Officer of the German 44th Infantry Division

Basil and I went to the World War 2 weekend on the Great Central Railway today.

The weather was glorious and there was so much to see and take photos of. Stations up the line had different themes. Loughborough was the Home Front, Quorn and Woodhouse was the gathering place for the Allies, ie, the Yanks, Rothley hosted the Germans and Birstall the French Resistance.

I met this chap at Rothley while seeking somewhere to shield Basil from the bangs accompanying the final battle between the Allies and the Germans. He came from Wigan, but he was re-enacting an officer of a Division, which originated in Austria, and was virtually wiped out in the Battle of Stalingrad. This was the German 44th Infantry Division or Reichsgrenadier-Division Hoch- und Deutschmeister.

He explained that this Division was re-formed and sent to the Italian Front to fight the advance of the British 8th Army that had crossed over from North Africa.

From a personal point of view, I was very pleased to get this shot in a darkened parcels office. Some nice light on his face.

A terrific day out.