This is a segment from a ‘home-made’ Union Flag that flew unmolested for 12 hours in Germany during the war: It was fabricated from dyed (New Zealand) parcel wrapping material. It was hoisted at midnight on 31 December 1943 above the roof of one of the three ‘escapee’ huts in Stalag 383 - No 201. The ceremony was the climax to a party to welcome the New Year, with its promise of a landing in France. Present were the 14 occupants of the hut, 13 of whom appear below, with some of their friends: After hoisting their Union Jack, some appropriate words were said before a number of toasts to the occasion. It flew unmolested until noon 1 January 1944, when it was taken down and shared between members of nearby huts, but not before being saluted by two officers, Major Brooke-Moore of the Australian Medical Corps and one of the camp security officers, Hauptmann Katschorek. I wonder how many of the other segments survive?
And whilst on the general subject, the pennant below originally flew on the Kommandant of Stalag 383’s staff car: having been appropriated during a distracted moment in 1943. The pennant was made of two halves, which were shared between the pair involved and then hidden behind their rank chevrons until freedom came.
Some of the chaps in the photo above have been tentatively identified. At the back/top is George Beeson; left of the bucket motioning a sip from a bottle is Archie McKee, with Bob Walker just right and below him; H Vies Suggit is at the very back, just below and right of Beeson; followed by two unidentified below him and then E Hardman with the pipe and bottle and an unidentified with a bottle right of him. The chap to the lower left of the image only half faced is another not yet identified, with sequentially (from left to right and nearer the camera) Bill Tear, Ned Lynch, Charlie Elphick and Jim Dibble (in the dark roll neck pullover).
Coincidentally, the father of a certain forum member was locked up here as PoW: Son traces steps of father's POW past Long March POW Casualty 1945: John Antony Ronald Coulthard, Stalag XXA, Thorn Regarding the mentioned H Vies Suggit and George Beeson: Stalag 383
I posted a photo of a wartime style building seen 25 years+ ago on another thread: Stalag 383 Hohenfels Bavaria Germany and repeated here for convenience: However, a former PW who revisited the site on the morning of Thursday 29 June 1950 noted that the access road was “terrible,” that much had been dismantled by the displaced/refugees for use elsewhere and that the only element readily identifiable was the fire water reservoir-cum-swimming pool. Two photos were understood to have been taken, but these are still being looked for.
Another Union Jack at Hohenfels: probably SSjt George JC Edwards RASC, who had died on 29 Dec 42 and now interred in the Durnbach War Cemetery: Staff Serjeant George James Charles Edwards | War Casualty Details | CWGC A solemn day after some festivities the day before:
Hi Quarterfinal, these are great images of the funeral procession at Stalag 383. I'm currently researching a book into POW funerals and wondered where you sourced these amazing sketches. Any advice gratefully received!
Hi Portwood68 you may be interested in this for your book: I have done some research into the death of a POW in XXa (773645 Gunner Thomas Crook, R.A. POW No. 15012) after buying some pictures of his funeral on ebay. See thread and picture link.
Hi Tim091, thanks so much for alerting me to the history of Thomas Crook. You have carried out some wonderful research to fill in the details of his final days and the pictures on Flickr are incredible. Thank you again and good luck with your own research.
Thanks Portwood68 Sadly I have come to a dead end. I was hoping the ICRC report would have details of the circumstances of his death, but sadly nothing. I assumed that whenever there was a death the protecting power would have investigated, but maybe not.
