Programme for Variety Entertainment

Programme for a Variety Entertainment held in the Assembly Rooms, Presteigne, 1947. It is notable for the inclusion on the 48 POW Camp Orchestra on the bill, showing how the German POWs, who lived at the camp down the road, integrated into the daily lives of the people in this small rural Welsh border town.

POW Camp number 48 was built originally to house up to 1,000 Italian POWs in prefabricated buildings. At the end of the war, it was used to house Germans, many of whom had previously been held in the USA. Many of both the Italians and Germans had good relations with the locals, working on farms, making toys to be given to the local children at Christmas, and entertaining everyone with their shows. The Camp Orchestra was particularly popular, drawing large crowds to their concerts in the town and surrounding area. Sale of this entertainment programme went towards the building of the Memorial Hall, which still stands as a reminder of those the area lost in the war.

Quite a few former POWS, both Italian and German, decided to make a life for themselves in the area, marrying local girls and settling down.