Prisoners of War in New Mexico Agriculture
Abstract of Interview
CONSULTANT: John Navar
TAPE NUMBER: RG2000-147
DATE
OF BIRTH: none given
SEX:
Male
DATE(S)
OF INTERVIEW: November 3, 2000
LOCATION
OF INTERVIEW: Farmers Dairies, El Paso, Texas
INTERVIEWER:
Robert Hart
SOURCE
OF INTERVIEW: NMF&RHM_x_
OTHER___
TRANSCRIBED:
YES___ NO___
NUMBER
OF TAPES: One
ABSTRACTOR:
Robert Hart
DATE
ABSTRACTED: February 16, 2001
QUALITY
OF RECORDING (SPECIFY): excellent
SCOPE
AND CONTENT NOTE: Use of German
and Italian prisoners of war at the Navar family dairy during World War II.
Housing for POWs at the former Civilian Conservation Corps camp on Zaragosa
Road. Describes duties of POW workers.
ABSTRACT
(IMPORTANT TOPICS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE):
TAPE
ONE, SIDE ONE:
Dairy
stopped its home deliveries during World War II to concentrate on supplying
products to the military. Opened in 1915. Awarded an “E” certificate for
wartime service.
Prisoners
of war were provided as laborers to dairy probably 1943. Came daily from a POW
camp set up at a former CCC camp. Consultant’s brother, Ralph, (deceased), was
in charge of prisoner detail. German POWs worked there first, then Italian POWs.
John Navar remembers that prisoners included former diamond cutter, lawyer, and
minister.
The
Navars furnished the POWs an old pickup truck to drive on dairy property.
John
Navar remembers the Germans as diligent workers and the Italians as men who sang
and played the guitar. The prisoners were guarded at all times. Mr. Navar also
remembers how thrifty the German prisoners were, picking up bent nails and
straightening them rather than throwing them away.
The
prisoners fed cattle, cleaned the barn and did general maintenance. The truck
they drove while at work was marked “POW”. Mr. Navar recalls a particularly
positive contact with prisoner Ludwig Koler and said there was no fear of any of
the prisoners. The brother, Ralph, shared chicharrones with the POWs, who had a
hard time pronouncing “chi”.
Price’s
Dairy also used POWs. A group of six to eight of the POWs worked at the Navar
dairy. Mr. Navar recalls it as a generally good experience.
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