Thomas Orton POW Italy Veteran

Discussion in 'Prisoners of War' started by Trevor Smallman, Apr 11, 2016.

  1. This article appeared in the local newspaper Express and Star about Tom Orton who is a sprightly 100 years of age and was in the South Wales Borderers
    He mentions a Ken Scott a fellow prisoner and wonder if anyone has any information on him as he came from Gloucester

    Trevor

    View attachment 148637
     
  2. This article appeared in the local newspaper Express and Star about Tom Orton who is a sprightly 100 years of age and was in the South Wales Borderers
    He mentions a Ken Scott a fellow prisoner and wonder if anyone has any information on him as he came from Gloucester

    Trevor

    Thomas Orton 3913097 South Wales Borderers.jpg
     
  3. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    Hello Trevor,

    I couldn't find the attachment - will you send it on to me to my email?

    I couldn't find Ken Scott as I didn't know what regiment he was in.

    I discovered from WO 392/21 that Tom was in PG 68 at Vetralla. I looked up Vetralla on campifascisti.it and here's a rough translation:


    PG 68 in the province of Viterbo opened on 1 July 1942 and remained open only until 10 January 1943. The first occupants to be registered, on 1 August 1942, were British soldiers who had been sent to construct the camp (3 non commissioned officers and 197 ordinary ranks). It was decided that it should be taken out of commission as a POW camp as it was 'required for other uses'.
    A document dated 20 December 1942 reported that the prisoners were to be redistributed as follows:
    850 ( including all the White South Africans present) to PG 52 Pian di Coreglia
    500 to PG 73 Carpi
    500 (including all N ew Zealanders and Australians) and the one Chinese) to PG 57 Grupignano
    500 to PG 70 Monte Urano
    500 (including the Cypriots) to PG 65 Gravina (Puglia)
    200 to contruct a new camp PG 10 at nearby Acquapendente.

    Where di Tom end up? I didn't find him in WO 392/1 as a POW in Germany,
    Regards,
    Vitellino
     
  4. Thomas Orton 3913097 South Wales Borderers.jpg

    Last camp listed on Escape and Evasion report was Plemo PG62/51
    Overwritten in ink on the report
     
  5. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    Can Tom remember anyone else who worked on the canal?
     
  6. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Hi Trevor,

    Thanks for the pm.

    As promised, here is the information contained on WO392/21 in regards to men named K. Scott:

    Driver 128662 K.S.T. Scott R.A.S.C. present in Camp 62 as of August 1943
    Pte. 3311632 K. Scott R.A.M.C. present in Camp 73 as of August 1943.

    Best wishes

    Steve
     
  7. Thanks Steve.
    The chap in question would have been in PG62 before moving to PG62/51 Plemo so K.S.T.Scott looks a good fit
    (How I miss our friend Brian Sims as he sent me Thomas Ortons E&E)

    What is surprising I had both the escape and evasion report and Swiss card of Thomas Orton since March last year and the article popped up in the local paper and I had been looking for him and he was twelve miles away from where I live.
    Toms report for some reason shows he was at Brescia PG51 however it is overwritten PG62/51 as it states ''Drainage Labour'' however it was for a Hydro Electric canal which he confirms and was taken to it when he visited the family who helped him many years ago.
    Again many thanks
    Trevor
     
  8. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Hi Trevor

    Email rec'd

    The only K S T Scott I can find born 1915 - 1925 is

    Name: Kenneth S T Scott
    Mother's Maiden Surname: Terry
    Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1917
    Registration district: Newbury
    Inferred County: Hampshire
    Volume Number: 2c
    Page Number: 434

    I assume we have no idea of his age, or whether he survived the war?? There are quite a number of K, & Kenneth Scott born between those dates so without more accurate info it will be difficult to tie him down

    TD
     
  9. Hi TD
    Any information on a Escape and Evasion report for Tom

    Thanks
    Trevor
     
  10. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

  11. Veronique

    Veronique Member

    Hello Trevor ,

    WOW , I was stunned to find this after all my research .. My late father was K S T Scott , Full names Kenneth Sydney Terry Scott , he was born in Newbury in Berkshire in 1917 I will attach the photo I have of my Late dad here there is a photo from the camp and these are the Gentlemen in the photo with my late Dad.

