PG62 - Bergamo, Italy, PoW Camp and related Work Camps

Hi all,
I've been collecting official documentation, personal stories, photos, etc, on the Allied prisoner of war escapes in Italy 1940-1943 for many years. More recently I have been focussing on the activities of the captured troops of the Cyprus Regiment and the escapes, successful and failed, occurring post 9 Sept 1943 - Italian Armistice.
I'm planning on a couple of visits this year looking into the escapers from PG62 and its related work camps.
From what I have read and seen thus far the exact location of the main Bergamo camp is far from certain, especially in terms of remaining ground evidence. I'd very much appreciate hearing from anyone who has information on the location of this camp.
Also I'm hoping to explore some of the Work Camp areas, which seem to be even less well documented.
In particular I'm looking at PG62/56 - Darfo.
I'd also be interested to hear from anyone who has information on any of the following PG 62 agricultural work camps:
P.G. 62/1 - Cassignanica, nr. Milan
P.G. 62/2 - Agnadello
P.G. 62/12 - Pantigliate
P.G. 62/17 - Agnadello, nr. Bergamo
P.G. 62/19 - Gradella
P.G. 62/20 - Solbiate Olona
P.G. 62/22 - Pandino
P.G. 62/23 - Azzanello
P.G. 62/24 - Gradella
P.G. 62/26 - Busto Arsizio
P.G. 62/29 - Vernate
P.G. 62/32 - All'almo - S.Pietro
P.G. 62/32 - Zibido San Giacomo
P.G. 62/41 - Izanello, nr. Leno
P.G. 62/43 - Milzanello
P.G. 62/46 - Gambara
P.G. 62/47 - Calvisano
P.G. 62/48 - Monte Chiaro
P.G. 62/49 - Collabeato
P.G. 62/52 - Sacca
P.G. 62/61 - Briavacca
P.G. 62/62 - Canobio
P.G. 62/62 - Melegnano
P.G. 62/63 - Limito
P.G. 62/63 - Rodano, nr. Milan
P.G. 62/68 - Crema
P.G. 62/75 - Crema
P.G. 62/84 - Campione del Garda

Does anyone know any specific related locations of interest, and/or the names of any of the farms or farmers worked by the PoWs in 1943.
Many thanks in anticipation
Phil

 

Hello Phil,

According to the Comune of Lallio, PG 62 was in Lallio on the site of the Cartiera Cama paper mill. There is a series of photos showing the camp in the International Red Cross Committee Archives. They can be seen on the Italian website campifascisti.it - scroll down to
the ICRC Audiovisual Archives.

Check out the followiing links:

Google Maps

Google Maps

World War II. Grumellina-Lallio. Prisoners of war camp. Old factory constituting the 2nd area buildings. - ICRC Audiovisual archives

Regards,

Vitellino

 

Hello Phil,
My father escaped from an agricultural camp attached to P.G 62. Unfortunately I don’t have any information about the location of the work camp. He sent an undated postcard to my mother from P.G 62 letting her know he had been moved to a work camp with instructions to send letters to the main camp. The card had the numbers 503 penciled on the right hand corner and an official stamp 60/1 but no number for the satellite camp. After the Italians capitulated he escaped into Switzerland via a train trip from Milan to Como and from there across the mountains into Switzerland with the help of cigarette smugglers. He was doing farm work at the time of his escape and I assume he must have been in the vicinity of Milan rather than Bergamo. I wondered if you have any suggestions for finding the location of his camp. I am trying to piece together an account of his war experiences from my memories of his verbal accounts and from research. I would be grateful for any help you might give me, and sorry I don’t have much information that will help your research
Mary

 

Please can you give us his name, Mary? If he escaped to Switzerland there will be a report for him in the WO 208 Series.

Bye the way, Phil never replied to my above post. I hope you are luckier than I was.

 

Apologies Vitellino,
I’ve only just seen your reply after getting notified about Mary’s question. Strange.
Many thanks Vitellino, I’ll take a look at the information you point out to me - many thanks.
I’ve been working on a different project the last 6 months but am returning to assessing the Cyprus Regiment escapers very soon.
Mary,
As Vitellino mentions, provide the name and I’ll see if I can find his escape report. I have copied them all from the National Archives UK.
If both of you send me a personal/private message I’ll share my email, which may be an easier way of communication.
Many thanks again
Phil

 

Good to see that you're still in action Phil!!

