(Copyright Coxhoe Local History Group)
Prisoners of War at Coxhoe
“Towards the end of the war the Hall was used as a prisoner of war camp for Italians captured in North Africa and later by German prisoners of war”. From The History of Coxhoe by Robin Walton
Coxhoe Hall was unoccupied at the beginning of WW2, John and Maud having died in 1938 being the last of the line of the Wood family. During 1939 – 45 it was requisitioned by the Army and troops were billeted and trained in Nissen huts. When it was no longer needed for troops it was commissioned to house prisoners of war.
We are told that the prisoners formed a community of their own holding cultural events and concerts. A band was formed and performed at concerts and other events and they played numerous games and remained very active. Many of them attended the Roman Catholic Church at Cornforth. Marie Routledge, nee Ellerby lived at Coxhoe where her father was a hairdresser. She recalled a troop of Italians marching down ‘The Avenue’ one Christmas singing carols on their way to church – “they sounded lovely”.
The prisoners worked in the local community and were assigned varied tasks many of which were concerned with food production.
On Sunday evenings it was customary after church for Coxhoe folk to take a walk around the perimeter of the Hall. Jenny Inman told us, with a twinkle in her eye, that part of the reason for this was to attract the attention of the handsome Italians at the Hall. She said she used eye liner to draw a line down the back of her legs to make it appear as if she was wearing seamed nylon stockings.
Two of the prisoners of war who returned to Coxhoe to marry local girls were Pascale Cubello and Donato de Grecis and both made a positive contribution to the village.
Donato De Grecis was born in Coratto in Bari, Italy.
He joined the Italian army and while fighting in Africa was taken prisoner and was interred at Coxhoe Hall.
While there he played the clarinet in a band formed with other prisoners. During the day the prisoners were taken to work on the county farms.
Donato worked on Smithy Farm, Cassop where he met Catherine Langan.
After the war he was repatriated to Italy, was demobbed and returned to England and married Catherine.
They settled in Coxhoe and had 7 daughters. He was employed as a cabinet maker and French polisher until he died of a heart attack in 1975 aged 61 years.
Coxhoe Local History Group 