Dear all, My Grandfather, John Mitchell was captured at Doullens and spent the war in a forced labour camp in Poland. Would anyone be able to furnish me with any details about my Grandfather, or have suggestions as to where to look? I would be interested in finding out which company he was with and his PoW details if at all possible. According to my father and uncle's he understandably didn't speak of his experiences during WW2, except for a few details being that he was a Bren gunner and that he was kept in service briefly after liberation due to evidence he may have of war crimes having been committed. He died while I was very young and I am trying to put together his story. Any help or information would be greatly appreciated. Kind regards, Clint
Service records would be a good start see the link below and have a read you require date of birth and a copy of his death certificate plus £30 to apply Get a copy of military service records regards Clive
See if he has a Mi9 questionnaire. Held at Kew (not digitised): War Office: Directorate of Military Intelligence: Liberated Prisoner of War Interrogation Questionnaires | The National Archives If there is anything in the "witnessing atrocities" story then that may be mentioned as there is a section for it on the form they were asked to complete upon repatriation. No affiliation but ARCRE will search for a reasonable fee (once Kew is open again!): POW Liberation Questionnaires (There are other researchers who perform a similar service).
Good morning Clint, It would seem your grandfather served in A Company - see below details from TNA: Reference: WO 416/258/5 Description: Name: John Mitchell. Date of Birth: 24/01/1920. Place of Birth: Hayling, Kent. Service: British Army. Rank: Private. Regiment/Unit/Squadron: A Company, The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment. Service Number: 6346266. Date of Capture: 30/05/1940. Theatre of Capture: France. Camp Name/Number: Stalag XXA Thorn. PoW number: 8824. Date of Death: [unspecified]. Number of Photographs: 0. Number of Fingerprints: 0. Number of X-rays: 0. Number of Cards: 1. Regards Bruneval.
