looking for POW info Royal Ulster Rifles

my Granda was John Morrison born in Ballymoney April 1909. he was a rifleman in the Royal Ulster Rifles and his army number was 278259 i have done a bit of research and have discovered via Kevin Greenhalgh at Fallingbostel Military Museum that he was captured possibly in Dunkirk and spent his internment in Stalag 357. i am trying to find out more about his service history, medals etc. Faugh a Ballagh

 

Hi, and welcome! Here is the info from the POW list. Note that his POW number was 278259, army number was 6985537.

SOLDIER INFORMATION

First Name: J.
Last Name: Morrison
Rank: Rifleman
Regt / Unit: Royal Ulster Rifles
Soldier Number: 6985537
Pow: Yes
POW Number: 278259
Camp: Stalag 357
Camp Location: Oerbke, Lower Saxony

Check the link in my signature for guidance on further research for your man.

I would contact (Drew5233) or Lee (Psywar.org) on this forum via PM and ask if they can get your man's liberation report from KEW. Most filled them out, hopefully your man did. Lots of good info in them if they were detailed.

Then submit a request for International Red Cross records and his Service Records.
All necessary info to do this is in the above mentioned link.

Wayne

 

Hello and welcome to the forum. I offer a free copy service now for PoW Questionnaires but only if the units war diary is ordered so the problem would be that you are unsure of his unit. It's also worth pointing out that only about 40% of PoWs completed a questionnaire.

 

thanks Jacksun. i got his army and POW numbers mixed up. will use your info and links to hopefully gather more about my Granda

 

Drew5233 how do i go about finding out about POW questionaires. what info do you need to get a copy and is it a free service.

 

If you order his units war diary I will look up the PoW Questionnaire and if one exists (remember not everyone completed one) I will copy it and add it to your order for free. So in short all you pay for is the units war diary.There does seem to be a difference on the unit though. You think RUR and his service number points towards (but doesn't confirm) he was with the RIF from what Owen has found.

If you want a copy I'll send you a PM regarding the total cost-I charge 10p per page for a diary.

Cheers
Andy

 

ok guys. leave it with me. so glad i found this site as i feel like i'm finally getting somewhere.
the confusion re his regiment stems from a board in our church which has the names of parishoners who served during the war. it states name, rank and regiment. this is all i had to go on initially and it states RUR!!

 

It takes some time (6 to 12 mths) and costs £30 but may be applying for a copy of his service records is the best way forward? They will confirm his unit(s) and the dates he served with them.

 

I'd try to pull the liberation report. If he completed one he would likely have listed his regt, maybe not specific unit/coy but it may help clarify things. He also may have put down where he was captured which will help identify which diary you may need.

I'd also order his service records and IRC records right away to get the wait started as soon as possible.

One thing is for certain, peoples memories can be wrong but the docs will be more than likely accurate.

 

thanks Owen. i grew up always having someone close to me in the army and still the regiments, brigades, batallions , companies, etc etc etc baffles me!!!
Faugh a Ballaugh

 

i have recieved an attestation from the ICRC giving me information about my Grandfather. i have learned that he was captured in Italy on Feb 9th 1944 but not where. i would be interested if anyone would know which areas or battles in which British troops were captured. he was a Corporal/Rifleman in the Royal Ulster Rifles and was held in stalag IVB then transferred to 357.

 

I would suggest John Morrison was serving at the time with the 1st Battalion, London Irish Rifles (1 LIR). You'll know that the RUR weren't in Italy at any time.

Sadly Anzio was one of a number of difficult encounters for 1 LIR during 1943/44.

Read about 1 LIR's experiences at Anzio here - quite grim. The battalion had nearly 600 men, killed wounded or missing during their 6 weeks in the bridgehead...

http://www.londonirishrifles.com/history-2/significant-events/46-februay-march-1944-anzio

QUIS SEPARABIT.
NEC ASPERA TERRENT,

best

 

bexley84 would it have been the done thing for regiments to merge or integrate??? i am confused as i now have Royal Ulster Rifles, Royal Inniskilling Fusileers and London Irish Rifles as regiments my Granda was/ or could have been with.

 

No need to be confused.

There was no merging of regiments in these cases - (probably) just an individual (your grandfather) transferring between the different units. Transfers often occurred between regiments for officers, and sometimes for ORs.

"Most" London Irish Rifles' (LIR) officers during 1939-45 were originally commissioned into the Royal Ulster Rifles (RUR), although a number were from the Royal Irish Fusiliers, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (The Skins) and also from other regiments. Other ranks (ORs) of the LIR were usually RUR numbered, although men had explicitly joined up with the LIR (my Dad was 7015972, a RUR army number, but most definitely had no affiliation/personal connection with the RUR) , but as casualties rose, transfers were pretty wide spread amongst both officers and ORs right across the British Army. You'll also note that LIR men who died are listed in the CWGC database as Royal Ulster Rifles, 1st (or 2nd) Bttn London Irish Rifles,

Your grandfather joined The Skins on enlistment (his army number shows that) but looks like he transferred to the London Irish Rifles at some point before Anzio..The LIR were a connected unit with the RUR - since the 1920s but more formally since 1937. See below the excerpt from their regimental history.

".....ties between the London Irish Rifles and the Royal Ulster Rifles (RUR), which before 1921 was known as the Royal Irish Rifles, were greatly strengthened, and the London Irish became part of the Corps of the RUR in 1929. In 1937, when the London Regiment was disbanded, the LIR became known as London Irish Rifles, The Royal Ulster Rifles. .."

Dates of enlistment / postings overseas etc should be clear from the army records of your grandfather.

best

 

thanks bexley84. that has clered that up for me. unfortunately i dont have any of his service records which is why i got in touch with the ICRC. this is all the info i have so am now trying to piece together where he was captured.