Since the dawn of civilization, humanity has waged countless wars, and each one has taught us how destructive wars can be. They bring only death and suffering and expose the worst sides of humanity. Yet sometimes, in the darkest hours of human life, amidst pain and bloodshed, small events occur that restore our faith and lift our spirits. Here we will examine several such touching war stories that show us how small acts of kindness have a lasting impact.
1. The Market Lighthouse was built by Finland on a small rocky island, but accidentally ended up outside Finnish territory and crossed into Swedish territory. However, instead of handing the lighthouse over to Sweden, the border was redrawn so that it remained on Finnish soil.
Market Island and its unusual border have a fascinating history. This uninhabited 3.3-hectare island lies between the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic Sea, flanked by Sweden and Finland. The unusual location of this treacherous island led to the sinking of at least eight ships in 1873 alone. Therefore, around the end of the 19th century, it was decided that Finland would build a lighthouse on this small island.
By order of the Tsar, Finland, then still part of the Russian Empire, ordered the construction of a lighthouse on Market Island in 1885. A young Finnish architect, Georg Schreck, was chosen for the job. He and his team began construction at the island's highest point, approximately three meters above sea level. This location was well away from ice and waves. However, the problem was that this area was within the Swedish border.
Despite knowing that the lighthouse was officially within Swedish borders, Finland decided to continue construction. Subsequently, Finland also proudly operated the lighthouse. However, tensions between the two countries began to mount until they mutually agreed to revise the borders. In 1985, the island's borders were adjusted to form a "Z," placing the lighthouse within Finnish borders.
Despite its rich history, the lighthouse has been abandoned and unmaintained for over 40 years. Finnish heritage conservationists are trying to restore the lighthouse to its former glory. Since 2007, they have been raising funds for its maintenance, and volunteers now lead tours. (1, 2)
2. Captain Robert Campbell, a British prisoner of war captured during World War I, asked the Kaiser to allow him to visit his dying mother. His request was granted on the condition that he return to the camp, which he did. Campbell and other prisoners later spent over nine months building a tunnel to escape the camp. However, they were recaptured and sent back.
In 1914, Robert Campbell, a British Army captain, was captured by German troops near France. After treatment in a military hospital, he was taken to a prisoner-of-war camp in Magdeburg. After two years in the camp, at the age of 29, Campbell learned that his mother was dying of cancer. Seeking a last chance to see his mother, he sent a letter to Wilhelm II asking for permission.
As a prisoner, Campbell had no rights and certainly didn't expect a positive response. However, the Kaiser only allowed him to leave prison on the condition that he return as a prisoner before the end of the war. The captain agreed and gave his word. He spent a week in his hometown in Kent and stayed by his mother's deathbed. Then he returned to the camp, much to the Kaiser's surprise.
Historians claim Campbell would hardly have been tracked down if he hadn't returned. However, the captain is said to have told his fellow prisoners that it was duty and honor that compelled him to keep his promise.
A few months after Campbell's return to prison, his mother died. However, a week's leave left him yearning for freedom. He and several other prisoners began digging a tunnel to escape. Although they succeeded in escaping the camp, they were later recaptured near the Dutch border and sent back. Campbell remained in the camp until the end of the war.
Although similar requests were made during the war, historians say this is the only recorded instance of a humane release of a prisoner of war during World War I. . (1, 2)
3. During World War II, the Maharaja of India, Jam Sahib, took in 640 Polish orphans. He built a dormitory for the children in his royal palace in Bombay. He also invited Polish cooks and teachers to help the children feel at home and recover from the horrors they had experienced.
During World War II, Poland was invaded by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, resulting in Polish citizens suffering at the hands of the invaders. Thousands of adults were killed, and Jews were sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. The rest became refugees and were scattered across Europe. In India, which was still under British rule, several refugee shelters were established. One of them was in Balachadi, a small village in the state of Gujarat.
