7612534 Craftsman Leslie SULLIVAN, REME & Long Range Desert Group: POW

Army Number: 7612534
Rank: Craftsman
Name: Leslie SULLIVAN
Unit: REME & Long Range Desert Group

 

View Record via Ancestry
Sullivan Leslie
Date of Birth: 26 Aug 1919
Date of Enlistment: 20 Oct 1939
Date of Capture: 20 Nov 1943
Place of Capture: Leros, Dodecanese

PART I.
GENERAL QUESTIONNAIRE FOR BRITISH/AMERICAN EX-PRISONERS OF WAR.

1. No. 7612534
RANK - CRAFTSMAN
SURNAME - SULLIVAN
CHRISTIAN NAMES - LESLIE
DECORATIONS - AFRICA STAR (8)

2. UNIT (ARMY) - LONG RANGE DESERT GROUP (R.E.M.E)

3. DIVISION (ARMY) - M.E. G.H.Q. TROOPS

4. DATE OF BIRTH - 26th AUGUST 1919

5. DATE OF ENLISTMENT - 20/10/39

6. CIVILIAN TRADE OR PROFESSION - DIESEL ENGINE FITTER

7. PRIVATE ADDRESS - 145 CROMWELL ROAD, PATRICROFT, MANCHESTER, ENGLAND

8. PLACE AND DATE OF ORIGINAL CAPTURE - LEROS (DODECANESE) NOV. 20th 1943

9. WERE YOU WOUNDED WHEN CAPTURED? - NO

10. MAIN CAMPS OR HOSPITALS IN WHICH IMPRISONED
Camp No. / Location / From / Till
STALAG VII A MOOSBURG JAN 26th - FEB 7th 1944
STALAG IV B MüHLBERG FEB 9th 1944 - APRIL 23 1945


11. WERE YOU IN A WORKING CAMP?
Location / From/ Till / Nature of Work
NO

12. DID YOU SUFFER FROM ANY SERIOUS ILLNESSES WHILE A P/W? YES
Nature of Illness / Cause / Duration
DYSENTERY / CONDITIONS FOLLOWING CAPTURE / TWO MONTHS


12 b. DID YOU RECEIVE ADEQUATE MEDICAL TREATMENT?
DEFINITELY NOT

GENERAL QUESTIONNAIRE PART II TOP SECRET

1. No. 7612534
RANK - CRAFTSMAN
SURNAME - SULLIVAN
CHRISTIAN NAMES - LESLIE


2. LECTURES before Capture:
( a ) Were you lectured in your unit on how to behave the event of capture? (State where, when and by whom).
HAIYFA [sic] SEPTEMBER 1943 BY VISITING INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS
( b ) Were you lectured on escape and evasion? (State where, when and by whom.
SAME AS ABOVE

3. INTERROGATION after capture:
Were you specially interrogated by the enemy? (State where, when and methods employed by enemy).
NO

4. ESCAPES attempted:
Did yo make any attempted or partly successful escapes? (Give details of each attempt accurately, stating where, when, method employed, names of your companions, wherein when recaptured and by whom. Were you physically fit? What happened to your companions?)
NO

5. SABOTAGE
Did you do any sabotage or destruction of enemy factory plant, war material, communications, etc, when employed on working-parties or during escape? (Give details, places and dates.)
NO

6. COLLABORATION with enemy:
Do you know of any British or American personnel who collaborated with the enemy or in any way helped the enemy agains other Allied Prisoners of War? (Give details, names of persons concerned, camps, dates and nature of collaboration or help given to enemy).
NO

7. WAR CRIMES
If you have any information or evidence of bad treatment by the enemy to yourself or to others, or knowledge of any enemy violation of Geneva Convention you should ask for a copy of "Form Q" on which to make your statement.
(NOTE: Form Q is a separate form inviting information on "War Crimes" and describes the kind of offences coning under this title.)



GENERAL QUESTIONNAIRE PART II TOP SECRET
(continued)

8. Have you any other matter of any kind you wish to bring to notice?
-


SECURITY UNDERTAKING
I fully realise that all information relating the matters covered by the questions in Part II. are of a highly secret and official nature.

I have had explained to me and fully understand that under Defence Regulations or U.S.A.R. 380-5 I am forbidden to publish or communicate any information concerning these matters.

Date 19th May 1945
Signature L Sullivan

 

Sullivan, Leslie 'Les' (Oral history)

Object description
British private served with Royal Army Ordnance Corps in GB and Egypt, 1939-1941; private served with Long Range Desert Group in North Africa and Greece, 1941-1943; POW in Germany, 1943-1945

