Letter from Gerhard Stamer to Lord Mountbatten, December 1st, 1946:
| Your Excellency, in accordance with your generous permission to write to you whenever I find it necessary, I choose the 7th anniversary of your chivalrous visit in the Tower of London after your victorious "Kingston" and "Kashmir" had finished us in the Northern Sea. Mindful of our conversation many of your Excellency's views are now the ours after these terrible experiences our beloved Country has passed and still suffers from. May the Lord help her and us! The harder it is to sit idle behind barbed wire and wait till the Royal Navy may investigate us, submarine skippers and chief engineers. I should be so glad to work outside the cage on farming, my future profession. With great interest we followed your commands and deeds on the various theatres of war; we found in the papers and news reels - with a kind of pride the vanquished has about his more fortunate conqueror. During all the 7 years I was well treated. In June 40 we were shipped to Canada and this June back to the U.K. and wait now and wait like we did all the years for repatriation. But our good humor and confidence in God is unbroken. I wish your Excellency and your family a merry X-mas and happy New Year, all of us peace on earth and men satisfaction! Your Excellency’s sincerely 1st PoW Gerhard Stamer No. 37 422 No. "200" PoW - Camp Llanover Park Camp, nr. Abergavenny (Mon) Great Britain |
| My dear Bob, I enclose a copy of a letter I have bad from Lt. Com. Gerhard Stamer, the Commander of the first U-boat to be sunk by my flotilla in 1939. I visited him and other prisoners in the Tower of London, and tried some propaganda with him. I did not actually give him permission to write to me so far as my memory serves me, but feel it would be ungracious not to reply, since he has always behaved well. In fact, poor old Somerville* said he behaved with outstanding correctness. I am not sure what the regulations are about writing to prisoners of war, so am sending my letter to you, hoping that, if it is all right, you will send it on. I am delighted with the S.O.T.C., and it is grand to be back fully in the service. Yours ever, Dickie * The then C.O. of Kingston, since killed. |
| Dear Lt. Com. Stamer, Thank you for your letter and your good wishes for the New Year and for peace on earth. I reciprocate these sentiments. I am glad you have been well-treated and hope you will soon be allowed to work on a farm, since it is to be your future profession. Yours sincerely, Mountbatten of Burma |