Awards MiDs Gnr. Welsh, Royal Artillery & L/Sgt. Neil Scots Guards (Escape & Evasion, Italy)

Mentioned in Despatches

ESCAPES FROM CAMP 53 (MACERATA), ITALY
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(1) After the Armistice with Italy, P/W in this camp were ordered by the Italian Commandant and the Senior British Officer to remain. The guard was doubled and sentries told to shoot at any P/W trying to escape.

On 14th September 1943 all Italian guards vanished and conditions became confused. Some P/W escaped with Red Cross parcels which the Senior British Officer had issued, but a cordon of British guards was posted round the camp and most of the P/W remained.

On 16th September 1943 the Germans arrived and took over the cam and about six-sevenths of the original number of PW. Some P/W escaped from trains in transit to Germany.​

874315 Gnr. Edward Welsh, 51 Field Regiment, Royal Engineers MIA taken prisoner 24th November 1941


2980161 L/Sgt. David Neil, Scots Guards 4 Armoured Brigade MIA 23rd November 1941

WO 373/63/248

WO 373/63/249

 

Thanks for posting.

My father was at Macerata when Italy surrendered.I wasn’t fully aware of how the “stay put” order effected men there but it appears that approx 85%+ complied with it.

My father went up to Mooseburg by train and was in a Stalag 17B work camp in Austria by late November.

Steve