Stalag Luft VII

Discussion in 'Prisoners of War' started by pauldawn, Jul 17, 2011.

  1. pauldawn

    pauldawn Senior Member

    hi

    im looking for anybody that was POW here im researching two rcaf crewmen that were here from the summer of 44 untill the forced marches, their names are sgt Brown and Sgt Finnie both of 427 sqn.

    paul
     
  2. melhughes74

    melhughes74 Junior Member

    Hi Paul,
    I'm researching Bankau also - my dad Kenneth Hughes was there.
    checkout the drawing I have put together which shows as as I can determine the exact layout of the camp. You can get this drawing from viewing my profile.
    What is your reason for interest in these two airmen please?
    mel
     
  3. pauldawn

    pauldawn Senior Member

    hi mel

    they were crew members with my wifes uncle on a 427 sqn halifax. they were shot down over france in 44, my wifes uncle lost his life that night, along with the pilot.

    Finnie is the only surviving crew member (i think) hes alive and well in canada, weve spoken several times. id love to hear others stories from their time as pow at stalag luft v11 - you never know, may be able to put old comrades back in touch too.

    when was your dad there mel? Finnie was there from july 44 untill the forced marches

    cheers

    paul
     
  4. melhughes74

    melhughes74 Junior Member

    hi paul,
    my dad died 2007 and i suspect there arn't too many of these heroes around any more but it's worth a trawl to find out what actually happenend.
    my dad arrived thursday 13th july 44 at 02:00. another guy and i have been working on this for some months now and the diagram is the first real product of this work. also we aiming to produce a schedule of who arrived and on what date. it may take sme time but it will happen. not sure if you know, they arrived mostly in batches from Dulag Luft Frankfurt (holding / interrogation camp for aircrew).
    does Finnie have any detail at all about any of the bankau and march?
    regarding the march my dad didn't too well curtesy of the bad weather - frostbite like so many which later turned into gangrene and his left big toe was lopped off by a belgian doctor whith no anesthetic! still he got home which is what Finnie and other did too thankfully for us.
    i am also researching what happened when he was shot down during the 24/25th june mass bombing raids to get the V1's.
    sorry about the late reply - i have been on holiday.
    cheers
    mel
     
  5. pauldawn

    pauldawn Senior Member

    hi mel

    cheers for this.

    Finnie has spoke about the march but not in any great detail though. he tells us how they had to beg borrow and steel transport. they made contact with the russians who werent overly intrested in the POW's, they eventually made contact with the Americans who provided transport for them. next time i speak to him ill try and prize more detail out of him. i have got some places that they passed through written down somewhere, ill dig it out and let you have it.

    it sounds like your dad arrived there at around the same time. finnie was shot down on the 5th july 44 (0130), theyd been bombing the rail yards at villeneuve st george, southern paris. they were taken to luft V11 pretty sharpish. theyd been hiding in a farmers barn, that same farmer handed them over to the germans.

    its a long shot but finnie may have known your dad, ill ask him next time we speak.
     
  6. -tmm-

    -tmm- Senior Member

    Paul, my great Uncle Kenneth Abbs was at Bankau. He was also in 427 Squadron during his first tour. He was in 405 Squadron (Pathfinders) when he was shot down though (August 44).

    I'll try to speak to him soon and see if either of your names mean anything to him.


    Mel, apologies for not responding to your last email. I have been fairly busy of late. I'm away this weekend, bit I'll be in touch next week.
     
  7. pauldawn

    pauldawn Senior Member

    Thanks Tmm, i look forward to hearing.
     
  8. melhughes74

    melhughes74 Junior Member

    Paul, my great Uncle Kenneth Abbs was at Bankau. He was also in 427 Squadron during his first tour. He was in 405 Squadron (Pathfinders) when he was shot down though (August 44).

    I'll try to speak to him soon and see if either of your names mean anything to him.


    Mel, apologies for not responding to your last email. I have been fairly busy of late. I'm away this weekend, bit I'll be in touch next week.
    Hey Paul,
    Don't know if you have this info, but in the book Footprints on the Sands of Time, the following is listed:
    Finnie JE Sgt Can sqd 427 A/c LW166 Type Hal Date 4/7/44 Target Villeneuve St Georges Camp L7 POW 357 Commisioned P/O
    Just a thought Paul ....
    My Dad was shot down 25/6/44 and got to L7 13/7/44 POW 306 and his friend who arrived same day was POW 322 so I would guess Finnie arrived in the next batch or so.
    Mel
     
  9. B.Leyland

    B.Leyland B.Leyland

    Hi Paul, just logged on to this site and discovered your post. Some ten years ago I was researching the demise of my uncle and his crew on 25/7/1944. I knew that the rear gunner (the only survivor) had been in a PoW camp and discovered it was Bankau. I delved into the Bomber Command books and found many accounts/diaries etc. I wrote them up for my own records, including the horrific forced march. I will do my best to pass this on to you.(old format etc, not sure if my old records can still be passed on.) My Flickr account has two diagrams though. More to follow . . .
    Bill.
     