Content description

• REEL 1 Background in Patricroft, Lancs, GB, 1919-1939: family; education; civilian work; story of joining army. Aspects of period as private with Royal Army Ordnance Corps in GB and Egypt, 9/1939-11/1941: processing in Hilsea; hospitalisation including treatment for dermatitis; interview with commanding officer on return; course attended in Isleworth; period attached to 10th Battalion Cameronian Highlanders and training given to unit; coastal defence duties; story of gaining truck for travel to lunch; posting attached to Officers Cadet Training Unit in Pwllheli; relationship with commanding officer and story of problems fixing a truck's speed at 30mph; posting overseas; marriage; posting in Tel-el-Kebir; background to posting to Long Range Desert Group. Aspects of operations as private with Long Range Desert Group in North Africa, 11/1941-1943: joining of unit in Mersa Matruh; making and use of petrol bombs including description of roadblocks; signs warning of ambushes; summary of period with Long Range Desert Group.
• REEL 2 Continues: impressions on joining unit; journey to base and withdrawal; periods at Jalo and Sewa including story of dates; journey to Kufra; terrain; work and memories of Major Ralph Bagnold including washing in desert; organisation of unit; setting up of emergency dumps; story of Moore's March; navigation; work of survey section; determination among fitters; story of repairs made to a truck; possibility of being returned to unit; story of soldier dismantled truck; atmosphere in unit; success of repair work; use of plaited string for fan belts; organisation of spares; story of problems changing a tyre; details of sand tyre; reflections on W8 Waikaha in Imperial War Museum.
• REEL 3 Continues: involvement with re-enactment group; air activity; details of sand mats and their use to signal Allied aircraft; receiving fire from Allied aircraft; method of defending against attacks from aircraft; question of use of covers on trucks including wearing of keffiyeh; German hospital; details of trucks used; leave; journeys through desert; problems with petrol tins; plan for patrol at Tobruk including role of unit; details of terrain covered en route to Tobruk; story of accident involving vehicle with Guards in; evacuation of injured Guardsman by plane including amendments made to plane to make this possible; later appearance of story on This Is Your Life; failure of attack on Tobruk; medical staff; informality between ranks; growing of beards; use of water rations; description of condenser in vehicle radiators invented by Major Ralph Bagnold.
• REEL 4 Continues: evacuation of wounded; number of casualties in desert and on Leros; problems with operation on Leros; question of fear in desert; story of patrol to Hon oasis including inspections of opposition vehicles and accident from mine; details of Light Aid Detachment; story of attachment to New Zealand unit; rations including rum; memories of comrade known as The General including story of visit to NAAFI canteen at 51st (Highland) Division camp; story of visit to Alexandria; details of water carried in trucks; story of transporting Randolph Churchill; sleeping arrangements and cold at night; clothing worn during day and condition of skin in sun; weapons carried; communications.
• REEL 5 Continues: navigation training received; contact with civilians; Italian long range desert work; details of desert terrain including view that desert belonged to them; sandstorms; wildlife in different parts of desert; hospitalisation with malaria including story of ship seen upon waking up; relationship with and role of Special Air Service; story of rescuing early Special Air Service patrol; later support given to Special Air Service; membership of Special Air Service Association; discussion of work with Special Air Service; emergency stores remaining in desert; story of surrounding a mirage; attempt to shoot Planet Venus from Leros; black mark discipline system; story of prank with weapons.
• REEL 6 Continues: subsequent interview with commanding officer; reaction to possibility of being returned to unit; relationship among troops including organisation of unit and reorganisation following Leros; details of involvement with association; selection for Long Range Desert Group; details of Kufra and Sewa; learning to swim; swimmers in family; attempt to track down and memories of brother including mail.
• REEL 7 Continues: period in Syria. Aspects of operations as private with Long Range Desert Group in Greece, 1943: role on Leros; naval activity; location on Leros; German air landing including anti-aircraft fire; resistance against German invasion; attempt of submarines to rescue troops; running out of rations; call from German boat for surrender; troops responding to call. Aspects of period as POW in transit, 1943-1945: voyage to Piraeus; period in warehouse including rations and latrines; train journey north; hospitalisation with dysentery in Skopje and story of bartering with fellow POW on train; story of German patient; Christmas 1943; rumour of war's end. Aspects of period as POW in Germany, 1944-1945: arrival in camp at Muhlburg-on-Elbe; bombing of nearby Dresden; clearance of rubble in Dresden; exemption from work; contact with civilians; conduct of American POWs including details of rations and relationship with Russian POWs.
• REEL 8 Continues: attitude toward Germans; opinion of Egyptian anti-aircraft units; opinion of Italian troops; description of camp; radios and news of war; relief from Russian troops; release of Russian POWs and Russian scorched earth policy; shooting of bad guards including example of one known as The Killer; opinion of and relationship with guards; exercise in camps; weight and fitness when released; rations scavenged from area; closing of camp; news of the disappearance of diplomats; escape from camp; walk to Allied lines; first contact with US troops; story of night in farmhouse; crossing of Elbe; processing in American camp; issue of kit; rations; night in camp; flight to GB; interview on arrival and telephone call made to wife. Aspects of period as civilian in GB from 1945: journey to meet wife.
• REEL 9 Continues: reception on return; scams for gaining ration coupons and tools; civilian work; mail sent home during war; wife's knowledge of his capture; role of escapes from camp; buying first home and previous accommodation including help from British Legion; medical facilities in camp including inoculations; knowledge of war during period in North Africa; praise for and pride in work of Long Raid Desert Group; reflections on Second World War; civilian work and life before war.
• REEL 10 Continues: details of account with Co-Op; food and poverty during childhood; friendship with current neighbours.

 

See also:

• The Long Range Desert Group in the Aegean
•