Award OBE 4122314 RSM. Charles H. Burgess, 1st Bn Cheshire Regiment (POW Italy & Germany)

Discussion in 'British Army Units - Others' started by brithm, Sep 30, 2023.

  1. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

    Award OBE RSM. Charles Henry Burgess, 1st Bn Cheshire Regiment


    WO 373/87/261
     
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  2. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    brithm,

    The 1st Battalion, Cheshire Regiment was a machine gun formation in the North African campaign and a few of them were @ Deir el Shein on 1/7/1942, assisting - on a temporary basis - the 18th Indian Brigade, when they were overwhelmed by the Afrika Korps. Do you know if he was taken prisoner that day?

    In 2012 Owen posted:
    From: 1st Cheshire Machine Gun battalion
     
    Last edited: Oct 1, 2023
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  3. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    From this topic and also posted by brithm yesterday -

    POW Photographs (General)

    4122314 RSM. Charles Henry Burgess, 1st Bn Cheshire Regiment, captured at Chemmines near Agedabia in North Africa 29th January 1942. He became the Camp Man of Confidence at Camp 66, Capau, Italy, until 15th August 1943 and was then transferred to Camp 53, Italy. When the Italian Armistice came he was unable to be liberated and so hid in the mountains. He was recaptured by the Germans 14th October 1943 and went to Aquilla and then transferred to Stalag 7A. He became Man of Confidence again 6th December 1943 and remained so until the liberation. RSM Burgess has been in the Army for 16 years and his home address is 5 Park Road, Thurnscoe, near Rotherham, Yorkshire. (IWM BU 7115)

    Steve
     
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  4. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    Steve, can you please explain 'he was unable to be liberated and so hid in the mountains'?


    Janet
     
  5. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Hi Janet,

    I think it's a straight quote from the contemporaneous IWM caption that accompanied the photo that brithm found in their archive and posted in the POW photo thread.

    Can't comment on the veracity or otherwise of the comment but someone may be able to find & post his liberation questionnaire to clarify matters.

    THE LIBERATION OF STALAG 7A, MOOSBURG, GERMANY

    Steve
     
    Last edited: Oct 1, 2023
  6. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    Thanks Steve for the IWM item

    It seems such a strange comment to me. If he had been ''unable to be liberated'' he would still have been in the camp when the Germans arrived so wouldn't have gone up into the mountains.
     
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  7. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    I read it like - after Italian capitulation the Allies didn't reach the camp / he couldn't get through to Allied lines.
    Just a different way of saying what we've read about so often.
     
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