As 70th Anniversary Of D-Day Approaches, Camp Shanks Museum In Rockland Mounts Special Exhibit
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - An intricate, hand-carved chess set is on display at Camp Shanks Museum in Rockland County.
The rare WWII artifact is part of the museum's way of marking the 70th anniversary of D-Day this Friday.
"[The pieces were] cobbled together out of scraps of wood they found around the base," said Jerry Donnellan of Veterans Services in Rockland County. "Colored with shoe polish."
Camp Shanks served as a staging ground for American troops and enemy prisoners during WWII.
POW Hand-Carved Chess Set Part Of D-Day Anniversary At Camp Shanks
The chess pieces were made by German POWs and left for an administrator at Camp Shanks, Donnellan told WCBS 880's Peter Haskell.
"I think he had treated them fairly, or treated them well, and they appreciated that," he said.
Rockland County Executive Ed Day told Haskell the set was recently donated to the museum.
"This piece is just a very unique addition to the museum," Day added.
You may also be interested in these stories:
