Dear Mr Nash,

I thank you for acknowledging my call.

What a shock it was for me when I saw a photo (on the right) of myself in the local paper, 59 years ago. I was  dumbstruck.
The boy on the left was John Solson, a very clever boy (Oxford Graduate) sadly no longer with us, myself in the centre Joyce Allan (as was). The girl with her chin in her hands was my German host, Elsa Kuck, and the other girl was also a German student, and Dr. Deutschkron, of course.
As I told you, I only knew Dr. Deutschkron, closely for the two weeks of the trip to Germany, but I remember him as a jolly fellow, interested in his pupils and willing to join in. Hence the bicycle photo!
I don’t recall how many students there were, like me who did not study the German Language, but he was very kind an understanding. He asked one thing through. So go to [ I at the end of the trip, having learned a complete sentence in Germany. My sentence was something like - “We have learned a lot from these young people”.
Just for the record, I will endeavour to recall our Diary.
Coach to Dover, Ferry to Ostend, train, via Aachen to Cologne, where we were met by our individual hosts.
It was an unique experience for me, billeted with a family unable to speak the language. I was quite a way out of Cologne, we had to pass through a gated, guarded and manned checkpoint. Rather frightening.
I was on a small farm, small holding facilities were primitive, but I was well looked after.
We all met us daily with trips around Cologne, the Cathedral, the Radio Station, the 4711 Eau-de Cologne-Factory, and a trip down the Rhine to Bonn, where we toured the Federal Parliament Building.
The second week we were in Lorbach. The hostel was basic, lots of bread and jam, we hiked and walked, went into the village, found a little Pub of sorts, with almost black beer. Horrible! Very pretty village, lots of Religious Shrines. In the Hostel we played Table Tennis etc, all the usual activities of youth.
I recall woods, pine trees, hay fields, wide open spaces. One strange thing I remember. Pathways in the grass, about an inch wide, with very industrious, very large ants, going about their business, also the odd Goat, tethered in the middle of nowhere, presumably to keep down the grass.
The journey home was a nightmare. It was the weekend of the Lynton and Lymouht floods. It rained and it rained, we were hours late.
This may not be of any interest at all for you, but I am a great believer in keeping old memories alive. (Photos enclosed).
Good Luck with your quest. I hope you get lots of information,
Yours sincerely
Joyce Ingram.
(Apologies for the errors. It’s a long time, since I went to school).

Vor dem Jugenheim. - Auf den Feldern im Hintergrund das geerntete Getreide (Foto: Joyce Allan / Ingram)	Wunderschöne Straßenansicht von Lorbach. (Foto: Joyce Allan / Ingram)
Blick auf Kallmuth (Foto: Joyce Allan / Ingram)	Dr. Deutschkron per Fahrrad. (Foto: Joyce Allan / Ingram)

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