Dismiss Notice

You must be 18 or over to participate here.
Dismiss this notice to declare that you are 18+.

Anyone below 18 years of age choosing to dishonestly dismiss this message is accepting the consequences of their own actions.
WW2Talk.Com will not approve of, or be held responsible, for your choices.

2718015 Lance-Corporal Cecil Wilfred BENSON, 1 Irish Guards: PoW

Discussion in 'The Brigade of Guards' started by dbf, Mar 4, 2013.

  1. dbf

    dbf Member

    Date of Enlistment: 4 June 1934

    Army Number: 2418015
    Rank: Lance-Corporal
    Name: Cecil Wilfred Lake BENSON
    Unit: Irish Guards

    Date of Birth: 14 March 1920
    Place of Birth: Dublin

    Date of Capture: 26 May 1940
    Place of Capture: Rognan, Norway

    POW Number: 23144
    POW Camps: Stalag VIIIB, Stalag 344
     
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2025
  2. dbf

    dbf Member

    Army Number: 2718015
    Rank: Drummer, Lance Corporal
    Name: C BENSON
    Unit: 1 Irish Guards
    GSM & Clasp: GSM, Palestine Clasp 1936 - 1939
    TNA Reference: WO 100/503
     
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2019
  3. dbf

    dbf Member

    WO 344-25-2

    PART I
    General Questionnaire for British Ex-Prisoners of War

    1. No.: 2718015
    Rank: Lance Corporal
    Surname: BENSON
    Christian Names: Cecil Wilfred
    Decorations: -

    2. Unit (Army): 1st Battalion IRISH GUARDS
    3. Division (Army): 24th GUARDS BRIGADE

    4. Date of Birth: 14 March 1920
    5. Date of Enlistment: 4 June 1934
    6. Civilian Trade: Student
    7. Private Address: No permanent address: c/o Mrs MACKENZIE, ‘Mintings’, Clifton Road, Chesham Bois, Bucks, England

    8. Place of Capture: Rognan, Norway
    Date of Capture: 26 May 1940

    9. Were you Wounded when Captured: No

    10. Main Camps or Hospitals in which imprisoned
    Camp No. Location From & To
    Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf Germany 12 June 1940 - 3 March 1945
    Stalag VIIB Memmingen Germany 8 March 1945 - 26 April 1945

    11. Were you in a Working Camp?
    -
    Location From & To Nature of Work
    Lamsdorf - Shoemaking

    12. Did you suffer from any Serious Illnesses while a P/W?:
    -
    Nature of Illness Cause Duration
    Dyptheria Neglect 5 weeks
    Loss of Sensitive Reaction to Pain Hands Not Known April 1941 - September 1943

    Did you receive adequate Medical Treatment?:
    No treatment received for 2.


    PART II

    2. Lectures before Capture
    (State where, when and by whom)
    (a) Were you lectured in your unit on how to behave in the event of capture?:
    No
    (b) Were you lectured on escape and evasion?:
    No

    3. Interrogation after Capture
    (State where, when and methods employed by enemy)
    Were you specially interrogated by the enemy?:
    Yes, by German Officers who attempted to instill fear of execution, by evasive remarks, e.g. “The General does not want useless prisoners”, Rognan, Norway, May 28th, 1940.

    4. Escapes attempted.
    Did you make any attempted or party successful escapes?
    -
    (Give details of each attempt separately, stating where, when, method employed, names of your companions, where and when captured and by whom. Were you physically fit? What happened to our companions?)
    -

    5. Sabotage.
    Did you do any sabotage or destruction of enemy factory plant, war material, communications, etc., when employed on working-parties or during escape?
    (Give details, places and dates).
    In Norway Lance Corporal Sullivan IRISH GUARDS and I loaded ammunition under guard. We managed, owing to guards laxity, to load half of each lorry, five in all, with empty cases and break sights of three mortars.

    6. Collaboration with enemy.
    Do you know of any British or American personnel who collaborated with the enemy or in any way helped the enemy against other Allied PoWS?
    -
    (Give details, names of person(s) concerned, camp(s), dates and nature of collaboration or help given to enemy).
    -

    7. War Crimes.
    If you have any information or evidence of bad treatment by the enemy to yourself or to others, or knowledge of any enemy violation of Geneva Convention you should ask for a copy of “Form Q” on which to make your statement.
    -

    8. Have you any other matter of any kind you wish to bring to notice?


    SECURITY UNDERTAKING.
    I fully realised that all information relating to the matters covered by the questions in PART II are of a highly secret and official nature.
    I have had explained to me and fully understand that under Defence Regulations or U.S.A.R. 380-5 I am forbidden to publish or communicate any information concerning these matters.


    Date of Signature: 8 May 1945

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2025
  4. dbf

    dbf Member

    Army Number: 2718015
    Rank: Lance-Corporal
    Name: Cecil Wilfred BENSON
    Unit: 1 Irish Guards
    Theatre: Norway
    POW Number: 13144
    Date of Capture: 26/05/1940
    Place of Capture: Rognan
    Camp: Stalag 344
     
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2025
  5. dbf

    dbf Member

    Name: Cecil Wilfred Lake Benson . Date of Birth: 14 March 1920 . Place of Birth:... | The National Archives
    Reference: WO 416/27/299
    Name: Cecil Wilfred Lake Benson.
    Date of Birth: 14 March 1920.
    Place of Birth: Dublin.
    Service: British Army.
    Rank: Corporal.
    Regiment/Unit/Squadron: Irish Guards.
    Service Number: 2418015.
    Date of Capture: [unspecified].
    Theatre of Capture: [unspecified].
    Camp Name/Number: Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf.
    PoW number: 23144.
    Date of Death: [unspecified].
    Number of Photographs: 0.
    Number of Fingerprints: 0.
    Number of X-rays: 0.
    Number of Cards: 3.
    Date: [1939-1945]
     
    Last edited: Jun 5, 2025

Share This Page