There’s a time in every reporter’s career when what would have been a great story slips through their fingers.
For me, that moment came about 15 years ago when I was a reporter for the now defunct Valley Leader in Carman, Man.
One day a farmer in our coverage area called to ask me if I wanted to write a story about a particular wood carving. It wasn’t just any wood carving; it depicted the Second World War German battleship Bismarck.
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As a Second World War buff, I immediately said yes.
The farmer said the carving was made by a German prisoner of war who had been permitted to work on their farm. The PoW was one of the 115 crew of more than 2,000 who not only survived the destruction of the Bismarck but were lucky enough to be plucked from the North Atlantic waters by the Royal Navy.
Suspicions that a German submarine was lurking about led the Royal Navy to scurry away from its rescue operation, leaving over 1,100 of the survivors to the ocean’s cold water.
Sent to a prison camp in Canada, the PoW was eventually found to be trustworthy enough to work on a farm in southern Manitoba.
In doing research about the PoW, I found a website that listed Bismarck’s survivors and according to it at the time, he was apparently still alive.
My plan was to speak with the farmer, collecting far more information than would ever fit into my story. Then I would contact the website with hopes of interviewing the PoW.
Let’s just say I was a hungry kid in a candy shop eager to burn a big hole in my pocket.
While beaming with the prospect of a terrific story, I picked out the spot on my office wall for the Manitoba Community Newspaper Association award that I had convinced myself I would win.
Then my hopes were dashed.
In speaking with the farmer before our interview, he changed his mind. He no longer wanted to do the story out of fear someone might steal his family’s prized carving.
I understood, considering a similar situation had happened to me with a fellow who wanted to talk about his extensive farm and construction toy collection.
Still, my Second World War buff heart sank. There wouldn’t be a story about the carving along with a sidebar about the Bismarck and its battles with the Hood and other Royal Navy capital ships and aircraft.
