fell out of aircraft carriers. The contributor recalled being bombed by Japan. He also shared that he had travelled to Tokyo Bay for Japanese surrender and that there was radio silence because of the nuclear bomb. The contributor highlighted that men and the ship's dog were lost in a typhoon. He explained that he had lost touch with the rest of the crew by the present time. The contributor had gone to Hong Kong, then Sydney, then left for home. He went to Australia for the 75th anniversary of the war, as well as to Buckingham Palace. 
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<br>The contributor shared that the scarf he brought to be photographed was an item that he had sent to his mother for Christmas, as she was a widow and was lonely when he left for war. The contributor noted that he enjoyed speaking about the war, which was a significant experience for a 19 year old. He was at sea for 160 days.