Hi all i am researching my great granddads time in a pow camp after being captured at dunkirk i applied for his medals and i got 2 issued to me now i am tring to find out if i am entitled to his dunkrik memorial medal. I have recieved what the ICRC have on him. Also how would i go about finding out about his last days at dunkirk before the capture and time as a POW i remember him telling me about 2 escapes but was re captured would there be any records of this ? many thanks
Who was he serving with in France? The Dunkirk Medal is a unofficial one given to members of the BEF after the war by the town of Dunkirk. More details in the link below-If I remember correctly they no longer issue them but you can get them on Ebay and the like: http://www.northeastmedals.co.uk/foreignguide/french/dunkirk_medal_1940.htm
hi his unit was the royal engineers captured on the 26/05/1940 at Calais as far as i am aware he volunteered to stay behind and fight he then spent the rest of the war in stalag XXA
What RE unit was he with ? I'm not sure if he would have been entitled to one of the Dunkirk Medals as I think you had to be part of Op Dynamo ie the evacuation from Dunkirk and the surrounding beaches. Don't quote me on that as medals are not my thing but Calais was a bit earlier.
to be honest mate all i know he was a saper with the RE he never talked about it much just the odd story now and again how would i go about finding out more about his time there ?
No worries - The first thing you need to do and probably the most expensive is apply for a copy of his service records from the MoD. They cost £30 and you'll get a copy of his original documents which will tell you when he joined up, who he served with and where he went. All the info you need to do that is in the link below: https://www.gov.uk/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records
There are some books on Calais you can read to get an idea on what was happening, in fact if you go to advance search and search 'Calais' in the 1940 section of the forum you'll get quite a bit of info on here. This is a fairly good book covering the basics and a bit should you wish to visit the area. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Calais-France-Battleground-John-Cooksey/dp/1580970117 I can't find my copy or I would tell you what RE units were there.
thanks for all the info Drew would his service records tell me about his time in the camp or just up until he was captured?
I've never seen a PoWs service records. I suspect it will have date of capture and the camps he was held in.
Hi, His MOD service record will record his full service details but will usually only note his date of being taken prisoner and if you are lucky it will have his date of release. It won't usually have anything else about his time as a POW. You say you have ICRC papers so you should have some details of his POW camps. Have you looked for his returning POW questionnaire in the National Archives? If he completed one it will give you more info on his time in captivity plus his enlistment date, date of capture and home address etc. If you can't get to Kew members on the site do offer a look up service. I have been lucky to get my Dad's service record, ICRC papers and questionnaire. Good luck. Steve Y
thanks for the replies i will apply for his service record and then maybe the the Kew line. would there be any records of escapes whilst in a camp if so who would keep them ?
They would be in a Liberation Report, mentioned earlier, assuming he completed one. I think only 40% ish of PoWs completed one after the war.
Hi, P2 of the liberation questionnaire gives the returning POW the opportunity to mention any escape attempts. On forms I have seen if escape was mentioned further details were often requested at a later date. If your main interest is in his time as a POW then the Liberation Questionnaire should be the priority. It can take up to a year to get a MOD service record. If you are lucky, and he completed one, one of the members on the site could get you a Liberation Questionnaire, in a week or so. Just start a seperate topic with the title " Kew Liberation Questionnaire Look Up". Steve Y
Look for his Liberation report - you'll get it faster and it will have the most info related to his POW life if he completed one. Should list name, unit, date of capture, place, camps he was in and more if he took the time to complete the basics, which will allow you to further pursue details on his unit at capture time. Apply to the MoD for his service records, but as TullyBrone says, service records only have a dated noted as MIA, then one when he was confirmed POW, and then one when he was noted as liberated - they will fill in pre and post POW stuff though. IRC info will give some details, but were dependant on info coming in on German lists. Info on camp moves for my grandfather were helpful, but his capture date from the IRC was wrong, by 7-10 days from what he documented on his liberation report due to the lag time in getting to the camp and completing the paperwork. Wayne