The National Ex-Prisoner of War Association

Spring 2009 Newsletter

 

 

 

 

FORT 13 STALAG XXA Torun, Poland

 

 

SPRING 2009 NEWSLETTER

                                                                                        

ASSOCIATION NEWS by Les Allan, President.

 

99 Parlaunt Road, Langley, Berkshire SL3 8BE. Tel/Fax 01753-818308

 

Greetings to all members. At last Spring is here, a time to get in the garden, buy Easter eggs for the great-grandkids and remove the mothballs from the camper van.

 

First of all there have been a couple of committee changes. Eric Reeves has relinquished the Chairmans role and is replaced by our Newsletter Editor and Historian Phil Chinnery who has been working tirelessly for us for the last decade. Freda and Gary Moores have left the Association and I would like to thank them for their efforts over the years. The books have been taken over by Paul Butler who has now become our Treasurer and our Webmaster Malcolm Bamford has taken on the role of Vice-Chairman.

 

Due to circumstances beyond our control the annual Association reunion at Hayling Island will not take place this year. As a result the AGM will be deferred until a future date to be decided by the committee. However, we have been aware for some time that members in the North and West of the country have had difficulties attending the annual reunion held for years at Hayling Island, on the South coast. We would like therefore to try to arrange mini-reunions or gathering in other parts of the country, such as Cardiff, Devon, Newcastle, Liverpool or Birmingham. If you are a full member or associate member and would like to attend or even better help organise such an event near you, please contact Phil Chinnery. It can be tea and biscuits in someone’s garden, dinner in a pub or a more ambitious gathering in a church hall or hotel. We have had a couple of volunteers so far and I am sure that there are other willing souls out there.

 

DONATIONS. We have received so many donations to the welfare fund that it would take almost a whole page to list them. In deference to Phils tired fingers I would rather thank you all profusely for your kindness and leave the list out this time. You know who you are and that is what matters! If you know of any members in need, please let us know and we will try to assist.

 

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTIONS. The annual subscriptions were due on 1^st January and again we are holding the cost at £5 for former prisoners of war and £10 for former prisoners of war living overseas.  Associate membership is available at £10 for family members and others who wish to support the Association. All members will be sent four quarterly newsletters during 2009 and will also receive a copy of the annual Journal ‘Intrepidus’ towards the end of the year. We also have a good stock of back issues and if anyone would like some please contact Phil Chinnery.

          Please make cheques out to NEXPOWA and send them to me, Les Allan at the address at the top of this page. Can I emphasis that the cheque or postal order must be made out to NEXPOWA, not ‘Prisoners Association’, ‘Association of Ex-Prisoners’, ‘Les Allan’ or any of the many others that have been used recently. It only confuses the cashiers at the bank!  Can you also check that the date is correct as they expire after 6 months and some have been sent in dated January 2008 instead of 2009 and have been returned.

 

MEMBERS TIES.  We have just received a new stock of Association ties from our supplier. They are available at £10 including postage and packing. We only have fifty of them so do not delay!  Please send cheques or postal orders made out to NEXPOWA to Les Allan, 99 Parlaunt Road, Langley, Berkshire SL3 8BE.

 

MEMORIAL PLINTH.  We would like to arrange for the construction of a plinth to be located at the beginning of the path leading up to the POW Memorial at the National Arboretum. It will feature a picture of the Long March behind glass as well as a brass plate bearing the Prisoners Prayer. While you have got your cheque books out to send in your annual subscription and buy an association tie, please add a couple of quid donation towards the plinth. As usual please make cheques out to NEXPOWA and send to me at the above address.

 

OBITUARIES. L/Bdr A.V.Toze 122 Field Regiment Royal Artillery, ex Far Eastern POW and the joint author of the book "In Defence Of Singapore" died on the 14th October 2008. Also Ted Hatchett from Spalding, Lincolnshire passed away on 7^th October, aged 88 years. We will remember them.