    Ken Scott ,Tom Orton , Les Belas and Jack Howard - Prison Camp 70 - Italy 1943 , My dad married a Swiss girl Edith Yvonne Ulrich and my half brother Terry Peter Kenneth Scott was born in October 1945 in Newbury.

    My Dad moved to South Africa in 1954 and died there in 1984 I was born in 1970 :) Any information you have on the camp or such would be most welcome.
     

    Attached Files:

    4jonboy, Owen and dbf like this.
  12. Veronique

    Veronique Member

    That's him , that's my Dad , was born on the 18th May 1917 in Newbury , Grandmother was Ethel Emma (Terry) Scott
     
  13. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    From a family tree on Ancestry:

    Kenneth Sydney Terry Scott

    Birth: 18 May 1917 - Berkshire, England
    Death: 21 May 1984 - Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
    F: Sydney Eustace Scott
    M: Ethel Emma Terry

    TD
     
  14. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Just found this as well on another family tree:


    [​IMG]

    entitled: Ken Scott, Tom Orton, Les Belas, Jack Howard , Camp 70 Italy 1943

    TD

    edited to add:
    just scrolled up this thread and noted this photo is already here - :whistle:
     
  15. Veronique

    Veronique Member

    Does anyone know how I can get in touch with Tom Orton or his family? I am still looking for information but if you need any info on the Scott family I have both an Ancestry account and a family search.org account and the family tree as far back as I am able to go is there. Still need to learn more about the genealogy research thing.
     
  16. Veronique

    Veronique Member

    My dad's discharge certificate from service
     

    Attached Files:

  17. Hi Sorry I did not pick it up earlier
    I printed out the updated dossier on the camp for Tom and sent it to him earlier in the week and and he has acknowledged receipt on a Christmas Card.
    Circulated also via e mail also to all the families of the descendants of the camp at Plemo PG62/51 which was from were they all escaped to the Swiss frontier including my father who was also in PG70 at one stage.
    Please send me a PM and I will contact Tom and tell him the good news.
    Tom is top right on the photograph above
    Have you obtained you fathers Escape and Evasion report?
    Trevor
     
  18. Veronique

    Veronique Member

    Hi Trevor,no I haven't unfortunately, I have been searching as and when I can, working nights plays havoc with getting things done I am afraid so it's slow going.
     
  19. Veronique,
    Bamboo has identified your father above looking at the discharge details you posted as being in Bergamo in August 1943
    (Driver 128662 K.S.T. Scott R.A.S.C. present in Camp 62 as of August 1943)
    My father was moved from Bergamo PG62 according to his E & E report to Plemo PG62/51 in early August 1943 so he could well have been in the same party.as Ken says they ran into the mountains together

    Wonder if anyone could give the W208 file number for him which would be a big help.

    One small item of human kindness that Tom told me about was that many times in the mornings when they marched to work some of the citizens of Plemo would leave a small gift in the way of single piece of food on the door steps maybe a Tomato an Egg
    etc which was always appreciated.
    Dad said the contadini ''They had little more than us but they still shared what they had''


    Trevor
     
  20. Veronique

    Veronique Member

    Hi Trevor,

    I have a few more photos that I can share with you all , one is a group of WWII Soldiers , I wouldn't even begin to know who they all are but there might be some who recognise one or two of the men , My dad worked for the British Legation in Bern(e) until returning to the UK , he also got my brothers mom work there as a Press Photographer ( she was an exceptional photographer) and a few other photos related to the war. My Grandad Sydney Eustace Scott was a soldier during the First war and also Home Guard during the WWII, I will need to find a day or two to get up to Kew to the Archives or alternately if anyone can point me in the right direction if someone who can provide the info for a fee I am happy to look into that too.
     

    Attached Files:

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