  10. melhughes74

    melhughes74 Junior Member

    Bill,
    Hello Bill, Would you be so kind and share this information with me also? My Dad was at Bankau and any information would help to complete the picture.
    any help you need whatsoever please just say. If you need postage costs covered again just say.
    Cheers
    Mel
     
  11. melhughes74

    melhughes74 Junior Member

    Bill and Paul,
    Forgot to mention - have a look at the layout diagram of Bankau on my profile. Let me know if can't get it, let me have your email and I'll pass it over.
    Cheers
    Mel
     
  12. pauldawn

    pauldawn Senior Member

    Hey Paul,
    Don't know if you have this info, but in the book Footprints on the Sands of Time, the following is listed:
    Finnie JE Sgt Can sqd 427 A/c LW166 Type Hal Date 4/7/44 Target Villeneuve St Georges Camp L7 POW 357 Commisioned P/O
    Just a thought Paul ....
    My Dad was shot down 25/6/44 and got to L7 13/7/44 POW 306 and his friend who arrived same day was POW 322 so I would guess Finnie arrived in the next batch or so.
    Mel

    hi mel.
    theres alot of info online re lw166, most of it put there by me lol . Finnie was deffinately not promoted to P/O though.

    im sure youre right regards finnie and browns arrival time, James has told me it was the end of July that they got there.
     
  13. pauldawn

    pauldawn Senior Member

    Hi Paul, just logged on to this site and discovered your post. Some ten years ago I was researching the demise of my uncle and his crew on 25/7/1944. I knew that the rear gunner (the only survivor) had been in a PoW camp and discovered it was Bankau. I delved into the Bomber Command books and found many accounts/diaries etc. I wrote them up for my own records, including the horrific forced march. I will do my best to pass this on to you.(old format etc, not sure if my old records can still be passed on.) My Flickr account has two diagrams though. More to follow . . .
    Bill.


    id love to see these Bill. Thanks
     
  14. Patricel

    Patricel Junior Member

    Hello evreybody Hi Paul
    I write from France I live near the place where this palne had crashed and i'm lookin, too ,for informations. But english is sometimes hard to understand for me ;)
    Could you help me ?
    Patrice
     
  15. pauldawn

    pauldawn Senior Member

    hi patrice

    its a small world. fancy seeing you here. ;-)

    paul and carolyn
     

  16. Hi Paul:

    My father-in-law Robert Toomey was at that camp and he kept a record of fellow prisoners. His diary lists a "Jim Finnie" who lived on Strathcona Avenue in Ottawa, Ontario.

    Here is the link to a website that I created in his honour tha contains POW photos, details and signatures of Toomey's fellow prisoners, as well as his diary pages describing the march of January 1945.

    Wartime Diary of Robert E. Toomey - A Record of Friends in Camp

    Claude Lafleur
     
  17. There is a book by Oliver Clutton-Brock titled
    The Long Road: Trials and Tribulations of Airmen Prisoners from Bankau to Berlin, June 1944- May 1945.

    This book lists all of the POWs at Stalag Luft VII and when each arrived, as well as stories about specific prisoners and an account of the march.

    Your Dad will be listed in that book.
     
  18. Hi Mel:

    The Long Road: Trials and Tribulations of Airmen Prisoners from Bankau to Berlin, June 1944- May 1945.

    This book lists all of the POWs at Stalag Luft VII and when each arrived, as well as stories about specific prisoners and an account of the march.

    Your Dad will be listed in that book.
     
  19. List of POWS from Stalag Luft VII

    My father-in-law Robert Toomey was at Stalag Luft VII and he kept a diary that listed over 85 fellow prisoners, along with addresses, details of their capture, their squadron and duty, signatures and photos, as well as his diary pages describing the march of January 1945.

    Sgt. Robert Toomey was the sole survivor when his Lancaster coded KB751 was shot down off the coast of Denmark on August 17th 1944.

    Here is the link to a website that I created in his honour.

    Wartime Diary of Robert E. Toomey

    Claude Lafleur
     
    ecalpald and canuck like this.

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