POW Norway Campaign 1940

NORWAY CAMPAIGN 1940

I have literally just signed up and would appreciate any help, tips, guidance, information etc that anybody could give me.

I am researching my father's war service, and like so many people, am finding great difficulty in piecing together what happened to him and when. Like many, he would not talk about his experiences, suffice to say he preferred to forget. A modest and self effacing man, he always said he had an easy war compared to some.

Here's what I know so far about him:-

• Private Albert Edwin Billington
• Born 9/7/20. Died 8/11/75.
• Lived in Leicester
• Service No 4859500
• Leicestershire Regiment (TA) 1st/5th A Company
• Joined up 1939 just before war declared.
• Saw action on 23/4/40 at Tretten.
• Service record shows taken as POW on 27/4/40. Unsure if this is the actual date of capture or date of German records.
• Mentioned in Dispatches/ Oak Leaf for gallantry. Unable to trace citation.
• Stalag XXA (312) Thorn Podgorz
• Mentioned he had worked in a sugar beet factory for a significant period of time. Could iy have been at Gdansk, Sopot or Elblag?
• Shot by German Guard during camp altercation.
• Kept a diary of the Long March on POW post cards. We later transcribed these.
• Liberated by the Americans south of Hanover in early April, almost 4 stones lighter than when he joined up.

I would be grateful for any assistance with filling in the gaps.

Thank you

Dave Billington

 

A E Billington in the UK, British Prisoners of War, 1939-1945
Name: A E Billington
Rank: Private
Army Number: 4859500
Regiment: Leicestershire Regiment
POW Number: 5097
Camp Type: Stalag
Camp Number: XX-A
Camp Location: Torun, Poland
Record Office: Infantry Record Office, Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Record Office Number: 19

TD

 

More likely the one at Unislaw Poland so was possibly at the camp Schlusselmuhle.
with this chap.

BBC - WW2 People's War - Dear Diary - 39-45 - From capture to release. POW in Poland

 

Welcome to the forum, Dave.

He would have served with the 1/5th Bn Leicester Regiment, 148th Infantry Brigade, 49th (West Riding) Division.

His service number is definitely from the Leicester's block of army numbers.

Plenty of information online about the Norwegian campaign...

Best,

Steve.

 

Dave, hope the following is new and of interest.

MiD notice in the London Gazette:
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37302/supplement/5009
Unfortunately MiDs had no citation so it is unlikely that you will be able to find more information, perhaps the war diaries may mention the theatre, possibly in the appendices, as it is rare, but not unknown, for ‘other ranks’ to be mentioned in the diaries themselves.

Some newspaper articles.

Birmingham Gazette, Monday, 10 June, 1940
Missing Soldiers Come Back
The names of six officers and 214 other ranks appear in the War Office casualty list issued this morning.
(obviously a long list of many names, so only Leicestershire Regiment are noted)
Wounded
Pte G Pegg
Missing
Pte CB Arnold, Pte G Banks, Pte J Bickle, Pte AE Billington, L/Cpl AT Bryan, CSM M Cleaver, Pte HL Curtis, Pte GW Dilks, Pte WN Hammond, PSM JJ Hannigan, L/Cpl H Henson, Pte F Herring, Pte E Hinton, L/Cpl ME Hough, Pte KD Hubbard, Pte R Hurst, Pte T Jacques, Pte FW Leeds, Pte W Leeson, Pte N McEwan, Pte D Mountain, L/Cpl JS Murfin, Pte JE Plummer, Pte G Rogers, PSM L Sheppard, Pte S Smith, Pte SW Taylor, Pte C Ward, Pte E Wells, Pte C Wharton, Pte H Wilkins, Pte HE Witherington, Pte TW Wortley.
Previously reported missing, now reported not Missing
Cpl JH Henshaw.
Prisoners of war
Pte L Armstrong, Pte JG Bramley, Cpl H Elkington, Pte W Garratt, Pte C Lane, Pte J Morrell, Pte ER Neale, Pte EH Perry, Pte W Smith, Pte SE Taylor, Pte GL Woolley.
Previously reported missing, now reported prisoner of war
Pte W Dalby, Pte JA Healey, Pte T Wade
Died
Pte A Carlisle

