South wales borderer PoW

Discussion in 'Service Records' started by Dave Cottrell, Sep 23, 2021.

  1. Dave Cottrell

    Dave Cottrell Member

    Hi
    I am interested in .L/Cpl. V.G. Davies No. 3908826 S.W.B. No. who was captured at Tobruk. He appears in the W.O. list of missing but then disappears. I cannot find a PoW record.
    Then in January 1946! he is recorded as no longer missing. Had he escaped in Italy and was happily living in the mountains?
     
  2. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    Welcome aboard. We have some expertise here on the POWs held by the Italians till 1943. It will help if you give his full name and any other clues.

    Apply for his service records there is a bit of a delay at the moment but worth it to help you build the picture of his army service
    read through this link it is very easy to apply Get a copy of military service records

    You will not find his service records online at pay for sites so don't waste your money.

    Could it be that V.G. Davies was not captured? Some did escape:
    From: BBC - WW2 People's War - 1st Batt South Wales Borderers 1942

    As most of the 1st Battalion was captured perhaps he was 'missing' until some order was achieved and that he was not a POW?

    There is a lot of background here: 4203587 William Charles GEE, 1st Bn South Wales Borderers: 1942 POW Tobruk; d. 1945
     
    JimHerriot likes this.
  3. travers1940

    travers1940 Well-Known Member

    This could also be a post war tidy up of the missing list. I was involved on here with the search for a pow in italy, and along the way came against another from the same regiment who was loaded on a lorry going north to Germany, but not found aboard when the lorry next stopped.

    He was never found & was the only missing man from the battalion in WW2 not accounted for. The reason I say this is that it was all investigated in 1946 in what seemed to be a determined effort to ensure the fate of all men was found, about the time your man shows as no longer missing.

    Travers
     
  4. Dave Cottrell

    Dave Cottrell Member

    Hi,
    Many thanks for the suggestions. I am afraid I do not know his name! There are too many V Gs on the 1911 Census.
    I reckon from his number he joined mid 1920s but I cannot think how to identify him.
    Dave
     
  5. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    I searched for the above soldier on the WO392/21 listing, but with no result. This is the list of POWs held by the Italians as of August 1943. As you might expect, there were many Davies' and a few from the SWB, but no VG I'm afraid.
     
  6. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    David,

    How did you come across the name and the documents found?

    We have an expert(s) here who can determine when an Army number was issued and to which corps / regiment. If Mr Davies joined in the mid-1920's then by WW2 he could be in his early thirties.

    Can the regimental museum help? Notably linking the Army No. to a name? Might he appear in their regimental journal, notably in sporting activity. I don't know if an Army No. would be retained if he had a break of service prior to rejoining.
     
  7. AB64

    AB64 Senior Member

    The number is from the SWB Block and I'd say 1931-2, I have a May 1931 enlistment about 900 below in the range, I'm not sure how long it would be to get 900 men enlisted in the early 30's
     
  8. Dave Cottrell

    Dave Cottrell Member

    Thanks all,
    The information I have comes from British Casualty lists on Findmypast military records.

    Can I ask as a new member I have a query about my dad who was with a batch of ex 1st battalion SWB reservists captured in France in 1940! Do I put details here or do I start another thread?
    Dave
     
  9. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    A separate thread is best, clarity helps researchers.
     
  10. Dave Cottrell

    Dave Cottrell Member

    Hi all,
    I think l am going with the idea he was not captured and not an Italian PoW and that this was corrected in the 1946 clear up.
    Can I ask about his service number. I based his enlistment date on my dad's number 4074452 ( 31/12/28). Any ideas of how this fits with AB64's 1931 blocks?
    Dave
     
  11. AB64

    AB64 Senior Member

    Your Dads number falls in the Monmouthshire Regiment range - at that stage the army had Regimental numbers so there were lots of blocks running concurrently - and higher/lower numbers don't really reflect later/earlier enlistment except within the same Regiment
     
  12. Dave Cottrell

    Dave Cottrell Member

    Hi,
    Although his service book shows recruitment straight into SWB you have triggered a vague recollection of being told he might have been in the T. A. This would presumably explain the number the number.
    Thanks again
    Dave
     

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