WWII StoryQuest: Jerome Unruh, Mother and Father Wellmann

Editor’s Note: The Chestertown Spy has teamed up with the C.V. Starr Center for the American Experience at Washington College to share the stories of local residents who experienced World War II, either on the Home Front or as Veterans. Students and staff have already interviewed over a hundred people about their experiences during World War II. Each installment presented in The Spy includes an audio clip of an interview, along with the corresponding transcript. You can find more audio clips and interview transcripts at storyquestproject.com. If you have a story or artifact to share, please contact Deputy Director of Starr Center, Pat Nugent, at [email protected] or 410-810-7161.

Jerome Unruh: Mother and Father Wellmann

I walk down this brick wall, come out to this street, Duesseldorfer Strasserauf. I looked up and down the street, and I didn’t see anybody. And I looked across the street, I saw this grey haired woman. So I walked right up to her, and I had my jump boots, combat pants, woolen knit sweater and a woolen hat on. I walked right over there to her, and I said, “American Soldat” (Soldier), and she just looked at me. And I pulled my dog tags out, and I held [them] out and said, “American Soldat” and closed the window. I didn’t know what the hell to do right then.

I turned around and I was looking around the area to try to figure out what the move would be the best way for me to go from there next. And I heard this noise. I turned around and looked, and it is this grey haired women. She opened the door and put her hand out. I took her hand and went in, and they got a chair, right, and I sit down on the chair. She got a basin of water out, and they washed my face and my father Wellmann shaved me. I call them mother and father Wellmann because they really are my adopted parents.

And she got some, well we have all have it here, boiled potatoes with white gravy in it. [She] got that out and gave me something to eat. And then she said, ‘Schlafen.” Well we know what that is, so to follow him. So I went in this little room, and there was a cot. She said, “Schlafen” so I laid down, and they closed the door. And they went out, and I was laying there on that little cot. I got to thinking, “My God, that door opens, there is going to be somebody I don’t want to see come in here.” So I got up and went out and in the room. Over in that corner was a sink, then there was a chair, and then a stove here. So I sit down there. And they kept being “Schlafen, go back.”

“No, no, no, nein, nein, neon, I won’t do it.” Well in early afternoon, father Wellmann let me know that he had to go in town and that he would come back. So when he come back, I was still sitting in that chair. When he come back by himself I knew that I was safe.