NORWICH – On Thursday at 7 p.m., the Chenango County Historical Society is pleased to present Norwich resident Dave Walker, recounting his experiences in Germany at the end of World War II. Walker was among the first allied troops to reach and liberate the concentration camp at Dauchau. His recollections offer an eyewitness account of history from the soldier’s point of view.

Walker was born in North Brookfield, moving to Norwich with his family in 1939. He was drafted into the Army in 1942, after high school, and ended up with the 42nd division, seeing action in France and Luxembourg. In 1945 his division was part of the final sweep through Germany that found and liberated the concentration camp at Dauchau. He remained as part of the occupation force in Europe until his discharge in 1946.

Following the war Walker returned to Norwich and “came home as fast as I could get here.” He attended Alfred on the G.I. bill, learned plumbing and heating and has lived and worked in the area since.