The bridges had been destroyed and Enman was one of many soldiers responsible to haul the new parts to the site for construction.
Enman, then in his mid-20’s, sees a young boy near the river.
“He’s probably looking for a cigarette,” he thought.
But that’s when Enman notices the red, white and black cloth the boy was carrying.
“How much for the flag?” Enman asked him.
The bridges had been destroyed and Enman was one of many soldiers responsible to haul the new parts to the site for construction.
Enman, then in his mid-20’s, sees a young boy near the river.
“He’s probably looking for a cigarette,” he thought.
But that’s when Enman notices the red, white and black cloth the boy was carrying.
“How much for the flag?” Enman asked him.
“Here, I’ll give you a few cartons of cigarettes,” Enman said as the two exchanged hands.
He took the flag, and walked back to his rig, and returned to his work.
Now, nearly 72 years later, Enman is parting with one of his fondest war possessions.
“I just thought, that’s quite a souvenir,” said the 94-year-old veteran.
“It’s a Nazi flag. I imagine the boy found it after the bombings. It has their bird and a red cross on it.
“In his case he was a businessman of his own kind, and everything we got we had to dicker for. We were all collecting things as we went.”
Enman remembers the feeling he got when he traded for the flag.
“There was this mindset that we shouldn’t have that kind of stuff, like a rule. But everyone was doing it, trading this for that, so I thought why not? What can it hurt?
“After the trades we would all get together and show each other our prize,” he said.
For years the flag was kept in a suitcase in Enman’s house, but now it’s has a new home in the P.E.I. Regiment museum at the Queen Charlotte Armouries in Charlottetown, where it will be framed and hung for people to see.
“I don’t like parting with it,” he said with a shake of his head. “But I guess you have to let go of it sometime.
“I thought it was important they have it. I don’t know that there are any more like it, I can’t believe I’ve kept it for this long.”
