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AUGUSTA — The Kennebec Historical Society’s November public presentation, “Foe to Friend: German POWs on Lunn Farm in Littleton, Maine,” will be at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 20, at the Maine State Library, 230 State St.
In 1944, the U.S. Army Air Base in Houlton, became the site of a prisoner of war internment camp for German soldiers captured in North Africa and France. The POW’s could not be forced to work, but they could volunteer. Those who wanted to work helped local farmers harvest peas, pick potatoes and cut wood in the forest after harvest time during the winter.
Hank Lunn’s father requested some prisoners to help with his potato harvest. “When harvest time rolled around, eight young Germans would arrive by truck each morning about 7 tto help us harvest our crop, with one guard,” Lunn said. “As a 13-year old boy, the arrival of German soldiers, was fearsome. My young mind was not too sure it was a good idea to have the ‘enemy’ right here on our farm.”
Lunn, who lives in Camden, will be speaker at the presentation. He grew up on a potato farm in Aroostook County, and graduated from the University of Maine with a major in history and government, and is retired from public education with more than 40 years of experience as a teacher, counselor and educational consultant in Maine schools.
For the past several years, he has been delivering his “Living History” presentations to schools, historical societies, libraries and community organizations.
The Kennebec Historical Society November presentation is co-sponsored by the Maine State Library and is free to the public, with donations accepted. The presentation is followed by light refreshments.
PHOTO: German POWs pick potatoes on Lunn Farm in Aroostook County in 1945. (Submitted photo)