 

THE SHOE LEATHER EXPRESS. Staff Sergeant Anya Beeforth, from the Personal Support Team, Army Welfare Service Hohne, hopes to raise considerable funds for Help for Heroes by embarking on a 500 mile march from Poland to Fallingbostel, Germany. The route replicates the journey taken by tens of thousands of prisoners of war during the last winter of the war. An original route plan has been supplied by Joe O’Donnell, a former American POW and author of the book ‘The Shoe Leather Express.’

          Captain Craig Beeforth, OC SIB, Hohne; Mrs Jen Armstrong, civilian Army Welfare Worker and Captain Tony Armstrong, RAO 2 CS Bn REME, will also complete the journey. The aim is to walk the equivalent of a marathon a day with a completion date of 25^th April, when personnel from the original journey will attend the annual liberation ceremony at Fallingbostel station. All money raised goes direct to Help for Heroes. To date there are a number of events planned to boost the total including an Auction and Dinner night and a Military Tattoo, which will be an Anglo/German event to show off our troops, enhance relations with the local community and raise copious funds. Total monies raised to date is £10,104.44 with a final target of £12,000. Donations can be made on the Just Giving website: www.justgiving.com/shoeleatherexpress. 

 

QUARTERMASTERS STORES.

 

A separate list of the items available for purchase from our Quartermasters Stores will be included with the newsletter. Please send your order direct to Les Allan, address above. 

 

FIRST WORLD WAR PHOTOGRAPHS

 

 

Above; RENNBAHN-MUNSTER III POW CAMP in a former German military camp.

 

 

A group of British prisoners of war in Germany during WW1. Lots of regiments present including Royal Warwicks, Wiltshire, Northumberland Fusiliers, Borders etc. The most interesting character is an NCO of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers who has a string of medal ribbons (sitting on chair, front row, fourth man from the right). On the back of the card is written George H Palmer, 44 Foxdean Villas, Wellington, Somerset.

 

HISTORIANS NEWS by Philip Chinnery

 

Contact details 59 Pinkwell Lane, Hayes, Middx UB3 1PJ     NEXPOWA@fsmail.net

 

RETURN TO STALAG XXA. During the summer of 2008 Mrs Maureen Pierce and her husband traveled to Poland to see where Maureens father was a prisoner. Her father, George Victor Gibbons was in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, 7^th Battalion and was captured on 28^th May 1940 near Ypres. He was taken to Camp 13A at Stalag XXA Thorn (Torun) and later moved to Stalag XXB at Marienberg (Malbork). Maureen told us; “When we arrived at Thorn the Polish Army were very helpful. They gave us a guided tour of Fort 13 and also took us to Fort 12 and the Russian cemetery where there is a mass grave.  Camp 13A where my father was held, was behind the Kommandantory building in ul Okolna.  We also saw Fort 14 and a brick works where some of the prisoners worked. Two elderly Polish gentlemen explained that they remember the prisoners marching to the brick works. They also remembered the prisoners eating raw beetroot from the fields as they marched, due to them being so terribly hungry.

          We then traveled to Marienberg to see the area of Stalag XXB. Once again we found everyone very helpful. There is nothing left of the camp except for a brick gate post and a wall that may have run alongside the camp. We also visited the Malbork Commonwealth War cemetery. The majority of the men buried here were not killed in action, but died in the prisoner of war camps.”

          Maureen is still seeking information and has included a request in the ‘Where are they now?’ section.  If you are a former resident of either Stalag XXA or XXB perhaps you can help her out?

 

 

 

 

The site of Stalag XXB looking towards the River Nogat.

 

 Above Fort 12 and Below Fort 14 at Stalag XXA Torun

 

 

Below Fort 13 at Stalag XXA

 

 

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

 

If you can provide answers to any of the requests please contact the advertiser or Phil Chinnery at 59 Pinkwell Lane, Hayes, Middlesex UB3 1PJ.   NEXPOWA@fsmail.net

 

