4389088 Private Ronald James JACKSON, 4th Green Howards: POW 24/04/1945, Shot by SS

Hi - new to the Forum after coming across it while looking for information on my wife's Uncle who was a POW after Dunkirk. I am in the process of sorting application for his records from the MOD and also wondering which Geneology site members would recommend for Family Research/Army info.
Thanks.

 

welcome to the forum

 

Welcome, you are starting the correct way, by sending off for his service records, that is the only way to go, a long delay at present but worth the wait. The two main sites for family history are Ancestry or Findmypast but you must remember that there is not a great deal of WW2 information in the public domain as the records are subject to the 100 year rule. Some POW records are available and FMP does have casualty lists.

 

Thanks CL1 and Tony56

 

A belated welcome aboard!

 

If you reveal a name and regiment plus any other information you have we can have a look.

 

Hi hope its ok posting info this section :-

Private Ronald James Jackson 4389088 : 4th Batallion Green Howards :
Believe captured during Dunkirk - (Stalag XXA ? then) Stalag XXB.215 Marienburg : POW 7963
Was "Adopted" as POW and had a visit by Mrs Roche
Shot by SS at Putlitz 24 April 1945 - Age 26
Son of Robert William and Olive Agnes Jackson

Thank You

 

From another new recruit, welcome and enjoy. There is so much research info on here.

Tragic that Pte Jacksn was shot by SS in 1945. Was he escaping? Do you know the story there?

 

Theres a PoW card at Kew but theres a discrepency in the service number ?

Reference: WO 416/193/459
Description: PoW Card
Name: Ronald James Jackson.

Date of Birth: 18/11/1918.

Place of Birth: Guisborough.

Service: British Army.

Rank: Private.

Regiment/Unit/Squadron: Green Howards, (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment)

Service Number: 4389085.

Date of Capture: 23 May 1940.

Theatre of Capture: [unspecified].

Camp Name/Number: Stalag XXA Thorn.

PoW number: 7963.

Date of Death: [unspecified].

Number of Photographs: 0.

Number of Fingerprints: 0.

Number of X-rays: 0.

Number of Cards: 1.



Kyle

 

PRIVATE: RONALD JAMES JACKSON
Service Number: 4389088
Regiment & Unit/Ship: Green Howards (Yorkshire Regiment), 4th Bn.
Date of Death: Died 24 April 1945
Age: 26 years old
Buried or commemorated at: PUTLITZ TOWN CEMETERY , Germany
Additional Info: Son of Robert William and Olive Agnes Jackson, of Guisborough, Yorkshire.

The 4th Bn Green Howards were at Athie on 23 May 1940 and found themselves ‘surrounded’ on two sides. They withdrew at 3 am on 24 May 1940 to Carvin. Some troops didn’t get away (obviously). The Regimental history also mentions stragglers arriving all day, so maybe Pte. Jackson was a straggler and was captured on his journey.

There is no mention of him in the Regimental history: ‘The Story of The Green Howards 1939-1945‘ (Synge).

 

Welcome Redslade,

I have found this site and the members to be very helpful. I'm sure that you will find the same.
Regarding using Ancestry, they take a lot of money for a subscription and yet when you have the result of a search of Military information, it often refers you to the site Fold3 which holds it. Fold3 is run by Ancestry, but wants you to pay a further subscription to access that information. It doesn't have any information on there pertaining to my Grandfather. That was supplied by somebody on this site. Also, I'm unable to find information regarding an Uncle who also served (I have a photograph of him in uniform). So, don't think you will find everything on Ancestry. A little extra work will probably be required!

Good luck.

Paul

 

From Find my past;

 

This repeats some of the information previously supplied but does give the date of 19 June 40 as the day he went missing:

4389088 JACKSON Pte R 4th Bn The Green Howards
Casualty List No. 249 Dated 8 July 1940 - Reported missing 19.6.40
Casualty List No. 277 Dated 9 August 1940 - POW (Previously reported as missing)
Casualty List No. 1798 Dated 3 July 1945 - Previously reported POW in German hands (Germany), now reported died 24.4.45

WO 392/1 List of POWs in Germany or German Occupied Territory
Camp No. 20B (Marienburg)
POW No. 7963
Name. JACKSON R
Rank. Pte
Army No. 4389088
Regt. Gn. How
Record Office. 20

 

Further references found online:

1. Pvt Ronald James Jackson (Unknown-1945) - Find A...

2. GUISBOROUGH WAR MEMORIAL, YORKSHIRE (13)

+ further information/documents from CWGC:

3. Casualty Details | CWGC

 

Wow ! Thank you to everybody above - I didn't realise, or expect, the level of replies.

I posted the initial reply to Wobbler and Tony 56 last night with the basic info - I have some copies I recently from the Green Howards of POW records, a photo of a group of POW, and a report sent in by relatives of Private Albert True 6348085 who was also shot in the same incident plus 4 others - all 6 buried at Putlitz - the report refers to a visit to Putlitz by two nephews (my wife's cousins) a Grandson and family friend to Ronnie's grave. The German officer involved was never identified. I will endeavour to upload to my laptop and then onto here.

The family had tried to find where Ronnie was buried while my wife's father, Derrick, was still alive so he may pay a visit - the information only came to light after his death.
The family had believed his death to be May 8th - the day Derrick passed away.

Thanks again and I will upload the images.

 

This is a very interesting post. Looking at Ronald and the other three having the same date of death and the two Indian POW's having a date of death two days later, I wondered if there was an error> But, looking at the CWGC paperwork, I assume it's correct, but would love to know more. Were all of the bodies recovered after re-unification, or just the two Indian POW's? Are the circumstances of them being found known?
Paul

 

Hi,
from info I've got, and will upload, graves discovered after unification of Germany - I've found report that 4 were shot on that day, 3 died instantly the other during night - will add to copies of documents

 

Hi would I be better to start a thread in the General Section under Private Ronald James Jackson rather than continuing in the Introductions section - Thank you for all your replies

 

See also:

• 2733069 Serjeant Albert EDWARDS, 2 Welsh Guards: POW
• "The shooting of 4 British soldiers in cold blood by an Officer in the WAFFEN SS at PUTLITZ near WITTENBERG. The last information given by the German guards was that the Officer was detained at the Hospital at SCHWERIN."
•