The following attachments are the few war diary summary pages I copied from WO 167/499 - 88th Field Regiment R.A. for May and the first few days of June 1940. Thought they might as well be posted on the site rather than hiding in my computer files
There is a paperback regimental history: Lancashire Gunners at War: The 88th Field Regiment, 1939-1945 by Stephen Bull. I have seen it for silly prices in the past but they seem to be more realistic at the moment. Received my copy today if you want me to check anything.
Andy that's really kind of you to offer. I ended up buying a copy of the book a while back to try and help pin point the location he was taken PoW.
Hi all and I'm glad you've referred to a great rescource 'Lancashire Gunners at War ....' by Stephen Bull. Dad was in the 362 battery but was evacuated from Dunkirk to Wales and Lakes District then post to North Malaya. Eventually he was a POW of the Japanese for almost 4 years and told me he had to paint to keep sane, often the opposite of his reality. We found over 300 in his cupboard and have created a website www.changipowart.com please share with others to spread the word. This month, August 15th 2015 will be 70th year since liberation and here's one of dad's paintings that celebrate that painted in August 1945!!
Hi - I have just picked up this research again after a break and I saw that the pow cards are on Find My Past. Unfortunately, when I tried to sign in I got a message saying that my credit card is part of a 3d protection scheme something-or-other and I have to contact the bank. So, in the hopes of avoiding having to try to explain this in Portuguese to my bank, could someone take a look for me, please? Michael Sturton - final camp before being shot during an escape was Oflag VB, Biberach, Germany: findmypast.co.uk Thanks very much, Jules.
Hi, I hadn’t heard that “POW CARDS” were on FMP. What exactly do they disclose? Are they the same cards previously held at TNA and only available thus far by FOI request? I’m aware that Ancestry have held the transcribed final German POW lists for a number of years. Steve Y
To be honest I am unable to answer your Qs because I'm not sure. My original search was TNA website which says that the records are being published for the first time (in 2015): What the records reveal The records cover the period 1939-1945 and contain the names, ranks and locations of prisoners of war, along with the length of time they spent in camps, the number of survivors, details of escapees and the nationalities of prisoners. Second World War prisoner of war records now online - The National Archives Jules
Thank you very much Diane! This is definitely new material for the research. Nothing about any of the camps prior to Oflag VB, so I think the only way to find that out will be to get hold of his service records. Does it still take a long time for them to be processed?
Kew index has two files about the shooting. Reference: WO 309/2227 Description: Shooting of Lieutenant M Sturton (prisoner of war), Biberach railway station, October 1941 Reference: WO 311/989 Description: Shooting of a British prisoner of war from Oflag V B, Biberach, at Biberach railway station, Germany, October 1941
Thanks for the updates. It seems these documents are from files relating to POW’s who were injured or died whilst in captivity. Steve Y
Thanks for the refs - I do have copies of these somewhere and will post them up at some point. If anyone wants a look before then, just let me know
In the "Lancashire Gunners at War" pp. 24 & 25 it says that on 27th May 1940 "...'F' Troop of 352 Battery was overrun, apparently by Germans who managed to outflank them by advancing through a wood...'F' Troop had been caught unawares by the Germans and overrun. Upwards of 20 of them landed in captivity...Lieutenant Sturton...was amongst those captured." Thanks to Steve's (Tulleybrone) link to FOI PoW files: Identity cards? I was able to get a copy of some of Michael Sturton's index cards and, on a couple of the cards, under the heading "Ort und Tag der Gefangennahme oder Internierung" (Place and day of capture and internment) is written "Escalbede" and "Escalhede" 28.5.40. However, I haven't been able to find a place under either spelling. Has anyone ever come across it or have any ideas where it is, please? Jules.
Hello. I know this is resurrecting an old post but I've just come across this while doing some research on my grandfather, who served inwin the 88th Field Regiment and was the Serjeant Chalker mentioned in the war diary. Can you expand on what you mean please? I'm very interested.
Also interested in this post for the same reason Frank Victor Chalker was my wife's great uncle and would be very interested to know any more about the circumstances his demise.