The Nottingham Evening Post, Tuesday, September 10, 1940
Missing Men Safe
Lincs, Leicestershire and Foresters’ names
War Office casualty list No. 39, issued today, contains the names of a number of the Lincolnshire and Leicestershire Regiments who were previously reported missing and are now reported prisoners of war, and men of the Sherwood Forresters who were previously reported missing and are not now missing. They are:

Previously reported missing, now reported prisoners of war:
Lincolnshire Regiment,
Pte J Atkinson, Pte C Bourne, Pte CH Burton, Pte AL Mann, Pte W Todd, Pte WH Warne, Pte JE Wynn.
Leicestershire Regiment,
Cpl FH Bates, Pte AE Billington, Pte JR Cooper, Pte JR Forder, Pte L Johnson, Pte W Parker, Pte TH Tomlinson, Pte C Wharton, Pte J Woodward.

Previously reported missing, now reported not missing:
Sherwood Foresters,
Pte P Cartwright, Pte HG Emery, Pte NW Page, Pte A Riddick, Act L Cpl H Tatler, Pte H Tomlinson.

British Army Casualty List No 204, 14 May 1940
1/5 Battalion, The Leicestershire Regiment
includes
4859500 Billington, Pte AE, date of casualty 23/4/1940

British Army Casualty List No 235, 19 June 1940
Prisoners of war
Previously shown on list 204 as missing
1/5 Battalion, The Leicestershire Regiment
4859500 Billington, Pte AE, date not reported

British Army Casualty List No 1776, 7 June 1945
Previously reported Prisoner of war in German hands (Germany) now not prisoner of war
1/5 Battalion, The Leicestershire Regiment
4859500 Billington, Pte AE, previous list 235, Theatre North Western

Best of luck with your research.

 

"A modest and self effacing man, he always said he had an easy war compared to some."
Exactly like my dear Dad. Glad you've found more about him, Dave.

 

Hi. Thank you so much to everybody for getting back to me. Certainly didn't expect to get quality information like this and so quickly! Not just one reply, but three!

If I'm honest, I'm a bit of a technophobe and forums, online searches etc are a bit of a minefield. Learning slowly so forgive me if I ask "obvious" questions.

I have just found a fascinating thread about The Sherwood Foresters action at Tretten. As A Coy Leicesters were mentioned, I am assuming that's where Dad would have been taken prisoner. I have discovered a 4 day gap between the date of the action and German records showing his capture.

Could this be a delay in processing prisoners or could he have "gone to ground"?

He is shown as a casualty but does this mean simply captured?

Would he have been taken directly to Torun or taken elsewhere for interrogation?

Thrilled to learn about the camp at Schlusselmuhle and that RCG may have been there at the same time. Wondering what the camp was like. Was it simply a barrack room without barbed wire etc, as I have discovered some were?

Thanks again to everyone who has replied. I never thought I would get such a response. Back with more questions soon I am sure!

Kind regards

Dave

What was it about these guys? Makes me feel very humble. Reading some of these threads I can't even begin to comprehend what they must have experienced.

Dave

Amazing info. Thank you for taking the trouble for me.

Thank you for this. Really appreciated. Do you know if I have to get in touch with the Red Ross for his POW records?

Dave

Oh yes. Brilliant. Didn't realise all this was available. Thank you very much. I think the family are going to be more than impressed! You're all making me look good!

Hi Steve

Are you the same Steve whose threads I've been reading about the campaign? Very impressive I must say. Very useful indeed.

Great information to have. Thanks very much. Think my sister may have a photo of Dad shortly after returning to England. I think I can figure out how to upload it for you to see if it jogs any memories. He also had a close mate named Frank "Jack or Jackie" Allen. Unsure of his unit but something's telling me the Gloucesters????

Thanks again

Dave

 

Hi,

ICRC initially suspended WW2 enquiries about 4 years ago to digitise their papers - same as done for WW1 papers released to internet in 2014.

Initial message said project would be completed in 2016 but when I checked for an update summer 2016 the message had changed to mention nothing of project completion.

It simply said (paraphrasing here) no further WW2 enquiries accepted due to lack of resources for historic research due to ongoing conflicts etc.

I've just checked again and it would appear that according to an ICRC Press Release dated today 3rd January 2017 that the digitisation project is now off the agenda and they have reintroduced the system previously in force until 2012.

