James W. Garner - POW from 1943

My hope... is that Ron Herman may have left more of a trail of information, or passed his story on to a relative. I am currently hunting down the last place he lived. Someone must have known a guy with one arm who was a POW in WW2.

 

Update: I have traced him on Ancestry... Ronald Hermon. My family have confirmed he lived in Chappel, near Colchester.

 

Hi,


You ought to apply to Swiss Red Cross 19th May 2025 for a copy of the information held in their files via this link -


Requests for information about people held during Spanish Civil War or Second World War: Quarterly limit reached


Check the site promptly at the given opening time and a pop up online application form will be visible. Complete and submit the form speedily as the application window can close within 90 minutes due to the limit being reached.


It’s a free service and you can expect a reply by email within 3 months. You may be lucky and get a copy of the capture card postcard he completed on arrival at his first camp. The Red Cross document you will receive should list all the main camps where he was detained but doesn’t usually record any work camps or “interim camps” where he was held immediately post capture.

Steve

 

Steve, I may be wrong but I am under the impression that once the Germans had moved in to the Italian POW camps the Red Cross inspection visits ceased with the except on the hospitals, for example, Al Celio in Rome.

So, someone captured on the Italian front after 8 September, and held in one of the transit camps - Carpi di Modena, Laterina, Pissignano or L'Aquila - would be registered for the first time when he arrived in Germany.

Can someone put me right on this one?

Vitellino

 

With regard to Hermon, he is registered as having been repatriated in WO 417/83, dated 10-17 October 1944, no doubt due to his injury.

 

When I looked Ron up on Ancestry he had a marriage record of late 1944, I thought how could that be right? But that explains it. What is annoying, I have a Ancestry Worldwide Subscription and when I attempt to look at his Medals application it tells me I have to pay extra! I am waiting for my Grandad's Military Service from the National Archive which will confirm if he had medals issued. Because no one in the family has any recollection of ever seeing them!

 

Please keep us updated, Kevin. I am looking forward to learning what your grandfather's military service record contains.

Vitellino

 

I will keep you updated. It's been a long wait. Somewhere, I am sure I read that the 'record cards' for prisoners at Stalag VII were recovered when the camp was liberated. I am planning on visiting The National Archive, in person, to find out more.

 

Hi,

The whole German POW Central Index Card system was seized by UK at the end of the war - it duplicated information held in each camp admin. I’ve not heard of camp records surviving the liberation.

The index cards are in document series WO416 at National Archives. Some photographs are available. You need some knowledge of German language (and handwriting) to decipher what is recorded. In my experience it duplicates the information held by Swiss Red Cross.

While the camp records would no doubt have recorded work camps the central records merely record the Stalag/main camp location and movements.

Steve

EDIT TO ADD

The only James Garner I can find in WO416 is a Lancashire Fusilier.

You might want to search using other variations of his name.

If you find no trace you will have to rely on Swiss Red Cross records and make an application on Monday morning.

Requests for information about people held during Spanish Civil War or Second World War: Quarterly limit reached

 

I applied for my grandad's full military service record in August 2024 and it has finally been sent to me today. But it is handwritten and very difficult to read. Is there anywhere I can go to ascertain what it exactly says?

 

Put your Worzel reading head on.

PS:Worzel says post it here and I am sure forum members will try to decipher it.

 

Kevin,

I have added James William Garner, b. 15/10/1915, 6022791 - from your earlier two threads and will ask our Moderator to merge them into one thread: James W. Garner - POW from 1943

To scan his record see the guidance within: How to Start a new Thread / Edit Post / Upload Image