I was on the student staff for at least 3 of the camps and co-leader for one. Memories are flooding back! I enjoyed the camps very much indeed, and found my native German a useful asset with the children and in episodes like the one below:

In the 1970 group photo you will see a student with his arm in a sling. This was an accident that happened when he tried to free a trapped army lorry from a leaning telegraph pole. We had to run him to a doctor, who cut off his engagement ring. When the doctor said “It will have to come off” I worried he meant the whole finger! I’d love to know if his hand was OK after that.

Having been in state education all my working life, I am now absolutely appalled at the freedom we were given to organise things our own way! This included children trying to run away at dead of night, a tent fire, a student mashing up his hand trying to hold a lorry away from a lamppost…but we loved it all and probably grew up a bit too.

Barbara also sent photos from the Black Forest 1970 and Langenburg 1971 camps.