Missing pieces of a POW puzzle

Tried the service number off the Lib Q docs

Name: A Buchan
Rank: Private
Army Number: 2875416
Regiment: Gordon Highlanders
POW Number: 16801
Camp Type: Miscellaneous Establishments
Camp Number: BAB 20
Camp Location: Kedzierzyn-Kozle, Poland
Record Office: Infantry Record Office, Perth
Record Office Number: 16

Not sure it helps, but it may eliminate something
TD

 

I agree guys but that was the only one l could find that was close; right camps and time frame. There was one other but even more discrepancies, but we do know that there are many who did not complete the questionnaire after the war from the army. The RAF, having been 'processed' through Cosford, had less chance of non-compliance.

It is not unusual to find errors on these questionnaires, especially with someone who has been a prisoner for so long, but it is more unusual for a regular to get something like his service number wrong, but who knows.

I went through all the Buchan's and this one did seem to be the best match. The speed with which the situation fell apart in France at this time, even for the 51st Highland Division, does mean that most captives fit the time frame within a few days, unless they were on the run.

Regards,

Nick

 

Hi Nick,
Thank you so much for looking!! It's so close, but not him. It is fascinating reading that report, even the mention (although crossed out) of the prison my grandfather was sent to. Based on where that A Buchan came from, he is probably a distant relative, buy my Grandfather was from Liverpool/Walton and born Feb 1920. It is really interesting to see how quickly this soldier was sent from camp to camp too, it gives me some ideas of time frames at Stalag XXa and XXb to look into.

I know for sure that he joined the Russian army after escaping, and received a Russian war medal (missing). Is there a thread on here somewhere I should look to try and find his Russian record? That may hold clues of some sort too.
Thanks again
Charlotte

 

A further thing to investigate.... today I received this photocopy of a record of some sort. I am unsure what it is for but it does go with the family story that Alexander Buchan was somehow attached to a work camp in the Auschwitz area. Has anyone come across these cards before?

 

A further thing to investigate.... today I received this photocopy of a record of some sort. I am unsure what it is for but it does go with the family story that Alexander Buchan was somehow attached to a work camp in the Auschwitz area. Has anyone come across these cards before?

 

Hi,

I think your best best might be to do a separate topic asking for a German language translation of the form.

My schoolboy German isn't good enough to
understand it all but it looks to me that it is some form of appointment card for a business (Elise is a forename but I can't work out the surname) situated in the Main Street (Hauptstrasse?) of Auschwitz (Kreis Bielitz is the German region - translation for Katowice).

The words Tag & Stunde are Day and Hour. I'm on my iphone so can't make out all the handwriting in the day column but I think the first word is Monntag - Monday.

Good Luck

Steve Y

 

do you know that under the freedom of information act you can apply for his POW index card from the NA it takes about 4 weeks but there may be a lot of information on them to help you, den

 

In the absence of a Liberation Questionnaire it may give you something more than you already have but it does not tell you much.

These POW cards are held in WO 416 but they are not available to view, other than through a FOI request for the individual concerned. You will need to trawl through the records on a trial and error basis until you find the right reference. http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r/?_q=WO416

You also need to send a copy of his death certificate.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/foi/requests.htm

Regards,

Nick

 

Just thought I would add an update. I visited Lambsdorf camp /Stalag 344/VIIIb in May. Whilst there I was told that the records of the POW camp were taken at the end of the war by the Russian army, and are now in Russia. So....now I'll try and contact them and see where that leads.

 

I dont want to dampen your enthusiasm but I have tried contacting the Russian Archives previously (using someone who speaks Russian) and I got ............................... nowhere

I wish you every success and if you do get anywhere I would be interested to hear the details.

TD

 

I might perhaps, just maybe, be able to help if you get stuck with the Russian archives.

 

Thanks TD, I had heard it isn't a very easy thing to do.