 

Thanks for your replies. I am new to this forum and am still finding my way around. Couldn’t work out how to send a private message. His info is: Percy Scott Dalton, Private, 6019716, 1/4 Bat. Essex Regiment. He was taken prisoner on 28th June, 1942, along with many others during the Battle of Mersa Matruh. He made has way through some transit camps in North Africa, and from there via the Mediterranean and Sicily into Italy He spent time in P.G 66, Capua, P.G 70, Monturano, and then to P.G 62, Bergamo and the unknown work camp. Thanks so much for any help you can give me.
Mary

 

Good morning Mary,

if Phil doesn't have a copy of your father's escape report you can order it directly from the National Archives:

Name: Percy Scott Dalton . Rank: Private , 6019716, 1/4 Battalion, Essex Regiment .... | The National Archives

There will only be four pages (unless there is an appendix) so it shoudln't be too costly.

Best wishes,

Vitellino

 

Thanks so much. I will do that.

Mary

 

Please let us know what you find out regarding his work camp.

 

Hi Mary,
I do have a copy. Mary, I’ve sent you a private message with info.
Unfortunately Janet, Percy Dalton only says he was working on a farm at PG62, no working camp is mentioned. Cheers
Phil

 

Good morning gentlemen,

At least it is morning here. I was a bit surprised by the dates on the catalogue description for his prisoner of war record. According to the record he escaped on 28th Sept, 1943, and turned up in Switzerland two days later. From what I understood from his own account, as soon as the Italians capitulated, which would have been at the beginning of September, the guards disappeared and the inmates wandered off into the countryside where they survived with the help of the local people. He told stories of him and his mates catching frogs with nets to give to the local housewives who made soup for them with the legs. Their escape was organized by a local communist who arranged for them to travel by train to Como and from there across the Swiss border. They stayed at his home at some point in their journey. It doesn’t seem likely that all that happened in two days. Do you think the dates are correct? I am also beginning to wonder if he was working in a farm close to PG 62 and commuted daily from there. Is this a possibility?
Thanks for your email Phil. I will answer it soon. Have been a bit busy lately.

Best wishes Mary

 

If that's the case he was probably helped by the Bacciagaluppi organisation. Take a look at my website Escape to Switzerland.
He wouldn't have filled in a card as they weren't used to record the men who had been helped until November.

 

Thanks so much, your website is extremely interesting and I am sure it was this organization that got him out. What wonderful people. My next step is to see if I can find a record of where he crossed the Swiss border. Hoping the Red Cross kept records of that, or perhaps the Swiss authorities.

 

hi Janet, thanks for reply. Unfortunately your "Escape to Switzerland" link does not work for me.

 

he crossed into Switzerland near Ponte-Tresa (Tesine) on 30 September.
he does state he escaped on 28 September from PG62. Perhaps he stayed there and only left/escaped on 28th?

 

Hi Mary,
as I haven't yet received an email reply, I thought I'd post the completed escape section for your information:
"When I got out of my working camp at P.G. 62-Bergamo we were supplied by by the civilians with civilian clothes and got in touch with a Communist, Who refused to reveal his identity, and who took us on bicycles to Milan and from there by train to Luino, from here he supplied us with a guide who took us over the border.
Arriving at Ponte-Iresa (Tesine) on the 30th September 1943."

 

Hello Mary,

As you may have gathered I know a fair bit about escapers to Switzerland and also about work detachments associated with northern prisoner of war camps.

Not all prisoners gave the details of the work camp when they were interrogated. I also think it highly likely that if your father was on a farm he did remain there in hiding for a while after the armistice. On the other hand, mistakes were made by the compilers - unlike the liberation forms, filled in by men released from the camps at the end of the war, these escape forms were filled in by the interrogators and then passed on to a typist, so 28 could be a mistake and the date could have been the 8th, the date of the armistice, or even the 18th.

I will see what I have about others crossing the border from Luino but I can' promise anything,

Vitellino (Janet)

Edited to say: the place of arrival in Switzerland was Ponte TRESA (here's one mistake for a start!)
Second edit.
59 men crossed into Switzerland on 30 September. I have found your father on the list. I will now check on all the others and see if any came from Bergamo.

Phil,

I have just clicked on the think and the site came up straight away.

 

Thanks Janet, wonderfully insightful summary of analysis based on your extensive experience. Thanks for sharing.
I’ll send you in a private message a screenshot of what I see when trying to open your webpage, just in case I’m doing something stupid (not impossible!) and you can help. It still goes nowhere for me. Cheers