946904 Gunner Edward MARSHALL, RA: POW Camp 54 Sabina & E&E Switzerland

Hi,
I am attempting to trace my father’s war records, Edward Marshall 946904, a gunner in the Royal Artillery.
He didn’t say much of his time in the war so we are having some difficulty following his history. However, we know he was a POW in Camp 54 (via POW records) and escaped and lived with a family in the area and apparently worked in a local hospital. He later made his way to Switzerland and finally home to the UK.
I have details that state that he was initially believed killed in action in the North Africa theatre Cyrenaic, this was later amended to state he was held in Italy.
We shall travel to Sabina later this year to see the area where the camp was and hopefully to see if we can identify anything else about his time there and his route home.
I have seen some other threads on this site about Camp 54 and would appreciate any assistance / advice anyone can give.

 

Hello Howard,

You say you have found out that your father was in PG 54 from POW records. May I ask which records? If you let us know what you already have it will help us.

Camp PG 54 is still there. It has been turned into a village called Borgo Santa Maria. The camp was not at Fara in Sabina but near Passo Corese. Its name came from the nearest railway station. See my website CAMPO PG 54 FARA IN SABINA

I have found your father in document WO 392/21, National Archives, which lists prisoners being held in Italy as of August 1943. However, I cannot find any record of him in Switzerland, either in British or Italian Records. I have entered his service number and name into the National Archives 'Discovery' with the Code WO 208 Switzerland (for Escape Reports) but there is nothing there for him.

It would have been quite an enterprise to get to Switzerland from PG 54. I suspect he may have been sent to a work camp in northern Italy during spring or early summer of 1943, as were many others.

Regards,

Vitellino

Edited to say:

I have now discovered that in British Army Casualty List WO 417/77 (23rd June-12 July 1944) your father is recorded as being no longer a prisoner of-war in Italian hands. This suggests that he reached Allied lines after the liberation of Rome on 4 June. I will have a quick look fo an escape report but don't hold out much hope as many of the reports from men who reached allied lines on the western side of Italy are somewhere in the National Archives but have not yet been tracked down ( at least by me, I should add).

Edited again to show the two ways of reporting an escaped prisoner in British Army Casualty Lists: the first shows that he was no longer a prisoner because he had joined allied lines, the second that he had escaped to a neutral country - that is, Switzerland. Later, in 1944-5, when some Pows escaped to France, the quotation was the same as if they had remained in Italy.

 

Hello Vitellino

Thank you for your quick response and your help and guidance.
The details of my fathers POW status were found in the National Archives
I am still looking through the paperwork we have found and can see that the Royal Artillery Record office reported him as being located in Switzerland (24/11/1943) and later reported it to be incorrect (7/12/1943) and that he was free in Italy in October 1943.
I have also found a note from the repatriation camp which I attach.
We have also found photographs of the family we believe my father stayed with and letters/ cards dated late 1944 and early 1945. One refers to Easter in Montebuono in1944.
We are enjoying our search for my father’s history and keep finding new information which will assist us when we visit later this year. Your website on PG 54 is excellent.
My father is on the front row second from the left with a dark shirt and his arm rested on his knee.
Thanks again, Howard.

 

Well, Howard, you are not going to believe what I am about to write.

I have some good friends in Montebuono whom I met over ten years ago when trying to trace a family who had sheltered two submariners. They taken refuge there after being let out of their camp following the Italian Armistice of 8 September 1943. (The men from Pg 54 escaped on the 11th September, as stated in your father's repatriation form. I notice, however, that he had been sent to Magliano Sabina on 7 July, possibly to a work detachment. Magliano Sabina is a stone's throw from Montebuono). Incidentally, for the record, Repatriation Camp no. 2 was at Resina, Naples. The escapers who had crossed the lines were all sent there for debriefing).

I traced the submariner's family via a photo which I sent to the mayor. A person in his office recgnised the woman on the photo as being his mother! I will send your photo to this contact .

My husband and I first visited the little town in 2013 and since then I have been back with the daughter of one of these two submariners. I think there is a strong chance that the family will be found.

You say that your father was in Montebuono at Easter 1944. That year Easter Sunday was on 9 April. Four days later the occupying German forces shot eight American soldiers who were taking refuge in the hills above the town in the San Benedetto hermitage. A commemoration service is held there frequently, and I have attended the last three - 2019, 2023 and 2024 - at which I was invited to speak.. Gunner John Mallen, who had escaped from PG 54, heard the shots. You can read his story on the BBC People's War website. Gunner Mallen wrongly believed that the eight Americans were air crew from a stricken plane. I have met the son of the member of the Sciarra family who helped him.

