POW: Gunner Colin MASSEY 63151 NZ Army

Discussion in 'Prisoners of War' started by Skip, Dec 30, 2010.

  1. Skip

    Skip Senior Member

    Hello All,

    Can anyone help? I am trying to trace information on a family member called Colin MASSEY who was a Gunner in the New Zealand army (service number 63151). His unit, C Tp, 47 Battery, 5th Field Regiment was over-run and Colin was captured in North Africa on 01/12/41 during Operation Crusader. He had been working as unit signaller in an O.P. Transported to Italy he later escaped to survive the war.

    If anyone can provide any service or POW details or throw in any pointers I would be most grateful.

    All the best,

    Skip
     
  2. Oggie2620

    Oggie2620 Senior Member

    If you pm ADM199 hes the man who can help I am sure.
    Dee
     
  3. Skip

    Skip Senior Member

    Dee - many thanks for that. I will do.
     
  4. ADM199

    ADM199 Well-Known Member

    In August 1943 he was in PG 103 which was base for 19 Work Camps.

    Must have been small details as there were only 540 ORs at the end of June 43. 280 of them were from New Zealand.

    Do you know if he spent much time on the run in Italy.
     
  5. Skip

    Skip Senior Member

    Cheers ADM199 - very useful indeed and I will get to researching PG 103 and the work camps.

    I'm English but doing this for my Kiwi girlfriend and family - we have asked the folks over there to note down whatever they can remember him saying about his escape etc and will get back to you. There is talk of him having made part of the journey in a stolen staff car.

    So far I have checked any MI9 online reports without result and nothing from online National Archives. Not having researched any Kiwis before and few POWs I'm at a loss where to go with this but know that somewhere there will be records. Do you know the location of 103? An internet search shows subsidiary camps i.e. 103/7 but not 103 itself.

    Very gratefule for the reply and any other pointers you can give.

    All the best,

    Skip
     
  6. Skip

    Skip Senior Member

    ADM199 - can I ask where you found a reference to him? Is there an online POW database or is it in a publication?

    Cheers
     
  7. ADM199

    ADM199 Well-Known Member

    There is no online database or publication that gives this info.

    Just created my own from official files.
     
  8. Skip

    Skip Senior Member

    Well the information is much appreciated ADM199. As soon as the NZ side get back to me with details/recollections of his escape I will post them. I believe he was with others when on the run and if any were Brits I'm hoping that there might be mention of him in a subsequent MI9 file so that timings and locations can be confirmed.

    All the best and thanks again
     
  9. ADM199

    ADM199 Well-Known Member

    I have looked through my records for an Escapers report and can't find one either into Switzerland or through the Lines.
    Perhaps he was treated as being Liberated.

    There are some Files that have an index at the front. Several reports are missing from them so there is no knowing how many un-indexed ones are also missing.

    It is acknowledged that one series of E & E Reports are missing, but I know of three others.
     
  10. Tilford

    Tilford Junior Member

    Hello Skip

    There is quite a detailed description of the battle that led up to Colin Massey being taken a prisoner of war in the Official History of the NZ Artillery, on pages 279-280. Colin is not mentioned as such but C troop certainly is. My uncle was taken prisoner in that same battle, he was with F troop. He also wrote an account of the battle and what followed and this was published a few years ago. I would have to read his account again to see whether Colin is mentioned, which I suspect is quite possible. My uncle was wounded and so fortunately for him, he found his way across to Italy on an Italian Hospital ship whereas many of those who were not wounded probably found their way to Italy by several different means. Most I suspect went Campo 57, which was a little north of Udine in Northern Italy. If you, as you infer, are in the UK then I suspect that you will not be able to find a copy of the Official History but it is also available on line as well.

    I read with interest what ADM199 has provided you with. He certainly would have the detail and many of us are extremely grateful to him for the information which he is able to and which he willingly provides. I suspect that Colin would have arrived in Italy sometime either late 1941 or early 1942 although this is not my area of research so you must not assume this to be fact.

    I suggest though that you have a look at the website ANZAC POW Free Men in Europe - Welcome Letter which I am sure will give you some interesting background.

    We passed through Melbourne a couple of days ago and spent some time with Bill who has put this website together. He is now working to change the website to reflect that this is a website for Anzacs for between he and ADM199, and another exPOW here in New Zealand they have done a superb job of gathering information on all the Anzac POW’s of the war who fought in the desert war and in Europe.

    I note that you say that Colin escaped, if that is the case then I suspect that Bill may possibly have some more information which might be of direct interest to you. If you send me a PM then I will be happy to provide you with Bill’s contact details.

    Regards

    Robert
     
  11. Skip

    Skip Senior Member

    Hello Robert,

    Thank you very much for such a comprehensive answer: It's very encouraging and I'm going to buy a copy of the NZ Artillery official history to read the account of the battle myself. I am in the UK but hopefully I'll find one online as you suggest. I'd also be very interested to hear if your uncle's account mentions Colin if you have the time to check.

