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Background history
An unusual ring, whose maker showed a great deal of manual skills and extraordinary precision, is to be found in the Museum’s inventory books under the number 4424. It belonged to James Colvin Craig, a New Zealander, who was taken captive in Crete in 1941. In the fall of that year, he was transported, like many other New Zealand POWs, to Stalag VIII B (344) Lamsdorf (Łambinowice). Prior to this he had served in the unit called Private Medical & Dental Corpses, and most certainly – this was one of the reasons why Craig was assigned to work in the hospital, helping the sick. He left the camp during the action of repatriating the Allied Forces POWs, which was carried out by the German authorities in the fall of 1944. He was among the few who returned home already in December 1944. Unfortunately, we know very little about his stay in the captivity. However, the articles made by him at that time speak about how he coped with the hard camp reality. He took them home with him and they have been preserved until today. In August 2007, Lynda Hill – James Colvin Craig’s daughter and her husband visited the Museum. The purpose of her visit here was, as she herself stressed, “a strong need to get to know the history of the place, in which her father had stayed.” She was intent to find out about his wartime vicissitudes as this very rarely was made the topic of family conversations due to the delicate nature of the family history. Several months after her return home, Lynda Hill decided, together with her family, to give over the ring with fern to the Museum as part of its collection. At the same time, she informed us that she had kept for herself another ring with the symbol of New Zealand – the Kiwi bird – as a keepsake. The contact with Lynda Hill had no been; on the contrary – it was carefully maintained, which resulted in another visit she paid to the Museum in 2011. She admitted that since she was in Europe, she had to come to Łambinowice. She was greatly moved seeing the ring with fern displayed on the permanent exhibition entitled “The Site of National Remembrance in Łambinowice – the regional, national, European heritage” which was presented in the seat of Opole branch of the Museum. Then she took the decision to donate the rest of the collection of jewelry items brought from the captivity by her father. A few months later, towards the end of November 2011, four original articles were sent to the Museum, including the above-mentioned ring bearing the image of the Kiwi bird, as well as a ring and a brooch with a miniaturized image of Lynda Hill’s mother, who – in the years of World War II – was then her father’s friend. The package contained also a handmade metal ring bearing the emblem of New Zealand. James Colvin Craig’s daughter sent these items, like the first ring with fern, by regular post. Apart from those, the collection was enriched with a handmade overlay on matches and a metal box to hold “Lysantol” lozenges. At present, the whole collection of jewelry is displayed as part of the permanent exhibition “In the German captivity” which Lynda Hill was able to see by herself in July 2013. The ring with fern was also presented on other exhibitions and in various publications.
Prepared by: Beata Madej
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Ring with fern
Source of acquisition
Donated by Lynda Hill, James Colvin Craig’s daughter.
Description of the item
A ring of the size 23, made of a toothbrush handle in cream and black. In the place of gem there is a bas-relief of a silver fern leaf (Latin: cyathea dealbata) – the national symbol of New Zealand and an element of this country’s emblem (two leaves of this fern make the heraldic base under the coat of arms). The fern is held from two sides with straps of creamy mass. The ring was made with the use of the maker’s own technique which consisted in cutting out, engraving, bending and bonding fragments of the plastic handle with polished finishing.
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