My father, John Mulhinch, was a Scottish POW in Italy during WWII.  He was in the Royal Signals attached to the 7th Army and was captured near Tobruk in June, 1942.  He was last in camp PG62 near Grumillino and escaped to Switzerland in late 1943.  He was helped by an Italian priest and others by being provided a bicycle, and shown the way to Switzerland through a hole in the fence.  He escaped with three others, two Englishmen and a South African and lived with a family in Berne until late 1944. After his death, I found a "prayer card" of St. Rita of Cascia (patron saint of lost causes) in a small service folder with his service number and soldier's papers.  He must have carried it together when he was in the service.  I am trying to find out if the prayer card was possibly given him by the local priest to identify him during his escape.  We are not of the Catholic faith so I cannot think of another reason why he would treasure it all these years.  He died in 1994 and I found it last year.  He never spoke of this card or his wartime experiences. I am hoping someone else carried this card and is still alive to prove/disprove my idea.
Sincerely, Irene Mulhinch Hahn, Michigan, USA.

 

In the Winter 2008 issue of the Newsletter there is mention of the Australians deciding to compensate Aussies held in European POW camps. Is this a recent decision or is the reference to the old one which our previous Prime Minister announced a few years ago? At some politically opportune moment he announced that all Australians who had been POWS would be compensated. In fact, there were strings attached in the "small print" which he didn't mention. There was age limitation and limitation dependant on the theatre of war. It was obvious that although it sounded all very generous they made sure that there would be a minimum of eligible POWs. I made every effort to obtain some compensation but was knocked back because I was too young (!) and I was in the British army, not the Australian army and I served in Europe, not the East. In fact, I was also still a South African citizen (still at school in England when the war started) and I was captured in Europe. I am certainly suffering from PTSD and possibly have other symptoms of arthritis as a result of the march from Silesia to Bavaria. In a nutshell, I gave up the Prime Minister's announcement as a propaganda statement, which he made when he needed to make an announcement related to the Australian army (anything would have done). If the announcement in the Newsletter is a new one it might be worth my while having another go at our Department of  Veterans Affairs. If not then I will not bother. Incidentally, I had much the same sort of response from the British end. Best wishes for 2009, Cheers, Courtney Smithers. Note from Editor – does anyone have any more details?

 

Dear Phil, I read your article in respect of Prisoner of War Records and have tried to obtain the records in respect of my Father, Duncan McKay who was in Lamsdorf 8B. Number 33102. Sgt. Scots Guards. Just for info when I pursued his records through the Army Personnel Centre everyone was helpful but they do not retain any records in respect of her Her Majesties Brigade of Guards and contact has to be made direct with the appropriate RHQ at Wellington Barracks in London. The archivist for the Scots Guards is a good friend (I also served in the Regiment) and although he has previously given me my Father's records they do not have the German POW record cards, nor does he know where they are. Thank you for your article and I forward this on for your information and that of other interested parties. Yours Sincerely, Barry McKay.

 

 

Photo opposite, left to right Corporal Vivian Wallis (Melbourne, Australia), Unknown Australian, Ginger from Birmingham, Charles Bisbie (Notts County and England International), William Williams (Wales), Sgt Tim Gaughan (Queensland), Eric Chaplin from Fulham, killed by USAAF raid on Regensburg. Taken in 1941 outside Munich, Stalag 7A.

 

Peter Morrey from Melbourne, Australia writes to say;

“My father, who was captured in Crete, was awarded a medal by the Swedish YMCA, for organizing sporting activities (particularly football) for his fellow POW’s (some of the guards also played in the teams), while in Stalag 8B in Piaski Poland in 1941. He lost it, with his kit, on the long march during the bombing of Regensburg. His mother received a letter from the YMCA confirming the medal but nobody knows what happened to it. Did anyone else receive one of these medals?

There were many English and Scots first division players amongst the POW’S. One of the guards was an ex Austrian international who had played against one of the English POW’s (Charles Bisbie) in a pre Anschluss friendly game. The Nazi’s wanted a team from the POW’S to play a German team for broadcast to England but the POW’S refused. The German Radio van remained in the camp until the planned day just in case they changed their minds. This is the only medal he received that he is interested in and I am trying to find confirmation of the award. Any help would be most appreciated. My father’s name is 904651 William James MORREY, 88 years young, 101 City of London battery Royal Artillery. I am sending a photo of some of his friends and one of dad on the right standing next to Watford player Tommy Curtis on the left.

