A former German SS prisoner of war spoke today about his plan to leave a six-figure fortune to a Scottish community where he was held captive during the second world war.
Heinrich Steinmeyer, 85, said he wanted to thank the village of Comrie in Perthshire for the kindness he was shown during his time in Cultybraggan camp. Reports claim the total donation may be as much as £400,000 but villagers said they had not had the amount confirmed.
Steinmeyer, a member of the SS 12th Panzer Division Hitler Youth, who was captured near Caen in August 1944, wants the money to be administered through a trust fund for elderly residents. Speaking from his home near Bremen in Germany, he said: "I always wanted to pay something back.
"The people were very kind to us German PoWs. They did not treat us as the enemy. I had so many happy experiences in Scotland." Speaking about the donation, he said: "I've always had it in my mind. I have no children and I live on my own. I came as a prisoner of war and I left as a friend."
Steinmeyer said he had had his house valued at around £110,000 and he had "some money".
He said he was selected for the camp in Perthshire as he was "Waffen SS". Steinmeyer lived in Scotland after he was released from the camp but left in 1956. "Next year I will fly to Comrie if I'm still alive," he said.
George Carson, who lives in Comrie and has known Steinmeyer for seven years, said he has agreed to scatter Steinmeyer's ashes in the hills around the camp after he dies.