Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 23 August 1941
Met in Prison Camp
Two Brampton Soldiers
Two local soldiers, Pte. N Hobson, of 2, Brookside Crescent, West Melton, and Pte. T. Potter (50), of 97, Concrete Cottages, Brampton, who previously were not acquainted have met in a prison camp in German occupied territory, and are now good pals.
Hobson (24) is a former scholar of Brampton School and was employed by the Yorkshire Traction Co. as a bus driver. He entered the R.A.S.C. in February, 1940. He went to France, and on September 6th, 1940, his parents received news that he was missing. Later, they heard that he was a prisoner.
In Pte. Hobson’s reply to the first letter he received from Mr. and Mrs. Hobson, December 12th, 1940, he said, “I was overcome with joy when I received a letter from home. It will be better for everybody when the war is over.”
He met Pte. Tom Potter last Christmas. Potter, who served for four years in the last war and was wounded, enlisted January 6th, 1940. He was formerly employed as a road worker by Rotherham Council. The prisoners get a certain amount of recreation in camp, for in one letter Pte. Potter says: “I have had my photograph taken along with five others and I think we are allowed to send them home. Our boys played the Belgians at football the other day. Our boys won five goals to nothing. We also played two games against the French. We won one game and lost one. The Germans took us for a swim in the river the other day. It was good.”
Hobson is working on a farm in the summer and in a tailor’s shop in the winter, while Potter is working in a mine. In the camp the two men have met a number of local boys who are also prisoners of war.
Among them are Jack Pepper (a bus driver from Doncaster), A. Fletcher (Wombwell). Vincent Hall (Wombwell). F. Hollings (Wombwell), Leslie Davies, and a boy from Barnsley.
The photograph which shows Pte. Hobson (left) and Pte. Potter. was taken in the prison camp and sent by Hobson to his mother. Both soldiers send kind regards to their friends and say that they are quite well, but that it is a pity that parcels take a long time to reach them.