HE arrived as a prisoner of war during the dark days of World War II, but left as a friend after winning a place in his captors'' hearts.
Now a rural community is to share in a windfall of almost £400,000 thanks to the gratitude of the Nazi soldier who sheltered in their midst.
Former Waffen SS officer Heinrich Steinmeyer left his entire savings of £386,000 to the older people of Comrie, Perthshire, Scotland in recognition of the kindness he was shown by locals during his time at the nearby Cultybraggan POW camp.
Mr Steinmeyer was captured when he was 19-years-old during a the fight for a bridge in Caen, northern France, following the D-Day landings.
Cultybraggan
The former stormtrooper, who always insisted he was never interested in Hitler’s politics and had not been aware of the concentration camps, became known as “Uncle Heinz” after he was befriended by locals, and was once famously smuggled out of the prison camp dressed as a schoolboy for a night at the cinema.
He stayed on to work in the village after the war and never forgot his time there - returning for visits and making lasting friendships.
READ MORE: How a secret POW escape led Nazi Heinz to leave £400k to the village of Comrie
Mr Steinmeyer resolved to donate his life savings to the village in his will, saying:“I would like to express my gratitude to the people of Scotland for the kindness and generosity that I have experienced in Scotland during my imprisonment of war and hereafter.”
The former POW died in 2013, aged 90, but his estate has only now been settled following a lengthy legal process in Germany.
More than 500 villagers took part in a poll to decide which community projects would benefit from his will.
The money will go towards ten projects, including a sensory garden and sheltered meeting spaces in the village square, making the village hall more disabled-friendly, a new community bus and first response vehicle.
The Heinrich Steinmeyer Legacy Fund, a committee set up to distribute the cash, has revealed how it is helping local groups and organisations.
More than 500 residents voted how the money should be spent.
The group said £80,000 will go towards a £200,000 project to redevelop St Kessog’s Square. Comrie Parish Church wants to make it into a welcoming space at the heart of the village, with a sensory garden and sheltered meeting spaces.
Church minister Graham McWilliams said: “We were greatly heartened when the villagers responded so positively to a suggestion that the Steinmeyer Legacy should be used to support the development of the square.” on
A further £56,395 will go towards upgrading Comrie SWI Rural Hall. Part of a £230,000 project, Steinmeyer’s money will be used to make the building more accessible with a ramp, wider doorways, audio loop system and improved toilets and other facilities.
READ MORE: Former Nazi PoW camp to be holiday homes
A grant of £50,000 will go towards a replacement vehicle for Comrie Community Bus, a project which was supported by 60% of voters.
Comrie First Response will use its £20,000 award to help buy new vehicles and equipment. Team leader Alan Moffat said the service is in need of a “robust and reliable” 4x4 car.
With nine grants agreed in total, the committee is working on a 10th project aimed at providing better advice and information for the town’s older community.
Voters also wanted some of the money to be saved. A follow-up meeting of the legacy committee will be held before the end of the year.
A spokesman said: “Comrie is now benefiting from the thanks of POW Henrich Steinmeyer for the way he was treated here.”
Cultybraggan Camp, known as Camp 21 during the war, housed up to 4,000 prisoners including many zealous Nazis, such as members of the notorious Waffen SS, as well as trouble-makers from other POW lock-ups around Britain.
Mr. Steinmeyer was born in 1924 and grew up in Silesia (now part of Poland), with only basic education.
He came from a "very poor" family and worked as an apprentice butcher on a pitiful wage before joining the SS aged 17 and fighting on the Western Front.
READ MORE: Cartoons about Nazi PoWs discovered
After being captured, he was held at Cultybraggan from September 1944 to June 1945.
From there he was sent to Watten, Caithness, another maximum security Nazi camp, moving to another facility in Ladybank, Fife, at the end of the war.
He stayed in Scotland after he was released from detention in 1948 and settled in Stranraer where he found work on farms in the area.
He eventually returned to Germany in 1970, found work at the docks in Bremen, and settled in Delmenhorst.
In a 2010 interview, Mr Steinmeyer was asked why he wanted to support the people of Comrie. He said: “The Scots saved my life three times. The Scottish people showed me mercy.”
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