Please see below link. Note : when I applied in 2010 it took a year to get a reply.

Good Luck

Requests for information about people held during the Spanish Civil War or the Second World War

Steve Y

 

T

Hi Steve

Thank you very much. Sounds a familiar story! The old way of doing things may be outdated....but.even if it takes a year there's a chance I'll get some information!

Cheers

Dave

 

*
Hello Dave,

Doubtful. My main interest is the 50th (Nothumbrian) Division and they were in France with the BEF in 1940.

I have written about the fact that, in August 1945 the 50th (Northumbrian) Division HQ ceased to command its formations and units when it moved, with some Divisional troops, to Norway as 'HQ British Land Forces Norway'. Link here, post No.12: 50th Northumbrian Division Disbandment

Have you looked into whether your father completed a Liberation Questionnaire on his release? These are held at the National Archive at Kew and some of our forum members can assist with a search for one for a reasonable fee...

Best,

Steve.

 

Hi Steve

I think when I've completed my research on my fathers war, I'll be having a good look at 50th Division. Some of my wife's relatives are from your area and may have been involved.

Regarding Liberation Questionnaires, I've not come across these before. Presumably these were obviously the basis for Nuremberg as well as general updates on health and welfare of POWs? I'll get onto this asap.

So many lines of enquiry to pursue thanks to this forum. Brilliant.

Kind regards

Dave

 

Hello Dave,

I used to work in London with a Keith Billington who hailed from Sunderland...

Have a look at post No. 10 in this link for a copy of a Liberation Questionnaire: Help requested for an Italian searching for a PoW sheltered by his great grandad

Best,

Steve.

 

Hi Steve

Thanks again for your help. Am I right in thinking the role of IS9 was to help servicemen evade capture and/or to escape? Not having been in the services myself, I'm not aware of the various protocols, procedures and systems. I am finding it very interesting discovering all the different approaches to establishing information. Any other tips?!!!!! I'm going to see what NA have on this topic.....spending more time on this project than with my wife!!

Re Keith Billington. I'm not aware of him. There seem to be two main sources of the family name; one appears to have originated from the village of this name in Bedfordshire and the other from around the North West. The latter appears to be the wealthy side and I understand the family behind the famous sugar business have their roots here. My family originate from the former and have included rat catchers amongst their their ranks haha!

My late mother in law hailed from Newcastle and had extended family in Durham and I think across the Pennines too. My late father was a Leicester lad like my father, and was in the navy. Unusually, her name was Wilson and his was Willson. Will be having a look at both of these on completion of this little project.

Kind regards

Dave

 

Hello Keith,

My family tended to get killed, wounded & evacuated or came out unscathed. None were ever taken PoW, so I have never investigated this side of WW I or II. I can't assist with your IS9 question.

Although originally from the north east (Gosforth), nowadays I don't live far from Billington, Bedfordshire. So know the area. One of my acquaintances is the grandson of a Cumbrian who moved to Bedfordshire to work as a rat catcher for the Duke on the Bedford Estate. There must have been a lot of rats in Bedfordshire.

I'll keep an eye out for your posts and will chip in if I can help, which is most likely it seems for your mother in laws family if they have 50 Div connections.

Enjoy the journey of discovery!

Best,

Steve.

 

I am in no way an expert in the Campaign in Norway 1940. But I do know that the Norwegians published a set of books on Norway in the war including this campaign after the war. Just like the Americans, Dutch and British.

I am surprised if there is not a Norwegian who can check into this in a library and help with a translation just like I have done in the past with the Campaign in the Netherlands East Indies 1941.

 

Thanks for your help Steve. Hope these ancestors did a good job!

 

Appreciate this thought. Only have accounts by Sherwood Foresters from 148 Brigade. Little or nothing written by members of 1/5 Leicester's. Unable to make contact with their historian so far. Thanks for getting in touch. Regards. Dave
'

 

My first attempt at research around 4 years with N A proved unsuccessful and I was under the impression that they didn't have any idea of their whereabouts. This was supported by local records office, so now to learn that they do exist is great news. Hopefully somebody may be able to forward them to me. Thanks very much for your help.

Absolutely amazed at the sheer volume of information that I have gleaned in less than a week. Thanks to everyone who has been in touch.

Regards

Dave