Stalag XXA

If you are interested in the Calais debacle you could do a lot worse than going here:

Facing Fearful Odds - My father's story of captivity, escape & resistance 1940-45

Ron

 

hi I have been trying to shed some light on my grand fathers service in ww2 I have learned he was a prisoner of war at stalag 20a, thorn podgorz was wondering if any one on here has a grandfather or dad who is still alive today who was in prisoned at that POW camp and may of knew my grand father

his name was Daniel Archibald he was in the north Hampshire regiment and rank private he could speak polish and German

his POW no. 12095

service number 5886003

if any body can shed some light on this it would be great or maybe point me in the right direction of where I need to go to retrieve his military record.

Thank you

 

Hello i notice that your Father in law was in the same unit as my Grandfather the 1st searchlight unit RA. He to was captured in France in may 1940. I have a copy of the 1st searchlight units war diary for this time if you are interested?

I was wondering if you would have pictures of the unit around this time or in captivity as my relative was taken to stalag xxa as well.

kind regards
Alex

 

Hi Steve
I've just stumbled across this website and am very interested in your comment about the CPO pictured in Stalag-1. My great uncle was a Petty Officer on HMS Seal and was a POW in Stalag 20a. He took part in a mass break out and with a soldier managed to make contact with the Polish underground. They made it to the Soviet border, but the Soviet border guards failed to understand them, robbed and stripped them and told them to run for it. Shots rang out and no more was heard of Barnes, although the soldier made it home. This was in August/September 1940. His story is recorded in a book which I think is called Will Not We Fear: The Story of His Majesty's Submarine "Seal" and of Lieutenant-Commander Rupert Lonsdale.
If you or anyone reading this have any information about my great uncle, Petty Officer Maurice Barnes and his time in Stalag 20a and his escape in particular, I'd love to hear from you.
Thanks
Debbie

 

Debbie

From a good book:
The Iron Cage

TD

 

UK, British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records, 1730-1960
Name: Maurice Charles Barnes
Event: Death
Birth Date: 22 Apr 1916
Birth Place: Swaffham, Norfolk
Death Date: 9 Sep 1940
Death Age: 24


There is a probate record if required

TD

 

Hi Debbie.

Do you happen to know which fort at Stalag XXA your great uncle, Petty Officer Maurice Barnes was held in, as Stalag XXA at Thorn, Poland ( Thorn was the German name, now it is known as Torun. ) was made up of a collective of forts that had been built in the late 19th century as a strategic defence against the threat from the Russian Empire, around the town of Torun. The forts used to hold the POW's were mainly sited on the west bank of the River Vistula.

I realise this information in itself is not necessarily relevant to your question, but may be of a general interest to you. If you have not seen it, there is the site called, ' wartime guides' that deals specifically with Stalag XXA. They may able to give you some information around your search. They also have a list of escapes and escapees from Stalag XXA. They may be interested in adding your great uncle's escape to their list. Hope this is of interest.

 

Thanks for your quick reply. The Iron Cage is a new source and gives interesting, extra information.

 

Thanks. It's great to get any leads as all I have at the moment are the records available on Ancestry, the camp number and some of the story surrounding his death. He wasn't in Stalag 20a for long (May-Aug/Sept 1940). As well as getting more of an understanding about his life there, we (my mum in particular as Maurice was her favourite uncle) hope upon hope to find where he was buried.

 

Hi Debbie.
The site www.allstalags.com may also be useful in your search for information around Stalag XXA.

 

Debbie

There is another link here - Stalag XXA (312) Torun Podgorz (Thorn), Poland in the Second World War 1939-1945 - The Wartime Memories Project -, it also has a comment by a John Ling re your relative - PO. Maurice Barnes Royal Navy HMS Seal The Wartime Memories Project - unless you already know him

TD

added
Obviously if you google the Stalag then there are quite a few sites which may help you understand the situation within the camp when your relative was there

 

Hi Debbie,

Apologies for the late reply. I am afraid I have no information about PO Maurice Barnes. I just know that dad became very friendly with the Petty Officers from HMS Seal as he mentions them in his letters to Mum. He probably knew your Great Uncle well. I have attached an article about Petty officers from HMS Shark and Seal who were originally in XXA but were sent to Colditz as serial escapees. They eventually got to Switzerland. Engine Room artificer Johnson from HMS Seal is photographed in the article and is in the picture with dad who is the Sergeant smoking the pipe.

Debbie, I am having trouble uploading photos, I am not sure why, will try and do it later.

Steve

 

For my late grandfather Harold Astbury.

https://www.facebook.com/harold.astbury.3139

 

my wifes dad was in the camp and had a photo taken with Sam Kydd who he was apparently friendy with . we found a pic on Stalag site and he is in it , looked like a picture taken at the time of their Christmas show.my wifes dad is 3rd up with his arm round the guy in front of him and the first guy on left is Sam Kydd

 

I can only see 3 pages from the report

 

Photo 1 my dad James waining 1/5th battalion Sherwood foresters middle front row

 

Hello Fred, my grandad was in the sherwood foresters - 8th batt. As far as I can tell he was in stalag 20a. He wouldn’t talk about it much when he was alive but said they tortured him, put red hot needles under his fingernails.