Held I 2 POW camps ?

Discussion in 'Prisoners of War' started by Janwalk, Aug 5, 2018.

  1. Janwalk

    Janwalk Member

    my Dad was in the Royal Northumberland fusiliers 7th battalion machine gunners attached to the 51 st Highlanders division.
    Captured at St Valery in June 1940.
    I know he was in Stalag 1xc but talking to my sister who's older than me she said my Dad told her he was kept in 2 POW camps during his time as a prisoner.
    On the back of one of his POW photos the one with just him and 1 other guy who's name I know to be William Gibb as its been written on the back by my Dad, it gives his POW no and I'm not sure if that's at stalag 1xc or another camp.
    I also found recently online pictures of him in groups with other POWs from the 7th battalion.
    Would it be that they were first held in a German POW camp and then matched to another one say in or near Poland ?
    I know he worked in a salt mine.
    Any info greatly received
     

    Attached Files:

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  2. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Hi,

    I don’t know whether you have been given this link on the other topics you’ve posted but your best bet to discover his full POW history would be to apply to Red Cross in September via this link -

    Requests for information about people held during Spanish Civil War or the Second World War: Quarterly limit reached

    You’ll need to be quick off the mark as the window usually closes after 72 hours when capacity is reached. An online application form will pop up on the day the enquiry window opens. It’s a free service but it takes 3 to 4 months to get a reply.

    I gather from your other posts that he was captured in France 1940 so he would likely be marched into Germany then loaded onto a train and transported east. Later in the war the Germans developed transit camps, to initially detain POW’s, before their transportation to a working camp elsewhere. Prisoners could be moved around between camps. Bear in mid that “camps” were made up of many working “sub camps”.

    Steve
     
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  3. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    The best/quickest way to confirm which (POW/work) camps your father was in would be to conduct a search in WO 344 - to see if he ever completed a Prisoner of War Questionnaire. (Not every POW did complete a form)
    Some examples can be seen on this link:
    Irish Guards, POW Liberation Reports | WW2Talk


    Also the ICRC should have records.
    Requests for information about people held during Spanish Civil War or the Second World War: Quarterly limit reached
    Applications can take months to process, moreover their webpage currently states: "The maximum number of requests that our staff can deal with has been reached. Service will resume on 17 September 2018."


    (The published POW lists accessible on some websites are 'static', in that they give information collated at a given time. So, that's why some people assume that POWs were only in one camp, when in many cases POWs could be moved around a lot.)
     
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  4. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    Hi and welcome to the Forum,

    yes, this was pretty common, especially later in the war with e.g. the Russian troops pushing for Berlin, the Germans moved their prisoners further in western direction.
    The one group pic. looks like an OFLAG (officers camp incl. orderlies. Did your dad ever mention to having been "attached" to an officer?

    Stefan.
     
  5. Janwalk

    Janwalk Member

    Thanks yes but as you say unfortunately they've reached their quota for now so I will have to wait
     
  6. Janwalk

    Janwalk Member

    No he Didn't Stefan but then he didn't mention much at all save for a few (nice ) things which happened during his capture.
    He mentioned a German guard used to bring in extra sandwiches for him as they got chatting about football.
    And a few other takes but nothing much and never anything bad
     
  7. Janwalk

    Janwalk Member

    Thanks for the info much appreciated
     
  8. Janwalk

    Janwalk Member

    I really struggle with the searching in the National Archives !
    Not sure if I'm doing something wrong ?
    But I can never find anything and get very confused what tag words to use and where to look
     
  9. Janwalk

    Janwalk Member

    Stefan my Dad was repatriated in late 1943 due to a perforated ulcer and bladder problems hence the hospital photo.
    But really not sure re OFLAG
     
  10. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Hi,

    You’ll only have to wait 6 weeks!

    Steve
     
  11. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    OK,
    the text for pic includes a typo. The ospital wasin Stadtroda and I believe was part of STALAG 9C in Thuringia.

    So, your dad may have been moved from a camp in Poland to this one freed by the US forces.

    Stefan.
     
  12. Janwalk

    Janwalk Member

    Ah so he could have been working in a salt mine while in a POW camp in Poland and kthen moved to the German POW camp stalag 9c or 1xc as it's also known when he fell ill to the hospital there ?
    He also says he met Rommel which makes sense as he was commanding officer when my Dad was captured and General Fortune was ours.
    And that he met in his words 'that bas***d Hitler' too.
     

    Attached Files:

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  13. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    Hello,

    I've just read this thread in a bit of a hurry but don't seem to be able to find your father's name, though you have given his regiment.

    With his name and service number - and that of William Gibbs - I can look him up in WO 392/ 1 (POWs in Germany)

    Vitellino
     
  14. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

  15. Janwalk

    Janwalk Member


    Hi, I've become slightly obsessed with this I must admit !
    His army no is 4271559
    I onoy know William Gibbs German POW no not his army no I afraid as all I had was that pic of the two of them and the writing on the back.
     
  16. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    Now, if he was with Major-General Furtune, he could have been in OFLAG VB as well (the scene of the Great Escape of Biberach.

    The officers in OFLAG VB, following their capture, were in an underground camp in posnan /Poland today. And later were moved to Biberach and then following the escape, in October 1941 were moved to Warburg (except those with a home run in September 1941. See also my BLOG.

    Stefan.
     
  17. Janwalk

    Janwalk Member

    I've just listened to the tapes of Jimmy charters who came from Ashington a few streets away from my Dad.
    He was in the 7th battalion machine gunners.
    He describes how they were marched to Poland then taken by barges to Belgium and then by railway to stalag XXA where they were kept for 3 months then moved on to work camps at stalag 1xc (9c) and he and other miners like my Dad worked in and on the surface at the salt mines
     
  18. Stuart Avery

    Stuart Avery In my wagon & not a muleteer.

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  19. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Don’t think that route to Stalag XXA ties in with the geography.....

    Your best bet is just to be patient and wait 6 weeks and apply to Red Cross. You’ll likely have the definitive answer by Xmas. Everything else will be speculation.....unless he completed a POW liberation questionnaire.

    Steve
     
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  20. Janwalk

    Janwalk Member

    I've managed to speak to someone who knows one of the soldiers in the pic.
    They aren't officers they are all just RNF and its at Stalag XXA same as Jimmy charter.
    This person knows Jimmy and is going to ask next time he speaks if he knew my Dad
     

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