Lt. James Allgood R.A. and Lt. Jasper Maurice Alexander Ridley K.R.R.C.

Hello everybody,

I am looking for some further information on these two soldiers, who died on 13 December 1943 and are remembered on the Cassino Memorial.

Both were prisoners of war and in WO 392/21 are shown as being held in PG 21 Chieti .

They are mentioned as being held in PG 5 Gavi by prisoner /artist Gordon Horner in his book '28th May 1942. For You the War is Over'. He annotates a drawing saying:

''Jimmy Allgood, killed with 'Chaucer' Ridley after escaping during the Italian Armistice''.

Presumably they were trying to cross the lines rather than escape into Switzerland, given that the month was December. The bodies were never found, or they were found but it was impossible to distinguish one from the other. I have checked the National Archives website and it would seem that either there is no war crimes file on their killing or they were unknown victims of a crime.

Over to you....

Vitellino

 

Casualty List No. 860 Dated 26 June 1942
Expeditionary Forces / Middle East / Western Desert / Prisoner of War
2nd Bn King's Royal Rifle Corps
RIDLEY Lieut JMA 156707

Casualty List No. 1800 Dated 5 July 1945
Presumed Killed in Action
2nd Bn King's Royal Rifle Corps
RIDLEY W/Lt JMA 156707 Date of casualty 13.12.43

 

Thanks.

 

Casualty List No. 1818 Dated 26 July 1945
Expeditionary Forces / Central Mediteranean / Italy / Presumed Killed in Action
Royal Artillery
ALLGOOD W/Lt J, MC 72 Fd Rgt 95136 Date of casualty 13.12.43

Can't find his MC award but there is this with different number:
Recommendation for Award for Allgood, James Rank: Lieutenant Service No: ... | The National Archives

Casualty List No. 788 Dated 3 April 1942
Expeditionary Forces / Middle East / Western Desert / Wounded
Royal Artillery
ALLGOOD W.S./ Lieut J 72 Fd Regt 88190 Date of casualty 21.3.42

Both in same regiment.

 

The man I'm after is James. His MC is recorded by CWGC on his commemoration certificate.

 

I have the following information

ALLGOOD, Lt James 88190 RA (L.G. 12.05.1942) 285 Field Battery RA, 72 Field Regiment RA
"This officer displayed extreme courage and devotion to duty. On the 21st March 1942, he was acting as Command Post Officer to the Battery firing on the Martuba aerodrome and, as such, was the target of enemy heavy counter-battery fire and incessant dive-bombing and machine gun attacks. He displayed a complete disregard for his own safety, carrying on with his work just the same as if it had been a peacetime Artillery practice. He was quite undaunted and, during the very few lulls in these air attacks, continued to engage the enemy. Later on Lt Allgood was wounded, and although unable to stand, continued to give directions for the better control of his battery fire.”

This was a raid mounted by a "Jock Column" to distract attention from a resupply convoy to Malta.

 

Yes, both are called James, strange thing is:
95136, his MC is in the London Gazette but can't find it at TNA.
88190, his MC is in TNA but can't find it in the London Gazette.

 

Jasper Maurice Alexander Ridley

The Shield Evening News, Wednesday, August 2, 1944

The Bystander, June 14, 1939

 

As an extra to my #4 above this is the original entry for 95136 Allgood (wasn't found before as name was transcribed incorrectly)

Casualty List No. 860 Dated 26 June 1942
Expeditionary Forces / Middle East / Prisoner of War
Royal Artillery
ALLGOOD W.S./ Lieut J, MC 72 Fd Regt 95136

Newcastle Journal & North Mail, Monday, July 6, 1942

Newcastle Journal & North Mail, Wednesday, July 8, 1942

 

Thank you for these snippets, Tony. They add to the overall picture.

What I would really like to know is what happened to them after they had escaped following the armistice. Both were killed /died as escapers on 13 December 1943. Almost all the prisoners from Chieti were sent first to PG 78 Sulmona and from there to Germany at the end of September 1943 . At some stage they escaped - possibly from the train.

I have asked CWGC if they have anything on them. The date of death was obtained from somewhere, though their bodies were unidentifiable, hence the commemoration on the Cassino Memorial. Even this is strange, as usually prisoners of war whose bodies were never recovered are remembered on a memorial in the country where they were last in action.

Vitellino

 

CWGC sent me the newspaper cutting as above. That is all they have. I have now asked the question about why the two are remembered on the Cassino Memorial.

 

Agreed, the Bayeux Memorial has the names of men who died as PW in Germany. However, these men weren't PW when they died, but escapees who are free combatants who died in Italy.

 

This rule didn't always apply.

For example, escaper L/Cpl. Dent who was shot by the Germans at Cerignola in Puglia in September 1943 after having escaped from PG 78 Sulmona at the armistice had last been in action in North Africa and is remembered on the Alamein memorial. He too was no longer a POW. Neither were all the escapers who were killed in the Galisia disaster in November 1944 and are remembered at Alamein or on the Medjez - el Bab Memorial. All had been taken prisoner in North Africa. Oddly enough though, three are on the memorial at Cassino.

I will post the CWGC explanation when I get it.

Vitellino

EDITED: From CWGC. The remembrance of Lts. Allgood and Ridley on the Cassino memorial is a mistake. It will be looked into.