Hello. I 've just joined WW2 Talk and am looking for information about the POW experience of my father John Maxwell Haslam of the Australian 2/6th battalion (Service Number VX4416, Rank Corporal, POW number 4398 in Stalag 18 B and D) captured in Greece at the Corinth Canal in April - May 1941. He never returned to Australia and died in 1966. He did not talk much about his wartime experience but I have recently been told that letters from Germany arrived at his Australian parents' home for several years in the late 40s, which have been lost. I and my sister are curious to find the farm we know he worked on in an Arbeitskommando from Stalag 18 - for he learnt fluent German and went onto join the British Control Commission in Hamburg after the war . We are trying to find the records of the Arbeitskommandos in Austria and not having much luck so far . The National Archives will shortly be sending a copy of his German POW card I hope - but I'm wondering if anyone else any tips which can help us shed light on this part of his life? Thanks. Nick Haslam
For Information UK, British Prisoners of War, 1939-1945 Name: J M Haslam Rank: Cpl. Army Number: VX4416 Regiment: 2/6 I. Bn. POW Number: 4398 Camp Type: Stalag Camp Number: 18A Camp Location: Wolfsberg (Karnten) Section: Australian Imperial Force: Officers and Other Ranks From WO 392/4 TD
Relevant original document for him here; Surname: HASLAM. Given Name(s) or Initials: J M. Military Service Number or Last Known Location: VX4416. Missing, Wounded and Prisoner of War Enquiry Card Index Number: 2056. https://gallery.its.unimelb.edu.au/imu/imu.php?request=multimedia&irn=38938 Kyle
The images below are from WO 224 - 205 and show the camps in the Military Region 18, the numbers will give you some idea of the situation TD https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/Sea...eports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=6223830&isAv=N HASLAM JOHN MAXWELL : Service Number - VX4416 : Date of birth - 04 Dec 1915 : Place of birth - MELBOURNE VIC : Place of enlistment - BRIGHTON VIC : Next of Kin - HASLAM LESLIE
Thanks again for that - I had already found it last week - can't remember where! I'm sure though that the records of the Arbeitskommandos must exist somewhere - I did enquire about getting a German researcher to do the ground work from Berlin - but was surprised at the cost of two days research starting in the Austrian State archive - a mere 1,280 euros. Think I'd prefer to spend the money on a week in Vienna myself!
Thanks again for this. I'm away from home at the moment in Brussels and using a laptop - and can't for some reason enlarge the images. I've tried the link attached but am told the session has expired. Can you let me know where you found the info? Thanks.
Newspaper casualty listing for him here;- CASUALTY LISTS FOR FOUR STATES. - A.I.F. LOSSES ABROAD. Five Deaths, 429 Missing. - The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) - 14 Jun 1941 RED CROSS PRISONERS - The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) - 3 Sep 1941 Pow memorial listing here;- World War 2 (H - I) | Prisoner of War Memorial Ballarat Pow camp reports/prisoner welfare under FO 916 (National Archives) Browse records of other archives | The National Archives Kyle
If the session has expired then enter as a guest. I use the name search https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/NameSearch.aspx in the third box select World War 2, if you wish add the service number under that then select search. His details will come up as in my post and there is an option to request a copy of his records. If his records had already been copied then you would see an icon of a file which you could open, but in this instance no one previuosly has requested the file or rather paid for the file to be digitised Each session has a time limit, so be aware TD
Great stuff - I've ordered a copy - not sure what of what but it's a step in the right direction. And I'll watch out for the cakes and coffee if I get to Vienna - I lived in Budapest in the early 90s and frequently went up there - a great city.
I've just downloaded the your images of the WO files as Jpegs and been able to read them. See what you mean about numbers. But at least there are precise locations if we ever get to Karntern. Where did you get these files from? Did you go into the NA at Kew? Thanks again. Nick
Some of the members offer a service to copy files from TNA (The National Archives) at Kew, and those pages are from WO 224 1941-1947 War Office: International Red Cross and Protecting Powers (Geneva): Reports concerning Prisoner of War Camps in Europe and the Far East This series comprises a collection of reports by the International Red Cross and Protecting Powers (Geneva) and deals with conditions and events in various Prisoner of War Camps in Europe and the Far East. They are in fact WO 224/205 Reference: WO 224/205 Description: Part V Date: 1945 Jan. - 1945 Apr. Held by: The National Archives, Kew Legal status: Public Record(s) Closure status: Open Document, Open Description TD