6018825 Private Cyril Maurice SWIFT, MiD, 7 Queens Own Royal West Kent Regt: 02/07/1944, POW

Discussion in 'War Grave Photographs' started by CL1, Jun 15, 2018.

  1. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Remembered Charlton cemetery,London.

    Headstone states killed whilst prisoner of war August 1944.
    If anyone can add more it would be appreciated.
    Reading the rest of the headstone a very tragic story.

    Private SWIFT, CYRIL MAURICE
    Service Number 6018825

    Died 02/07/1944

    Aged 25

    7th Bn.
    Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment

    Mentioned in Despatches

    Son of Henry George and Rose Swift, of Charlton, London.
    Commemorated at DUNKIRK MEMORIAL

    Location: Nord, France
    Number of casualties: 4513

    Cemetery/memorial reference: Column 114.

    upload_2018-6-15_17-0-29.png
     
  2. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945
    Name: Cyril Swift
    Given Initials: C M
    Rank: Private
    Death Date: 2 Jul 1944
    Number: 6018825
    Birth Place: Buckinghamshire
    Residence: London SE
    Branch at Enlistment: Infantry
    Theatre of War: France and Belgium Campaign, 1939/40
    Regiment at Death: Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment
    Branch at Death: Infantry

    Global, Find A Grave Index for Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current
    Name: Private Cyril Maurice Swift
    Death Date: 2 Jul 1944
    Cemetery: Dunkirk Memorial
    Burial or Cremation Place: Dunkirk (Dunquerque), Departement du Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France
    Has Bio?: Y
    URL: https://www.findagrave.com/mem...

    England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007
    Name: Cyril M Swift
    Registration Date: 1919
    Registration district: Wycombe
    Inferred County: Buckinghamshire
    Re-registration Year: 1919
    Mother's Maiden Name: Faulkner
    Volume Number: 3a
    Page Number: 1408

    Cyril Maurice Swift
    1919–1944
    BIRTH SEP 1919 • Wycombe, Oxfordshire
    DEATH 2 JULY 1944 • Poland


    Question - If he died as a POW in Poland why would he be remembered on the memorial at Dunkirk


    BBC - WW2 People's War - My Uncle Cyril
    Uncle Cyril seems to have been desperate to escape and had crossed this chap a few times in his attempts. According to our files he had escaped on one occasion and was hiding out in some woods when this Home Guard officer found him. He was shot......there is a story in the file about the Home Guard man saying he 'understood that British men didn't squeal' before shooting him in the head. Uncle Cyril's body was later found but not where he had been shot.How do we know all this? Uncle Cyril seems to have befriended some local villagers who were feeding him whilst he was in hiding. One young woman witnessed his death and told her story to British soldiers later.

    TD
     
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  3. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    TD,

    IIRC all 1940/45 POW Casualties (Long March etc) who fought in BEF and don’t have a known grave are on Dunkirk Memorial - I think Anthony Coulthard is an example of that.

    Steve
     
  4. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    My assumption would be that even though his death may not have been 'legal' he would presumably have been buried somewhere in Poland, so his grave would be known [perhaps laid to rest with other POW's who had died from various causes]and presumably marked - perhaps that needs further exploration but not sure how.................

    TD
     
  5. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    thank you for all the info
    yes agree he was possibly buried elsewhere but grave lost

    chap says he has a photo of his grave but possibly Dunkirk memorial plaque?
    posting is 14 years ago
     
  6. harkness

    harkness Well-Known Member

    Swift_m01.jpg

    POWs
    Swift_m02.jpg

    Swift_m03.jpg

    POW
    Swift_POW_ger.jpg

    POW Poland - "shot whilst attempting escape"
    Swift_POW_pol.jpg
     
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  7. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    thank you all for the information greatly appreciated.
    Assumed he should have been buried with a grave marker but again assume grave lost hence inclusion on the Dunkirk memorial

    regards
    Clive
     
  8. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    The last document includes a CSM J Fulton

    UK, British Prisoners of War, 1939-1945
    Name: J W S Fulton
    Rank: Company Serjeant Major
    Army Number: 1663900
    Regiment: Seaforth Highlanders
    POW Number: 14830
    Camp Type: Stalag
    Camp Number: XX-B
    Camp Location: Malbork, Poland
    Record Office: Infantry Record Office, Perth
    Record Office Number: 16

    Wonder if there is any further documents written/sent from him or in the files at a museum etc??

    TD
     
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  9. harkness

    harkness Well-Known Member

    More on Swift:

    Swift_POW_pol_02.jpg
     
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  10. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    ah ha is that in relation to his MID?
     
  11. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    We have seen many funerals for POW's who died in/around the camp, I would have thought in a case such as this something would be recorded properly, somewhere - would the FO have rec'd something, Red Cross records, family - I note there is ref to a letter from N G Swift 17 McColl Crescent ..................................................

    TD
     
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  12. Philip Ryan

    Philip Ryan New Member

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