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February  2026

It’s been nearly a year since I started work on the model of Trent Park a former second World War prison camp, now being refurbished as a brand new museum Trent Park House of Secrets in Cockfosters, north London. I’ve got to know every detail of the building and have carried out exhaustive research. During this time I discovered that there was a short film held at the Imperial War Museum’s archives showing two German prisoners arriving by bus on 22^nd May 1943. I wanted to include this unfolding scene in my model, so I started on how I was going to make the bus. I soon discovered that it was a Leyland Tiger- in fact, for any bus enthusiasts, a TS6 manufactured around 1936, but that every one of these buses was slightly different, as Leyland only made the chassis and the design of the coaches was left to small companies. Having found some close matches to our bus, I drew detailed plans to work from, had my drawings transferred to brass sheet and then began to construct the model in wood.

The War office film showed the arrival of Generalleutnant Gotthard Frantz (wearing a helemet) and Generalmajor Carl Peter Köchy. Frantz was captured in Tunisia when the 19^th Flack Division surrendered on 6th May. Köchy had been airfield district commandant in Tunis until his capture captured on 10^th May. The prisoners are shown, met by Major Topham. The German generals talking with Colonel Richardson and All these figures will be positioned on my model as the project draws to a close.

The museum is due to open in the spring.

Copyright images reproduced by kind permission of the Imperial War Museum