6397677 L/Cpl. John Harold Knight, 4 Royal Sussex Regiment: POW

Hello everybody,

A badly damaged commemoration plaque in the town of Fontana Liri, to the north of Cassino, gives the name J.H. Knight along with the names of other escaped prisoners of war. During the winter 1943-4 Fontana Liri was a popular staging point for those escapers attempting to cross the lines to rejoin Allied forces.

My contact in Fontana Liri thinks that originally his service number and/or his regiment may have been on this plaque, which may be replaced in time for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the town.

I have checked a few sources, including WO 392/21, in which there is only one soldier with those intitials and surname - 6397677 L/Cpl J.H. Knight, Royal Sussex Regiment. He is registered as having been held in PG 70 Monte Urano. At some stage L/Cpl Knight was recaptured and sent to Stalag IVB Muhlberg - there is a German Record Card for a John H. Knight in WO 416.

I am looking for someone with an Ancestry subscription who can help me out by checking to see it here is a liberation report for 6397677 L/Cpl. J.H. Knight.

Thanks in anticipation,

Vitellino

 

Is this your man?

 

Thank you so much. Where would we be - researchers and families alike - without ww2 talk?

I think I can now safely go ahead and give his details to my contact. There is an interesting detail - he says he was in Camp 66 until 15 08 43, if I have read this correctly. I think he means 15 09 43 - if not, it indicates that he had escaped before the armistice. However, Camp 66 wasn't far from Fontana Liri and he could well have been in hiding near the town. I couldn't understand why he had ended up in Fontana Liri from PG 70 - an unecessary and risky trek across the Appenines when he could have gone south - so presumably his camp was wrongly registered in WO 292/21.

The fact that he refers to a POW casualty could be the reason why his German Record Card is closed until January 2025.

Vitellino

Edited to say: he could have been sent to PG 70 in August '43 as I have discovered that men were still being moved from PG 66 as late as July - some were sent to PG 82 at Laterina and I know for certain that some escapers from that camp ended up in Fontana Liri....

 

West Sussex County Times, Friday, November 27, 1942


John Harold Knight (1916-1993) - Find a Grave Memorial

 

Just to be certain about his movements in the summer of 1943, next Monday the IRC in Geneva is open for requests so I'll submit him.

 

His presence in PG 66, PG 70 Monturano and Stalag IV B is now confirmed.