Guest post by son of Skipton POW Georg Brucker

We are delighted and privileged to feature an article written by Ernesto Brucker whose father Georg Brucker was imprisoned in Raikeswood Camp, Skipton from January 1918 until October 1919. Ernesto lives in Buenos Aires.

_{Ernesto Brucker}

My name is Ernesto Ricardo Brucker and I live in Buenos Aires in Argentina.

My father was born on 2 November 1896 in Erlangen, Germany. When he was 18 World War 1 started and he joined the German forces. He fought on both fronts, firstly in Poland and then in France.

It was trench warfare, and my father told me that as a lieutenant he had to force his soldiers to leave the trenches.

During the Battle of Vimy Ridge he was in charge of a machine gun company, and was taken prisoner at Thélus by two tall Canadians on 9 April 1917. The Canadians took 3400 prisoners during the battle.

Afterwards he was sent to Skipton as a prisoner of war where he spent almost two years. The photograph shows him there.

On 29 October 1919 he was released at a military camp at Lockstedt in Germany.

Then he decided to emigrate to Argentina for a year but he met my mother and remained there until his death.