hello all,it appears that my grandad was at stalag 20b for most/all of the war,does any one have any info/pics on the place,cheers all darren
Hi Andrew and Welcome to the forum. Feel free to to tell us about your fathers service if you wish. Regards Andy
My father, Henry YOUNG (probably known as Harry) of 8th Pioneer Battalion, Kings Own Royal regiment (now deceased) was captured at Amiens on 29.04.1940 and arrived at Stalag XXA on 21.07.1940 coming from a Dulag (according to a list dated 24.07.1940 and a capture card I have a copy of dated 23.07.1940). He was transferred from Stalag XXA(1) to Stalag XXB on 1.11.1940 and appears to have remained there until repatriated and arrived back in the UK on 19.05.1945. Can anyone throw a light on his time there? He never spoke of his experiences but I think he was something of an artist.
Ray, Hello and welcome to the forum. I wish you luck with your enquiries. This is a good website for POW camp information. Prisoner of War Regards Tom
Hi all, my great uncle, Albert Derbyshire, was captured at Dunkirk in 1940 and spent the rest of the war as a POW ending up at XXB. He sadly died on 23rd Jan 45 but we have no knowledge of the circumstances of his death or the whereabouts of his resting place, if any. He served with the Royal Corp of Signals. A polish girl wrote to his parents asking if he returned home safe after the war unaware that he had died. We would appreciate any in formation that may shed some light on his fate. Best regards Paul
According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website: CWGC :: Casualty Details He died on 19 January 1945. I take it you have seen this from another relative: The Wartime Memories Project - The Second World War - Those Who Served Signalman Albert Derbyshire . British Army Royal Corps of Signals (d.19th Jan 1945) I would like to find any information regarding my Great Uncle, Signalman Albert Derbyshire 2584305. He was captured on 3/6/40 at St Omer and sent to Stalag XXA on 21/7/40 Prisoner No. 18781. He was transferred to Stalag XXB in Oct 41. He died on 19/1/45 and this is the part that hurts the family as we don`t know how. I thought that he possibly died on one of the forced marches but, reading some of the stories on this site it would seem he died before the marches began. Paul Rowley As that site is rather old I looked up the evacuation of Stalag XXB in John Nichol and Tony Rennell's excellent book "The Last Escape - The Untold Story of Allied Prisoners of war in Europe 1944-45" Page 177 states the evacuation from XX started "before Christmas". However, Stalag XX was made up of a series of work camps and others on here may be able to tell you which kommando he was in and the circumstances of his loss.
According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website: CWGC :: Casualty Details He died on 19 January 1945. I take it you have seen this from another relative: The Wartime Memories Project - The Second World War - Those Who Served As that site is rather old I looked up the evacuation of Stalag XXB in John Nichol and Tony Rennell's excellent book "The Last Escape - The Untold Story of Allied Prisoners of war in Europe 1944-45" Page 177 states the evacuation from XX started "before Christmas". However, Stalag XX was made up of a series of work camps and others on here may be able to tell you which kommando he was in and the circumstances of his loss. Thanks for the reply Alieneyes, the other relative is in fact myself, I posted that ages ago. I came across this sight only the other day and quickly posted on the spur of the moment and put in the wrong date, I think the 23rd was the start of the march. Thanks again and I will carry on the seach with the info contained in that old post. Rgds Paul
Hi Paul I'm wondering if you've had any breakthroughs on the cause of Albert's death? Having read a bit about conditions at Stalag XXB, they were very basic and the food was starvation level unless Red Cross parcels got through. The subject of this book "Ghosts of Dunkirk" is a man named Denis Minter who I think is still alive. He might know something? There's a Facebook page for the book you could look up. Prisoners died of many things - typhus, pneumonia, starvation, dysentery, gangrene infections, at the hands of guards, other prisoners and suicide. Going out on work parties could sometimes mean opportunities to barter or get extra food from farm stays. They were also suffering with the cold in winter due to inadequate clothing, footwear and heating. The POWs were constantly suffering from lice and bed bugs. Lice brought typhoid. Rats swarmed the camps at night. So men died often. The Forced march was just the final gruelling ordeal, causing many more deaths. Sorry this is so grim or if you already know all this, but I hope it Might help. Good luck with your research. Regards Barbara
