I am trying to find details of my grandfather in law Sgt Walter Roberts born 21 July 1913. He was in the 4th battalion yorks and lancs. He escaped from camp 53 Sforza costa Macerata on the 15th September 1943. His army number is 4342186. I am tying to find out where he was captured and also the route his company would have taken after leaving sheffield. Would I be able to obtain photos also, if so where from? Any information at all would be great. Thank you in advance.
Hi, Welcome. The specialists in his unit will be along shortly but l am going to Kew on Tuesday so will see if l can find his Liberation Questionnaire that he will have completed on his return home. If he did complete one and Army tend to be a bit fickle, then this will give you some of the information you are looking for. Good luck. Regards, Nick
Thank you for your prompt replies. Sorry Drew we think he joined around 36, 37 but don't have a clue when he was captured as he would never talk about his time as a POW or his escape. Hi Nick that is very kind of you thank you. Steph
That rough date is OK, I wondered if he joined during the war or before the war. If he escaped from a camp in Italy during 1943 he most likely got captured in Africa.
Thank you for the. Yes I believe that he was involved in Dunkirk so he's joined before the war and was a career soldier. Apparently the legend goes that he was stealing socks from a dead Italian as they were better than his and that is how he to captured.
Ok, Huston we have a problem....There was no 4th Battalion according to the regimental history by Sheffield. Only 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th are mentioned along with the Hallamshires and the converted units.
There was no 4th Bn Yorks & Lancs they became the Hallamshires in 1924. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallamshire_Battalion Standard reply is to apply to MoD for his service records.
If he was at Dunkirk then he could have been with either the 1st or 6th battalions. I think you may need to apply for a copy of his service records to confirm his units, he may have even changed units during his career, quite common, my partners GF served with 4 different units during the war.
I've checked the Missing Personnel File for the 6th Battalion - Yorks & Lancs for North Africa (WO 361-910) and his name doesn't appear in there. Also had a quick look through the one for Italy and he's not in there either, so looks like he wasn't with the 6th Battalion when he was captured. Also his Army No. 4342186 is from the block 4334001 - 4379000 which was allocated to the East Yorkshire Regiment
4342186 Pte W Roberts East Yorkshire Regt spent time at Campo PG 53 .I think it was near to Macerata? Its from Wo21 so its not the most accurate of sources. Kyle
There was a 4 East Yorks in France during 1940 but I don't like to speculate. A copy of Service Records are the future
From the POW lists - no camp info though First Name: W Last Name: Roberts Rank: Sergeant Regt / Unit: 4th Btn East Yorkshire Regiment Soldier Number: 4342186
Hi Stephr For general background I recommend the following sources: http://camp59survivors.wordpress.com/ Although your guy was in camp 53, there is a lot of information overlap. For instance, Sidney Seymour Smith (searchable in the above site) escaped from Sforzacosta Also, have a look at this interview with Ray Ellis, who was in Sforzacosta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSFAWxPZC4o&index=2&list=HL1402488079 There are quite a few people on the ground in Le Marche Italy (the region in which camps 53, 59 and 70 were located), who can help if and when you want to extend your research All the best Anne
Thank you Anne and Jackson The information is very helpful. I found the website very informative as is this website. Regards Steph
