German garrison at Heilsberg 1918

[busterfield]

My Grandfather, Harry Field MGC was captured March 1918 and ended up at Heilsberg. From the end of the war until his death, while not mentioning the war much to my Father and Uncle he kept everything from his army days in his wardrobe. From what he told my Uncle. On armistice and the following days the German ORs went around beating up the officers. One of the things that he had kept for 44 or 45 years was a german iron cross that was given to him by Fritz Scheenagel (Uncle's phonetic spelling) as thanks for hiding him under his bed while the attacks went on. He gave me the Iron cross in 1962/63 to have. I being 7 or 8 at the time managed to lose the medal that he had kept for all those years in about an hour near 5 Brook Rd. Lymm where they lived. Being the 1960s I had a sore backside for my carelessness. I have wondered over the years if it was ever found, my Father and Uncle never mentioned it in the years following.

[knittinganddeath]

There are no Scheenagels in the German casualty lists, but there is a Fritz Schienagel, Leutnant der Reserve. He was from Gross Datzen in East Prussia and may have been a teacher.

OP, have you taken a metal detector out where you think you may have lost it? Maybe you'll get lucky?

[busterfield]

My grand parents moved to Market Drayton late 60s. My father being RAF we were never near Cheshire to have a look in later times. The German's surname as I've posted is how my Uncle remembers his Father saying it, so it could be anything close. My Grandfather having been taught German at Bedford modern got on quite well with some.