Hello everyone! as a new member I am keen to receive and share information, about veteran's experiences similar to my Dad, Col Booth , from Sydney and Bundanoon, who was in 2/3rd anti-tank regiment, 28 Batt, and he spent time in Libya, Palestine, Egypt, and was captured at Ruin Ridge El Alamein during the 27/7/42 battle. Taken prisoner, by Italians, firstly interned in Benghazi, then transported to Gruppignano 57, and then moved to camp 106/1 Vercelli. Escaped following announcement of Italian armistice, and he and mates walked to Switzerland, arriving early Oct 1943, and spent time as a free man in Switzerland before repatriation. Mates known of Dads include Peter Erickson, Harry R. Richardson, Malcolm Norton-Knight, Ken O'Leary, D. Walters, E.S Winter, I. Hocking, R.Jones, Ben Lester, P.M Abbott, Keith Turner, H. Park. Research going well but more is welcome as I do not have Dad's main diary (he lent to someone unknown before his death in 1989) so trying to piece the chronological jigsaw together, and would love more information on the POW and free man experience in particular. Wish to summarise this for the grandchildren, and to explain and narrate all the photos we have. One of his photos re free men having first meal in Switzerland (taken by a Swiss) is on the NZ Archives site, so NZ veterans must have been part of this experience tto, looking forward to being part of WW2 Talk, and to learning much more, Trina Edit: 'enquiry' thread: http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/prisoners-war/35801-pows-camp-vercelli-escape-switzerland.html
Hi Katrina, welcome to the forum. Have you got a copy of his records. They are available at the National Archives of Australia: Item details for: B883, NX60337 Request copy Title BOOTH COLIN BOOTH : Service Number - NX60337 : Date of birth - 07 Feb 1918 : Place of birth - BUNDANOON NSW : Place of enlistment - GOULBURN NSW : Next of Kin - BOOTH ALBERTContents date range 1939 - 1948Series number B883 Click to see which government agency or person created this item.Control symbol NX60337Item barcode 4628823Location CanberraAccess status OpenDate of decision 24 Feb 2003Physical format PAPER FILES AND DOCUMENTS (allocated at series level)Records authority class number 1010873Date registered National Archives of Australia - Session has ended
Trina hello and welcome to the forum I see you've set up another thread here: http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/prisoners-war/35801-pows-camp-vercelli-escape-switzerland.html Perhaps we should just keep this one in User Intros for welcome messages, otherwise it tends to get confusing. Good luck with your research.
Welcome on board: I am looking for such stories!, talking about Allied POWs who managed to reach the Swiss borders through the Western Alps. I hope we can help each other! Marco
Hello everyone! as a new member I am keen to receive and share information, about veteran's experiences similar to my Dad, Col Booth , from Sydney and Bundanoon, who was in 2/3rd anti-tank regiment, 28 Batt, and he spent time in Libya, Palestine, Egypt, and was captured at Ruin Ridge El Alamein during the 27/7/42 battle. Taken prisoner, by Italians, firstly interned in Benghazi, then transported to Gruppignano 57, and then moved to camp 106/1 Vercelli. Escaped following announcement of Italian armistice, and he and mates walked to Switzerland, arriving early Oct 1943, and spent time as a free man in Switzerland before repatriation. Mates known of Dads include Peter Erickson, Harry R. Richardson, Malcolm Norton-Knight, Ken O'Leary, D. Walters, E.S Winter, I. Hocking, R.Jones, Ben Lester, P.M Abbott, Keith Turner, H. Park. Research going well but more is welcome as I do not have Dad's main diary (he lent to someone unknown before his death in 1989) so trying to piece the chronological jigsaw together, and would love more information on the POW and free man experience in particular. Wish to summarise this for the grandchildren, and to explain and narrate all the photos we have. One of his photos re free men having first meal in Switzerland (taken by a Swiss) is on the NZ Archives site, so NZ veterans must have been part of this experience tto, looking forward to being part of WW2 Talk, and to learning much more, Trina Edit: 'enquiry' thread: http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/prisoners-war/35801-pows-camp-vercelli-escape-switzerland.html Hi my name is Colin my great uncle Alec Greygoose was one of the NZ men who escaped thru Switzerland he was in the 20th batallion when captured and sent straigth to camp 106 he was in swtld from sep 24 1943 till sep 23 1944 im waiting for service records to let u know more cheers Colin
Hi Colin, if you have not already located this site, do visit ANZAC POW Free Men in Europe - Welcome Letter Hope you have found more about your great uncle's experience since your post. trina
Gosh, I have just stumbled across this forum. Katrina, I searched long and hard several years ago for information on my Father - Arthur Peebles. He would have been in the same regiment as your Dad Colin Booth, he was in all the places you mentioned. We went to Egypt and Libya to track where he had been. We sat at what we believed to be "Ruin Ridge" where he was captured and had our lunch with our guides. I have written a book about what I had found to date on him and am about to go to Italy. I intend to go to Grupignano Campo 57 to see if there is anything left there. would love to hear from you as to anything you found out. Patsy Gould
Welcome, always glad to see another Australian. I wrote a book about the 9th Div and got fairly familiar with the 2/3rd Anti-Tank and the 2/28th Battalion.
