Volume 8 , Issue 8

WWI I - POW's Murals & Artwork...

We have decided to insert here a few of the WWII German POW murals and artwork left behind by those who were held at the WWII Alva POW Camp, in Alva, Oklahoma after 1945 (end of WWII).

Monte & Rosalind Lopshine bought ten lots and two old ramshackle apartment buildings August, 1981. When they were remodeling in May, 1982 they found 24 paintings painted by a German prisoner of war that resemble tour posters with scenes of Austria and the Berlin area. The paintings were found between the studs of one of the old buildings. The two apartment buildings were originally one long barrack for the POWs held at the Alva Camp during WWII. C. E. Buckner bought one of the barracks, chopped it in half and moved it to Waynoka back in 1945. The property changed hands a few times before the Lopshires bought it in 1981.

The article stated... "Buckner set the the building halves on two separate foundations, added a floor and ceiling and converted the edifice into four apartments. He knew the paintings were there 30 years ago, but he covered them with sheetrock. Buckner said he never thought to mention it when the building changed owners through the years... At the time, we were not impressed with pictures of Germany. We were tired of the war." Most of the paintings were found in perfect condition with only a few shows of water-stained reminders of a leaking roof and cracked paint on another.

The paintings measured about 19 by 34 inches and were painted on masonite between the wall studs using three colors of oil (burnt sienna, cobalt blue, and white). The article quoted Mrs. Lopshires, "There is one older man who lived around here that said he helped tear the camp down. He said there were some whole-wall murals, but when he tried to save them the supervisor told him there was not time for that. They were just working by the hour and had to get it done, so those were destroyed."

Millard Curtis was quoted as saying, "I haven't thought about it for ages, but I remember the paintings. They were in the work building, I think it was." The article stated, "The Lopshires, who recently converted one of the uildings into a beer tavern, have plans to turn the old barracks into a German beer garden with an outdoor restaurant adjoining.

Some other art work (sculptures) that the German POWs did was a six-foot, walnut eagle carved from packing crates and stood in the German Officers POW compound during WWII. It now has a home in the Cherokee Strip Museum at Alva, Oklahoma along with other artifacts of Alva's POW Camp during World War II.

This German, medieval castle was hand-carved from scraps of wood by one of the German POWs from his memory of his homeland. These art collections were created under difficult circumstances and have had a spiritually and romantically value placed on them. None of the paintings were ever signed. The Lopshires and a lot of Woods Countians in NW Oklahoma would love to discover the artist after all these years to fill in the blanks of what is not there anymore.

Rod Murrow found this next POW artwork on Ebay. This shows the front and back sides of a POW piece of art from Camp Alva that he found on eBay, with the desire to donate it to the Cherokee Strip Museum in Alva - which I have not yet done. I'm curious to know if this fellow, or any of his family members, may still be living and if it might be possible to return this artwork to him/them. His name is WILLI EMMERT and the date is 1944.

Werner's father, Friedrich Wilhelm Rohrlack, born 1918, was a prisoner at Camp Alva 1943-1945. He was also an artist, mostly landscapes and scenery and he was from Berlin. Werner was sent copies of the wall paintings and they could have been painted by his father. One other note: While his father was at the Alva Camp he painted a portrait of a teenage blond girl who was the daughter of one of the prisoners. Werner's father, before he died, asked that Werner try to find who this person is and send the portrait to her. Werner had tried to get this organized a few years ago, but his mother, who had Alzheimer's, stopped him from following through. The last that he remember is that the picture was painted from a photograph of the daughter of a German prisoner. Werner's father's request was that he try to find the person in this picture, somehow, and Werner would then forward it to them. To, however, ensure that he has the right person, he covered up the neck as this girl was wearing a rather unusual necklace. The person that claims this picture should therefore be able to describe this necklace in detail or provide a photograph that would show who this person is. The actual painting is 21" X 27", plus matting and frame. The other matter... Werner would like to pursue, is the inner wall paintings found in the huts. My father was a very good artist, mostly scenery and mostly from German themes. I should note that he was a Berliner, and he understand that some of the art work was from Berlin. His father's name was Friedrich Wilhelm Rohrlack born 1918, died 1995. Werner knows this could be a long shot, but he would very much like to succeed in this endeavor. Thanks from Werner Rohrlack - Email: w.r.accounting@shaw.ca
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