Awards MiDs Gnr. Welsh, Royal Artillery & L/Sgt. Neil Scots Guards (Escape & Evasion, Italy)

Discussion in 'Prisoners of War' started by brithm, Jan 8, 2023.

  1. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

    Mentioned in Despatches

    ESCAPES FROM CAMP 53 (MACERATA), ITALY
    (1) After the Armistice with Italy, P/W in this camp were ordered by the Italian Commandant and the Senior British Officer to remain. The guard was doubled and sentries told to shoot at any P/W trying to escape.

    On 14th September 1943 all Italian guards vanished and conditions became confused. Some P/W escaped with Red Cross parcels which the Senior British Officer had issued, but a cordon of British guards was posted round the camp and most of the P/W remained.

    On 16th September 1943 the Germans arrived and took over the cam and about six-sevenths of the original number of PW. Some P/W escaped from trains in transit to Germany.

    874315 Gnr. Edward Welsh, 51 Field Regiment, Royal Engineers MIA taken prisoner 24th November 1941

    upload_2023-1-8_19-4-17.png
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    2980161 L/Sgt. David Neil, Scots Guards 4 Armoured Brigade MIA 23rd November 1941
    upload_2023-1-8_19-8-15.png
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    WO 373/63/248

    WO 373/63/249
     
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2023
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  2. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Thanks for posting.

    My father was at Macerata when Italy surrendered.I wasn’t fully aware of how the “stay put” order effected men there but it appears that approx 85%+ complied with it.

    My father went up to Mooseburg by train and was in a Stalag 17B work camp in Austria by late November.

    Steve
     
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