Tom Wilkinson, left, from the Monroe County Museum, holds a copy of the newly published “Poems from a Prison Camp,” recently donated to the museum. At right, Frank Havelock, son of George Havelock, holds his father’s original notebook. George Havelock and other servicemen wrote in the notebook while being held as prisoners of war in North Korea.
Most people can not imagine what being a prisoner of war is like. But if you pick up the book “Poems from a Prison Camp,” you can rad some of the writings that American POWs from the Korean War have left behind.
George Havelock was born and raised in Hiteman, and back then he could have never imagine spending almost three years in a North Korean prison camp as POW.
Havelock was held in Prison Camp No. 5 in Pyoktong, North Korea to be exact. He was captured on Nov. 1, 1950 and wasn’t released until Aug. 12, 1953.
But long before that he was born one of nine children to George and Katherine Havelock in Hiteman. He began working at the age of 12 and joined the army in 1940. He trained at Fort Des Moines before serving overseas in World War II.
In 1948 he was sent to Korea. The division of Korea at the 38th parallel into a north under the control of the Soviet Union and south under the control of the United States of America was formalized in 1948 after the end of the second World War. The separation was meant to be temporary as the Japanese withdrew after occupying Korea for 35 years, but there was a failure to reach an agreement about a unified government and war broke out in 1950.
Havelock was taken prisoner that November and remained a POW for 33 months and 11 days.
Frank said his father rarely spoke about his time as a POW to his family, not even his wife Maxine. Conditions were harsh and many POWs died and were buried by their fellow prisoners. But Frank said he was able to open up[ tp other soldiers once he attended a reunion of Korean War veterans.
Pictured is the front cover of George Havelock’s notebook
Pictured are two of the pages of the notebook. George’s grandson Curtis Havelock recently published “Poems from a Prison Camp” which compiles the notebook’s writings as well as family photos, news articles, military records and more from George’s life.
Frank said that after his father moved into a care facility, the family found this notebook.
“We’ve had it for probably 25 years,” said Frank.
Written on the first page is:
George W. Havelock, 3. Co.
P.O.W. Nov. 1, 1950
The next 15 pages are a list of names and addresses of fellow POWs and the rest of the book is filled with poems and other writings, sometimes heartfelt and sometimes amusing.
Frank and his wife Janis recently visited Albia for the graduation of their grandson, Ashten Havelock. While in town sat down with the paper to share how George’s notebook came to be a published book and to give a copy of the book to the Monroe County Historical Society and Museum.
For the family it was a bit of a full circle moment. Ashten was born the day that George was buried and he was also on hand to hold his grandfather’s picture during the dedication of the POW Plaza at Welcome Home Soldier Monument. The POW flag’s bears the name of George Havelock in honor of his service.
Frank said his wife Janis began reading the notebook and told him it needed to be published.
Their son Kurt has published several short stories so they asked him to take a look at it and that is how the book came to be.
The book “Poems from a Prison camp” not only contains the writings from George’s notebook but pictures from his years of service as well as his time as a POW and after he came home. There are also news clippings recounting stories from the POW camp as well as George’s homecoming. His mother took her first plane ride ever to meet her son in San Fransisco after his release.
George continued his career in the army after returning home, eventually being discharged on July 31, 1961 from Fort Richardson in Alaska. He and his family returned to Iowa but later moved back to Alaska. He later went to work for the water department of the city of Anchorage and retired from there in 1981. He then moved back to Iowa and lived here until his death in 2006.
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