Looking for Rose Peck and/or descendants

[Karen McDonald]

Hello and sorry that this is VERY vague..!   

I am trying to find a PECK family who had a farm during the Second World War on which at least one German prisoner of war was given work. Mrs Peck's first name was ROSE.

The POW in question was Emil Lautenbach, born in 1913 in Hamburg.
He was taken prisoner in France, seriously wounded with bullet wounds to the chest/stomach. He was later transported to England, where he worked on a farm owned by the Peck family.

The family treated him extremely well. They even insisted on having his much younger brother Gustav (the lad was around 12 years old) sent to them after the war, so that they could care for him for a while and provide him with enough to eat.

The Lautenbach family were so grateful to the Pecks that Emil and his wife named their daughter Birgit Rose, born 1948, in honour of Mrs Peck.
They even pronounce "Rose" in the English way, instead of the German "Rosa".

I have lived in Germany for 30 years. We moved last year and Birgit is now our landlady - and an absolutely wonderful person. I don't know if it is the fact that she now has a Brit living next door , but she would love to find out more about the Peck family.

Her father and uncle are both deceased and no family records, photos, etc. exist from that time. Birgit does not know how to start looking, so I suggested that I try to help.

I realise that our "information" is extremely sparse, but maybe it rings a bell with someone. Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt (hope dies last), as the Germans say.

I would be extremely grateful for any information whatsoever, however insignificant it may seem.

Many thanks in advance,
Karen

[nanny jan]

Any idea of where the farm was?

Might get some help here:

https://www.dd-wast.de/en/assets.html

[Jebber]

There were nearly seventy people called Rose Peck at the outbreak of WW2, without some idea of whereabouts in England this was, it is hard to narrow  down  a likely person.

[Karen McDonald]

Thanks for the speedy replies. I know it's all very vague, but Birgit has no further information.

I have just scrolled through the website which nanny jan suggested (many thanks!). The English version says that replies may take up to 12 months(!). It is a bit confusing as regards fees.
The German version is (unsurprisingly) much clearer, but the things which can be requested are clearly listed; the only thing we could click on which might help is the POW records bit. However, they want to know exactly where and when Emil was taken prisoner - and we don't know that.

The other sections are of no help to us: research into place of burial (we know that), where the person is now (deceased), etc.

I am going to write them a short mail (in German) to see whether they might be able to help us after all (and how much it might cost!). 

Thanks again,
Karen

EDIT: I have sent off the mail and have received an automatic reply telling me that, in individual cases, private requests can take up to 12 months. So it's not just the English requests which can take ages... Oh, well. You never know. We might strike lucky!

K.

[Gibel]

There may be some information held by the National Archives, I put Lautenbach into their search engine and there might be a possibility in some records of interviews with German POWs.

My other thought was that possibly Emil's service records still exist in Germany which may or may not be helpful as to where Emil was sent in the UK.

Does Birgit Rose have any idea of what sort of farm, was he planting crops etc or looking after animals? That might help narrow down an area.

Another thought is Gustav still living and if yes does he have any idea where the farm was? Or does any family of his know anything?

Are there any photos of the time?

[Karen McDonald]

Hello Gibel,

Birgit has no idea what kind of farm it was. Her father (Emil) and uncle (Gustav) are both deceased.
We have nothing further to go on, I'm afraid. No photos, no documents...

I'll see what I can find out via the National Archives.

Thanks,
Karen

[garstonite]

There were nearly seventy people called Rose Peck at the outbreak of WW2, without some idea of whereabouts in England this was, it is hard to narrow  down  a likely person.

totally agree - but - how many lived on a farm - a tedious task - but what about checking out the 1939 register at the outbreak of WW2 and seeing if there is a Rose Peck living on a farm ?? 
added
on a farm in Preshute Without ,Wiltshire there is a lady named Rose Peck with her husband Charles  just before WW1 - Charles is 46 and Rose is 29 - so in 1942 ish she would be around 60 - has Birgit any idea how old Rose was when her dad was there - this is just an example of a possibility - that particular Rose died in 1948 aged 66.......is this the type of road we are looking to go down ??

[Karen McDonald]

Hello garstonite,

Many thanks indeed for that!

Birgit has absolutely no idea about ages, etc. However, she does know that just about everything she had as a baby (clothes, food, even a pot used to boil her baby milk) came from the Peck family. There was obviously some contact after the war.

Birgit was born in August 1948 - the year in which the Rose you found died. That is, however, no reason for the family to have broken off the contact.

Birgit is on holiday this week. I was hoping to surprise her on her return with some information, but it looks as though I'll have to be patient. 
I'll see if she can contact her uncle's family to see if any of them have a little more information. Someone must know something...

Thanks again,
Karen

[Jebber]

There were nearly seventy people called Rose Peck at the outbreak of WW2, without some idea of whereabouts in England this was, it is hard to narrow  down  a likely person.

totally agree - but - how many lived on a farm - a tedious task - but what about checking out the 1939 register at the outbreak of WW2 and seeing if there is a Rose Peck living on a farm ?? 
added
on a farm in Preshute Without ,Wiltshire there is a lady named Rose Peck with her husband Charles  just before WW1 - Charles is 46 and Rose is 29 - so in 1942 ish she would be around 60 - has Birgit any idea how old Rose was when her dad was there - this is just an example of a possibility - that particular Rose died in 1948 aged 66.......is this the type of road we are looking to go down ??

I thought about that but didn't have time to search.