 

 

 

 

Mrs Maureen Pierce, 3 Dickens Road, Warwick, Warwickshire CV34 5NR has recently returned from a visit to Stalags XXA and XXB. Her father was a former resident and she would like to know; 1) On arrival at Stalag XXA my father George Gibbons was in Camp 3A. Could anyone tell me where it was located?  2) My father was then transferred to Camp 13A, which was across the road from Fort 13. Could anyone tell me the size of Camp 13A – the number of huts etc? 3) After seeing Stalag XXB in Marienberg, could anyone tell me how large the camp was? Did it stretch from the River Nogat to the main road which goes to Malbork/Marienberg? If so the camp would have covered the now Weilbark cemetery. We noticed that no one was buried there until the war was over in 1945. 4) Could anyone tell me if it is possible to obtain a copy of the original photograph taken by the Germans when my father was registered in Stalag XXA Thorn?

I am looking for information on two POW camps where my grandfather was held during World War 2. The first is Camp 54 at Fara-in-Sabina, near Rome, Italy: Do you know if any pictures, plans or maps of the camp and its surroundings exist? In my reading I have also come across a mention of a camp newspaper/newsletter "Glumpet 54", do you know if any copies have survived? The second is a transit Camp in Tunisia (or possibly Libya), North Africa, where he spent 6 months between June and November 1942. We think the camp was called "Castel Benito" and it was located near Tunis. But, I have been unable to find any reports or information on a camp of this name in Tunisia (near Tunis). Do you know if there was a camp of that name in that area? There is/was a RAF base named "Castel Benito" near Tripoli and the accounts of other members of my Grandfathers unit captured at the same time refer to the transit camp as "Suani Ben Adem, near Tripoli". There was a camp of that name and it was located near to Castel Benito. So I don't know if my Grandfather was sent to another camp or if some how Tunis has been put into the typed version of his diary in error and it should have been Tripoli. My Grandfather was Cecil Douglas Noel (89730), a L/bdr with the Natal Field Artillery, 2nd light Brigade, South African Artillery, he was captured 13 June 1942 at Rigel Ridge, Gazala in Libya. I would be very grateful for any help you could give me. Thanks and Kind Regards, Raewyn Judd. My postal address is 28 Sunnybrae Road, North Shore City, 0627, New Zealand.

Dear Mr. Chinnery. While researching my father's experiences as a POW during WWII, I was fortunate to come upon the wonderful work you and your colleagues have been doing over the years on behalf of  ex- POWs from the UK. It was fascinating reading through all the information in your quarterly newsletters on-line.        My father, Alexander Weisberg, was one of the few American prisoners who ended up at Obermassfeld Lazaret, Stalag 9C. He was there for a month at the end of the war, from mid-March 1945 to mid-April, when the prisoners were liberated by the American army. Over the years we heard stories about his capture in Alsace, his experiences as a POW at Bad Orb and at the slave labor camp at Berga (a satellite of Buchenwald). He was sent to Obermassfeld along with three other Americans, including the writer Ernest Kinoy. All four were critical and not expected to survive. His life was saved by the wonderful British personnel at Obermassfeld. Dr. Philip Cooper took care of him and carried him to the basement whenever there was bombing or artillery in the area. An orderly named Bill Bentley was also a God-send. My father passed away in 2004 at age 92 after a happy and fulfilling life that never would have been completed without the care he received at Obermassfeld. In the autumn 2006 newsletter, Bert Martin describes the work that was being done by the staff. He refers to "Captain Cooper who for four and a half unrelenting years worked on the wards with conspicuous conscientiousness and always immaculate however the heavy demands on his time." I wonder if Mr. Martin has any more information about Dr. Cooper. My sister tried to find him many years ago, but was fairly certain he had passed away. Did any one keep up with him after the war? In the summer 2003 edition, there is reference to a photo of the medical staff at Obermassfeld. Do you know if Dr. Cooper is in the photo? If so, I would love to purchase a copy. Could anyone describe the events of the liberation? My father remembers waking up and the Germans were gone! Thank you for your time. I would be happy to make an appropriate contribution to your organization. I may be reached at: LWeisberg1@comcast.net or Larry Weisberg, PO Box 724 Holmes, NY 12531, USA.  Note from Editor - What about it Bert, can you assist?

