Award MiD L/Cpl. S.R. Tasker 8th Hussars, R.A.C. 7th Armoured Division Escaped POW CAMP 102 (Aquila)

Discussion in 'Prisoners of War' started by brithm, Oct 10, 2021.

  1. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

    Awarded Mentioned in Despatches L/Cpl. Stephen Richard Tasker (408828) 8th Hussars, R.A.C. 7th Armoured Division
    ESCAPES FROM CAMP 102 (AQUILA) ITALY

    RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AWARDS

    (1) After the Armistice with ITALY had been signed, the Italian Commandant opened the gates of the camp and marched the P/W out into the hills, as it was reported that Germans were approaching. A certain number of escapers were rounded up by German paratroops and taken back to camp, but the majority got safely away.

    (2) I recommend the following other ranks for the awards shown, brief particulars being given in the enclosures stated opposite their names
    WO 373/64/586
     
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  2. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    Tasker is even more interesting than O'Kane. ( I'll put him on the Laterina website too.)

    ''Taking to the hills TASKER joined a band of partisans, transferring three days later to small sabotage squad''.


    He was operating with the Long Range Desert Group. Here's an extract from my book The Arezzo massacres: A Tuscan Tragedy:

    Rowbottom and his men were also in action that week as the following entry in the War Diary for 10 July (WO 218/92) shows:

    ''Our two Italians told us that the headquarters of a German Division was near to the Castiglioni-Meliciano road and so we decided to mine the road near to the headquarters with the two Italians as guides, lieutenants Candler and Pope, one of the French, corporals Buss and Tasker and I laid the usual 10 lbs of plastic, but this time with double-pressured time switches along the road…A lorry blew up and burned for an hour and a half and exploded with a large quantity of SAA. We made an assessment and were certain that the lorry was loaded half with petrol and half with ammo. This was confirmed by a German prisoner with whom we spoke in Arezzo, who said that the General, Rodt, was only three cars behind at that point. The reprisal was the shooting of 14 civilians, including an old man aged 70 years and a boy of 12 and the destruction of their houses.''

    Vitellino
     
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