Hi , I was literally just looking up any information related to my uncle - George Christopher Rea and found this page. My uncle passed away just 2 years ago ( just 11 days off of 100 ) He was 2/28 Battalion AIF. Service number WX 6366. Captured at Ruin Ridge/ Alamain. He was a Rat of Toburk . Started as a POW Benghazi ( Lybia ) (2-8-1942 until 16-10-42) was in camp 75 ( 20-11-1942 until 25-1-1942). Then in camp 57 - Grappignano (26-11-42 until 25-4-43 ) then transferred to Italy to a camp controlled by campo 106 Vercelli. He worked on a farm called "Lachele" near Ronsecca and San Germano ( I think ) and from there escaped to Switzerland. ( I think when guards did a swap over they left gates open and this was how he escaped) He was in Vercelli from 25-4-43 until 8-9-43 when he escaped. He had photos very similar to the one you had in the search of him on skis. He could possibly be in the photo you have posted ! I would love to swap any info .... There is also a book in which my uncles escape journey was mentioned ( as may be your fathers ) it's called Rabbit and spaghetti. I just ordered a copy of if. There's also some information pointing to the ship they were transferred on may have been torpedoed!
Hi Colin, I have not been into the forum for some time, but in 2019 my book will be published and I can return to engaging in such forums. Was your uncle Alick Greygoose? He got into Switzerland the day you mention, and left the same day as my father. I use several accounts of 24/9/43 entries into Switzerland in the book, any idea who he was with, and was he held at Baraccone camp before escape? Cheers Katrina Shooting Through – Echo Books
Hello "Possumspit", I have been busy completing my book, and have not dipped into the forum for ages. Book will come out 2019 Shooting Through – Echo Books George was not one of the men in the photo. I am aware of some of George's story by way of other accounts by escapers, including his date of arrival to Switzerland and companion. I know of the camp locations, working with an old map given to me by a former POW. I mention Lachelle in the book, again from another POW! Ronsecco also comes up, and San Germano. I will keep this brief in case you are not currently using the forum. Thank you for commenting on my post, I hope my book adds more to others'understandings of these times, as the research certainly has enlightened me far more than my father did, cheers Katrina Hello Hell
Hello Patsy, I am pleased to see your comment, and I apologise for delay as I have not been in the forum much the last 2 years, flat out with many things including my book which will come out 2019 Shooting Through – Echo Books Arthur was in my father's regiment. I have been to the former campo 57 site and know the former POW who installed a memorial plaque there in 2014, within a small restored chapel. Have you been yet? If not I have a B&B host/guide who was marvellous, and would recommend her to you. My father would have know Arthur, as they were in same Battery, and captured together. I wrote an article for Military Historical Society about two others in that group, Templeman and Shoveller, a fascinating story that began at Ruin Ridge. Hope this still finds you, Katrina (katrinakittel@yahoo.com.au)
The 2/28th published their revised history a year or so again. It is available from 2/28 Association. Many of the POWs included in my book Shooting Through – Echo Books are 2/28 and 2/3 anti-tank. And, your book, what is its title? cheers, Katrina
Hello dbf, Please advise me as to how best to manage the threads. I am back to the forum after a few years break, kind regards, Katrina
Many thanks, I am slow to thank you as have been absent from the forum for a couple of years. since my post, I have viewed more than 2000 B883 files. In addition to other archival records here and overseas. Many weeks of sitting in reading rooms in Canberra and Melbourne, plus sourcing from UK Archives. It is addictive, and my first book of history (I am a graduate historian) will come out 2019 Shooting Through – Echo Books all the best to you, I look forward to getting back into some forum threads again soon, as I begin the next project Katrina