As a British colony, India became home to thousands of refugees from around the world. Around 20,000 displaced persons from Poland, including children, found refuge in India after being expelled from their country in 1940 during the German invasion.
At this time, Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja was the Maharaja of Jam Sahib of Nawanagar. Upon learning of the plight of Polish refugee children, most of whom were orphaned, he decided to establish a camp for them in Jamnagar-Balachadi in 1942.
It is said that approximately 640 Polish children aged two to 17 found shelter in the camp, but they were first brought to his royal palace in Bombay. The maharaja, who created a refuge for these displaced persons, fed, educated, cared for, and nursed the children.
The camp operated until 1945. After its closure, the children were transferred to Valivade. Today, the vast 300-acre camp site houses the Balachadi Military School. (1, 2)
4. During World War II, German prisoners of war were held in camps in Canada, but they were treated so well that they wanted to stay there even after the war ended. Thousands of these prisoners actually returned or remained in Canada to live out the rest of their lives.
During World War II, prisoner-of-war camps were established across Canada, holding approximately 35,046 German sailors, airmen, soldiers, and potential rebels, many of whom called their imprisonment the best thing that happened to them. More than 6,000 POWs wanted to remain after the war ended.
There were approximately 26 prison camps stretching from Alberta to New Brunswick. However, the camps in Medicine Hat and Lethbridge, Alberta, were the largest. Each camp was built specifically to house 12,500 prisoners. Each dormitory could accommodate up to 350 inmates, and both camps had recreation halls, classrooms, dining halls, and workshops.
The prisons were overseen by veteran guards, mostly older Canadians who had served in the First World War. Young German prisoners, on the other hand, did not find these guards cruel or intimidating. They also enjoyed good food and housing in the camp.
Many of these prisoners arrived here after serving time in harsh detention centers in North Africa. Canadian prison camps were a veritable haven in comparison. Prisoners had access to academic courses in subjects such as accounting, engineering, medicine, and law. They could also form orchestras, theater groups, and sports teams.
After the end of World War II, more than 6,000 of these German prisoners of war officially applied for residency in Canada. Many were disgusted by the actions of Nazi Germany, but most simply fell in love with Canada and its people. (1, 2)
5. During World War II, when Japanese Americans were being internmented in the United States, agricultural inspector Bob Fletcher quit his job to oversee the farms of Japanese families. Despite criticism, Fletcher continued his work to ensure that Japanese families had homes and livelihoods to return to.
Robert Emmett Fletcher, known as "Bob Fletcher," was born in 1911. He was a local historian, firefighter, and farmer, best known for protecting the farms of Japanese Americans deported during World War II. After graduating from university in 1933 with a degree in agriculture, Fletcher briefly managed a peach orchard. He later became a county and state agricultural inspector.
While working in this position, Fletcher met farmers of Japanese descent across the state. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans faced the threat of relocation and imprisonment, a phenomenon known as Japanese American internment. At the time, the Tsukamoto family, living in Florin, California, offered Fletcher their assistance.
They asked Fletcher to manage their vineyards and pay the mortgage and taxes while they were gone. In exchange, he would keep the profits. A bachelor, Fletcher accepted the offer and quit his job to tend the 90 acres of land owned by the Tsukamoto, Nitta, and Okamoto families.
For Fletcher, this was a risky move, as most Americans at the time supported the expulsion of Japanese Americans. He received threats, and once was even fired while working. Despite the backlash, he continued working in the fields for three years, despite having no experience growing grapes.
During this time, he married, and his wife also helped him manage the farms. As agreed, Fletcher paid taxes and mortgages, but kept only 50% of the profits for himself; the rest he kept in the bank. In 1945, the families returned from prison to their homes and farms, which were still intact. Fletcher's wife, Teresa, even cleaned the Tsukamoto house.
Fletcher donated half of his accumulated profits to the families and continued to help them even after the war ended. When local businesses refused to sell to Japanese families, Fletcher purchased equipment and materials. (1, 2)