 

 I am very impressed by your website and want you to know that I will be mentioning it   during a conference to be held on Feb. 8th here in Vetralla, the site of a POW camp for English military, north of Rome.  I am an historian and have written several books about the area and its amazing English connections that go back to 1512 when King Henry VIII Tudor and his Ambassador, Cardinal Christopher Bainbridge, were "given" the town by Pope Julius II . Their coat of arms appear on a memorial plaque in the Town Hall to this day. In the 1700's the Stuarts continued the English protection and a bust of Cardinal Henry Stuart dominates the City Council Chamber...but no one really knew why until recently. Also, the camp where 3300  English prisoners of war  lived during the 1940's  has been completely ignored by the local people and administrations and lies in a state of complete abandonment. Photos and videos have been put on line recently (You Tube) and a certain interest  in this part of the city's history is growing.  Some of the older people still talk about the "inglesi"  who came into town and bartered chocolate for wine  and food.  I have been asked to speak at the Conference concerning the English prisoners, especially a Seaman Edward Penny, who was there from  June 1942 until he escaped  in October of 1942  and  rode a bicycle  to Rome where he asked for protection at  Vatican.  The camp was abandoned in January 1943 and the English were repatriated.  If there are any readers of your website who were in Vetralla   we would be very interested in hearing about, or from, them. Thank you for your excellent work. Dr. Mary Jane Cryan, Palazzo Pieri Piatti, Vetralla,  (Viterbo), Italy www.elegantetruria.com

 

I have studied your Website in detail now and would very much like your assistance if at all possible. I am currently researching for a book I am writing about the war life of my Grandfather. He was Sgt Leslie Richard Bird. Captured at Kalamata, Greece on 29^th April 1941. Through his original service book which I have it states he was taken to Stalag XIIIA at Wolfsberg, Austria on the 25th June 1941. Then moved to Stalag XIIIB Spittal, Austria on the 25^th July 1942. Also a final spell in Oflag 3C in Bavaria on the 17^th September 1942. I have pictures with Stalag 383 on the back however I have no other info from this. Any other info that you might have would be appreciated. It is a fascinating project I have started and thanks to websites like yours research such as this is possible. I am in possession of pictures although only few of his time at the camps. Should you like to use them I will gladly scan and send to you.  Possibly with a little write up.

I noticed you have a member in the 2002 newsletter named Mr John Siddall of the 4^th Queens Own Hussars (as was my Grandfather) and I would very much like to contact him if possible as he may know of my Grandfather and be able to help with missing information. If you have any contact details I would be grateful. Eventually I wish to publish my book and perhaps it may be of interest to your members. It is an amateur project but something I feel very strongly about and I am writing it in my Grandfathers memory. Look forward to hearing from you if possible, Kind regards and a Happy New Year, Daniel Rogers, 41 Le Patourel Close, Christchurch, Dorset BH23 3EE.

 

 HITLERS BRITISH SLAVES - Allied POWs in Germany 1939-45 by Sean Longden.

Some of the members who attended the last annual reunion may have met Sean. He is currently writing a book about the life of prisoners in Italian POW camps. This book describes the lot of those held in German Stalags and Oflags. The contents will bring back memories to many members; “Between 1939 and 1945 almost 200,000 British and Commonwealth servicemen were taken prisoner. Every Allied soldier under the rank of sergeant was forced to work 12 hour shifts, six days a week, cutting timber, quarrying stone, carving ice from frozen rivers and clearing bomb sites. The soldiers were driven to the brink and survival became a daily trial. Many starved to death or died from disease, others were killed in accidents or at the hands of their guards. The result of numerous interviews and new research Hitlers British Slaves is a harrowing account of a forgotten chapter in the history of the Second World War.  Published in paperback by Constable at £9.99 ISBN No 978-1-84529-519-9. 400 pages with photographs.
Available from W H Smith or any good bookstore.

 

 

 

Copyright 2008. The National Ex-Prisoner of War Association.