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Two little toys spark wonder
21.06.10
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by Linda McGrory
A LOCAL museum has received a unique donation of two
toy horses hand-made by German prisoners of war
detained at Magilligan army base at the end of World
War II.
Management at Inishowen Maritime Museum in
Greencastle were delighted when local publican,
Margaret Kealey, gifted the ornaments made out of
the green cloth of military uniforms.
The toys are filled with sand and sport fulsome
manes made from sheep's wool. While one saddle has
been lost, the other, believed to be made from shoe
leather, has survived along with its steed, for some
55 years.
Margaret explained that her late husband, Lawrence,
received the objects as a 16-year old during a
barter with German soldiers at Magilligan.
"There was a lot of war-time bartering going on
during the war years between Magilligan and
Greencastle with boats going over and back all the
time. Lawrence and his pals would have rowed over to
Magilligan now and again and would have spoken to
the prisoners through the barbed wire fence around
the compound. I understand he swapped around five
cigarettes for those wee horses," she said. |
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Margaret admits she
twice tried to bin the "dusty" items but the two
little toys keep on surviving.
"They were up on a shelf in the bar from around 1945
until eleven years ago when we were refurbishing. I
was about to throw them out but Lawrence wouldn't
let me so I wrapped them in tissue paper and put
them away in the store," she said.
Margaret was clearing out the store a couple of
weeks ago and was about to bin the war-time toys
once again only this time they were saved by local
maritime expert, Seamus Bovaird, who, on seeing
them, suggested she give them to the museum.
Inishowen Maritime Museum manager, Gemma Havlin,
warmly thanked Margaret for the "wonderful addition"
to their collection.
"The fact they were hand-made just across from
Greencastle by German soldiers really makes them a
treasure to have," she said.
"We already have some fantastic examples of
needlework from local men who were interned during
the war and I’m always amazed at the skill these men
developed in an effort to pass their long days in
such camps.
"The fact these horses have been made by the
soldiers using their uniform and possibly leather
from their shoes makes you wonder about the people
themselves, the time they spent here, how and when
they got home and their life after the war."
Gemma said the two little horses were now likely to
become a firm favourite among visiting children.
"It is sometimes difficult to relate World War II to
children when we give them a tour of the museum and
I believe that these two special horses will help us
increase their interest in that period. The only
thing left to do now is find names for them!" she
quipped. |
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