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The traditional puppets made by Germans held after the Second World War at Wilton Park, near Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, formed part of a remarkable experiment '“ teaching about democracy and the right to freedom of speech.

With an atmosphere of an English residential university rather than a prison, the POWs were encouraged by the spirit of free expression, using satire and pointed humour to mock the German establishment.

Chris Tod, curator at Steyning Museum, said: "The idea set out in 1946 was to try to teach German prisoners of war the idea that it was possible to run a country with everyone's view listened to.

"The puppets were used to poke fun at how the prisoners saw both their own establishment and English figures.

"For them it was a revelation that they were able to do so without people coming down heavily on them."

Wilton Park became a beacon for democracy in Europe and prisoners included some of the most prominent German POWs in the UK.

Many went on to become leading figures in the rebuilding of post-war Germany.

Helmut Schmidt, a former German Chancellor and one of the POWs, later hailed Wilton Park's role for post-war Germany, saying: "Many ideas became a political reality."

Another German participant has been reported to have said of his time there in 1946: "I was a Nazi; I came to Wilton Park and it changed my life."

Wilton Park conferences moved to Wiston House, near Steyning, in 1951, where it still remains as a conference centre addressing global concerns.