The location has changed through the
years, but Harry's principle,
“You treat people right, and you
treat your employees like family,”
has remained intact for two generations.
landed about 300 yards from
it.” All five men were able to
parachute out before the plane
hit the ground where they were
immediately apprehended by
the Germans.
Harry spent the remainder
of the war at Stalag Luft I, which
was near Barth, Germany, on
the Baltic Sea. The prisoner-ofwar
camp was specifically for
captured Allied airmen. Even
though there was little food
in the camp, they shared what
they had equally. By that time,
Harry’s brother Joe, who had
served as a medic on the front
lines in Northwestern France
near Germany, was in a noncommissioned
officers (NCO)
prisoner-of-war camp.
After sixteen months,
Harry’s P.O.W. camp was
liberated by the Russian army.
Even though the Red Army
removed the barbed wires
around the camp, it took two
weeks before they felt it was
safe enough to attempt to leave.
Following Germany’s surrender,
Harry told his son, “you were
more likely to be killed by a
civilian that had suffered from
the bombings than a German
soldier.” The highest-ranking
officer in the camp, a general,
took charge and led their
departure. By then, Allied forces
were beginning to get some
planes in to rescue them,” said
Rusty. “As soon as Daddy got
to a B17, he flew out a group of
men to Camp Lucky Strike in La
Harve, France. Prisoners-of-war
were moved to the front of the
lines to return home. He arrived
at Fort McPherson in Atlanta
in June 1945 and was allowed a
short visit with his family. But
he was still in the service and
had to go back and finish out his
time.”
According to Rusty, there
were three P.O.W.’s from Toombs
County that served in WWII:
Harry, his brother Joe, and
William (Bill) Warthen. “When
my daddy and Uncle Joe got
out of the army, they came
home and took some time off,”
said Rusty. “In June 1946, they
bought the Sinclair gas station
from Bragg Thompson. The
station was located where the
48 TOOMBS COUNTY MAGAZINE
Georgia Tire Company started as
Moses Brothers Tire Company in
1946 at the Sinclair gas station in
Vidalia. Later, it was moved to the
corner of 1st and Green Streets
(across from the downtown Taco
Bell). Eventually, it was relocated to
the area behind Wendy's.