WELCOME
This site has been created as a memorial to Torvald Thompson. My name is Alexandra Hainsworth, and he was my grandfather. He was a POW in WWII for over three years, and endured all the worst things human beings shouldn't have to endure. He sat with my mother, who is a court reporter, in 1995 to record an account of his memories. This was done for a project the Smithsonian was doing, and of course we all retained a copy. I remember these stories from growing up, and I suppose never really appreciated the level of sacrifice until recently. He would have been 23 at the time of his capture, and to stay steadfast and make it through such a horrible period of time says a lot about his character. My son's middle name is Thorvald in honour of my grandfather, and I hope that he will grow up to appreciate the sacrifices of all military service men and women, as I do.
I have researched items and stories surrounding the memoir, and have done my best to link each of these items in the memoir itself, but you can also just have a look through everything. My grandmother has a book with photos, newspaper clippings and other POW related items, along with his Bronze Star and dog tags. Many of these photos and clippings have been photographed and put onto the pages here.
Just a quick warning; in the memoir that my grandfather gave there are terms used which were current to the mental state and timeframe that this atrocity occurred in. I will not be changing these terms in the memoir itself, as it is a direct quote from Torvald Thompson. Throughout the rest of the site, however, the correct terms will be utilised.
