MEMORIES of Studley's wartime history were rekindled recently for one Studley man after he heard from an old friend.

But that old friend was once recognised as the enemy - a German prisoner of war who spent some of his captivity in Studley.

A camp at Holt Farm, off the Alcester Road, was home to hundreds of Italian and later German POWs during and after the war.

Many prisoners were not repatriated for two or three years after the war and as the camp regime allowed them some freedom, many actually befriended the villagers.

As a result, Bill McCarthy befriended Heinrich von Altena, a young German soldier imprisoned there late in the war.

Heinrich recently sent a copy of his written memoirs to Mr McCarthy, 75, recalling the cold winter of 1947 when he was invited to spend Christmas in the family home by Mr McCarthy's mother, Marjorie.

"He was a very young soldier captured towards the end of the war - probably about 19 at the time," said Mr McCarthy, of Holt Road.

"My mother was the organist at the Roman Catholic Church in Studley and a teacher at the village's catholic school.

"Many POWs came to the church and actually joined the choir, hence the invitation to Heinrich and others."

Mr McCarthy, who is now Studley Parish Council chairman, added: "My father was an infantryman throughout the First World War until 1918, when he was badly wounded.

"He was also gassed twice and died in 1935 of pneumonia.

"But he was always helpful to old soldiers of the war, something my mother felt bound to continue."

Mr McCarthy remembers the original POW camp consisting of tents but when the Germans arrived, wooden huts were built.

The former deputy head-teacher also has fond memories of some Italian POWs attending his mother's choir - including two or three opera singers, and also of POWs helping youngsters tunnel through a 10 ft snow drift through which they tobogganed.

"Heinrich was a nice chap. We send notes to each other every year and I'm glad we have been able to stay in touch."

In his memoirs, Heinrich writes in detail of his joy at being invited to the traditional family Christmas at the McCarthys and how he never forgot Mrs McCarthy's kind hospitality that cold winter.