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It started with an innocent wave, but it ended in a court case.

Mary Hayes, the wife of a local builder, lived in a house in Shrewsbury that backed onto the prisoners of war (PoW) camp. Alice France was her maid. In 1915, both ladies were reprimanded, on several occasions, for waving at the German PoWs. Then, in a search of the camp, the guards found a secret post box tucked between the end of Mary Hayes’s garden and the barbed wire fence round the camp.

The guards watched and waited to see who came to the secret post box and Alice France was caught red handed. She was arrested.

Another search of the PoW camp turned up some slightly disturbing letters due to be secreted in the box, asking questions about the gate – when it was likely to be open for instance. This made the issue much more serious and Alice and her employer ended up in very hot water.

Location: Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY2 6BA
Image: PoW Camp in Shrewsbury, courtesy of Shropshire Archives