Now, the Christmas letter from Enza Sommatino n Rome. I will see if I can trace the family and will edit this post.

Best wishes,

Vitellino

As I hoped , a Vincenza (Enza) Sammartino (not Sommatino) put in a claim for compensation for having given hospitality to a prisoner of war to the Allied Screening Commission after the war. These records are now available free from the American Archives. I will send you a private message.

 

Hi Vitellino
That’s amazing. I have goosebumps just reading your reply.
I have other photos which I believe were of people he was with. I’ll send them shortly.
Thanks again for all your help, I really appreciate it.
Howard

 

Hi, as promised.
The lady was in the family photo but no name on the photo, only a comment “remember your Italian friend signed Vincenza.
The chap with the moustache is Bernabei Alvaro.
The other is only named as Giorgio.
Thanks Howard

 

Hello Howard,

Thanks for the photos

Vincenza sent your father the Christmas greetings. She mentioned her brothers, one of whom was Georgio

As to the other photo, Bernabei Is the young man's surname and Alvaro is his first name
I will have s look in the phone book Montebuono and see what I can find.

Regards

Vitellino

You are in luck. There is still a Bernabei in the phone book. Another private message will follow this post.

 

To all those who have shown an interest in this topic, Howard Marshall will be visiting PG 54 in September after which I will be meeting him in Montebuono.

Despite having used all known channels we have not managed to trace the families who helped his father.

Vitellino

 

Howard,

You may find this thread of interest: Italy 1943: the 'Stay Put Order' The order given to Allied POWs held by Italy not to leave the camps should Italy leave the war, it was controversial then and later as the Germans swiftly arrived and moved the POWs out of Italy.

 

Thanks David
That is interesting and confirms some of my earlier research.
My father was an escapee at the time the Italian guards left the camp and remained such until he was repatriated some 9 month’s later, and was aided by one such family for most of the time.
With the aid of this site I have learned much about his time between his capture and return home.

Howard

 

When was he reported to have been KIA?

All the best

Andreas

 

Hi Andreas
he was reported as missing, however he became a POW in camp 54, Fara in Sabina. He escaped into the mountains when the Italian guards left. He remained there hiding and supported by an Italian family for 9 months before being repatriated.
Regards
Howard

 

A sorry, MIA. If you have the date I can pinpoint the action I suspect.

All the best

Andreas

 

Howard,
I no longer have access but you can search FMP for "Search British Army Casualty Lists 1939-1945 image browse" to find dates behind paywall.

 

Hello Howard,

Please note that what follows is not so much directed for you, or forum member Vitellino (Janet), as I very much think you will already be there with the information you have both already discovered (I do not wish to tread on any toes here!).

It is even not so much for the other good forum members who have posted here in the thread already, but primarily for those (any!) that come after and to this thread "fresh".

As you already have found Howard, with the "Switzerland" record fudge, there was more than one Royal Artillery chap called "E Marshall" (and no relation to your father!).

So, Casualty List Chronology (please note that your father Howard was initially recorded on his casualty list entries as Army Number 945904, which was recognised as being incorrect and subsequently corrected to 946904).

Here are the Casualty Lists, each of Edward's entries posted as header first, then pertinent full page entry, then close up of same (so three images from each).

Casualty List No. 890







Casualty List No. 940.







Casualty List No. 1448 (which corrects Edward's Army Number finally)







Casualty List No. 1489.







There you go Howard. If you didn't have the complete set before, now you have.

And another observation regarding your father's service records. It may well be that the National Archives at Kew have them in their "query" pile (as yet uncatalogued/listed) because of the service number side of things. Without being unkind I think that may confuse them!

Kind regards, long winded yes, but correct (hopefully) always. Maybe

Jim.

 

And of things (possibly) not seen Howard.

Medal Application Card.

Does the address and handwriting fit with what you know?

Note that Army Number appears to be written using a different pen (by a different hand?).

Please let us know if this does not relate to your father.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

Belt and braces Howard.

Here's Edward's Royal Artillery Tracer Card.

Kind regards, good luck with your visit, you will be in good hands, always,

Jim.

 

I’m one of them, only saw this today thanks to your post. Great thread and Janet on fire again.

 

Something odd happened to my reply.
It was just to say thanks, Jim and Wobbler. Howard and I are all set up for out visit to Camp 54 and the village of Montebuono on 13/14 September with two of my trusted Italian helpers and friends as guides.
Janet