    Thank you also for the ANZAC POW link. This is an extremely impressive site, which I can strongly recommend, and will I PM you so that I contact Bill Rudd - I can see that his site is going to help with some other NZ POWs that I want to follow up and thought I'd write this public message up so that people can see how this thread is running.

    I was pleased that there is a fair bit on Bill's site on the Nino Bixio as I am interested to learn more of this ship and of the Jason/Jantzen incident. If possible I want to find conclusive lists of the casualties and survivors involved. Does anyone have any idea where I could find them?

    Many thanks again for all the help,

    Skip
     
  12. ADM199

    ADM199 Well-Known Member

    Hi Skip is there a particular reason you want a list of "Jason"(Sebastiano Venier) Casualties.

    There are no conclusive lists of casualties for either ship though there are a few fairly accurate speculative ones which were created over 10yrs ago.
     
  13. Skip

    Skip Senior Member

    Hello ADM199

    The lists query is separate to my enquiry about Colin: My own interest is making sure that wartime Rolls of Honour, mainly for SF/airborne troops, are complete. In the course of that I try to confirm how casualties were killed and where they are buried/commemorated. Having posted on here about Colin I can now see that this forum might be a real help with other research.

    One of the groups that I have made little headway on are Free French paras who were caught In North Africa and subsequently believed drowned on the Nino Bixio. If possible I would like to confirm this.

    Two men I am interested in were on the Jantzen. One Kiwi LRDG who survived only to be killed at the end of the war, and one an L'Det man who I would like to confirm died in the incident.
     
  14. ADM199

    ADM199 Well-Known Member

    Sgt Aime Gillet; Cpl/Sdt Henri James; Chasseur Isodore Jouanny; Chasseur/Sdt.Emile Logeais; Cpl Georges Royer; Cpl/Sdt Jean Royer; Cpl Jean Tourneret.
    Captured during raid on Derna and died on Nino Bixio. Researched by a friend(former Sgt SAS)The Special Forces Association were given this information several years ago.

    The Jason Casualty you are looking for is:- Pte D. Keith 2882330 Gordon Hldrs.
     
  15. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Hi Skip,

    Here is conformation of what ADM 199, has already told you. Attached is Gunner Massey's entry on the POW's of the Italians listing for 1943, stating Camp 103.

    Hope it is of some use?

    Steve.
     

    Attached Files:

  16. Skip

    Skip Senior Member

    Steve - many thanks. Absolutely spot on. Much appreciated. I will pass this on to the NZ side of the family and I'm sure they'll be very pleased. What's the booklet that the photos were taken from?
     
  17. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Sorry Skip,

    These are from file WO392/21 held at the NA. It is basically a large ledger with all the names of Allied service personnel held by the Italians in 1943.

    Your in safe and expert hands with ADM 199, I inherited these files from a friend when we met at Kew, looking into Far East POW's.

    Steve.
     

    Attached Files:

  18. Skip

    Skip Senior Member

    Cheers ADM199 - I have the names but would like to find out where I can confirm each of them being killed in either incident for my own research i.e. eyewitness accounts etc. For example, some records have suggested that Keith died of wounds received during Operation Squatter. Sounds like that could be very difficult to do.
     
  19. ADM199

    ADM199 Well-Known Member

    Not many eye witness left when a torpedo hits a Hold full of men.

    Some information regarding casualties was obtained from POW's letters when they wrote Home saying an individual was missing. The Red Cross were asked to interview any POW who indicated they had been aboard ships like the Jason in an attempt to ascertain casualties.

    The Italians were not very good with paperwork and as the N/African Camps were considered to be Transit Camps POW weren't registered with the Red Cross until they reached Italy.
    Some were in transit for as long as 6 months.

    I have copies of all the POW Lists both published and those at Kew which haven't.

    There is another full set of POW lists other than those in WO 392.
     
  20. Dave Homewood

    Dave Homewood Member

    Hi Skip,

    I am good mates with Ron Noice who was the past President and Secretary of the New Zealand POW Association, an entity that is no longer extant. I had another enquiry for him recently about kiwi POW's and he said that all the records of the Association were handed to the Army museum at Waiouru. Nowever he highly recommands that any equiries about New Zealanders who were POW's be put to the New Zealand Defence Force's Records Office at Trentham as a first point of call. He still gets a lot of enquiries about kiwi POW's despite there no longer being an association, and he said he's had a lot of feedback from people whom he put onto Trentham, saying that they all said the staff there were excellent in handling POW enquiries. So on his advice I would recommend that you write to them.

    Details can be found here:
    http://www.nzdf.mil.nz/personnel-records....-contact-us.htm
     

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