5773484 Edward J Merritt, 7 Royal Norfolk Regiment, POW, St Valery, Stalag VIIIb.

Hi all after a long time researching I received my grandfathers military records and have worked out these are the places he was from 1940 im trying to find out what happened to his battalion what the pow camp was like or any information I can. its took me years to get to this point and help would be really appreciated. his name was Edward merritt service number 5773484 pow 5718.

 

UK, British Prisoners of War, 1939-1945
Name: E J Merrit
Rank: Private
Army Number: 5773484
Regiment: Royal Norfolk Regiment
POW Number: 7518
Camp Type: Stalag
Camp Number: VIII-B

Also known as Teschen - latitude 49 45' 6" longtitude 18 37' 40"
Stalag VIII-B - Wikipedia
Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf and Teschen: documents (microfilm) - Archives Hub
BBC - WW2 People's War - The Diary of Alan Forster, POW 3921, Stalag VIIIB (October 1944 — May 1945) Part 4.
BBC - WW2 People's War - The Long Journey Home: A Prisoner of War in Upper Silesia

Might be worth contacting the Regimental Museum
Royal Norfolk Regimental Museum

We seem to have a difference in his POW no - where does your data come from?

Others will be along to add more info

TD

 

no that's me typo that's correct . 7518 . thank you so much.

 

Hi,

Stalag VIIIB had numerous satellite working camps so it is most likely that your grandfather spent the majority of his time in one or more of them. Was that ever mentioned in the family?

Unfortunately records currently available online for free only give a Stalag number not a Working Camp.

You may get some additional information from Swiss Red Cross by making an application for his POW records via this link -

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

You will need to check the site about 8am BST on 23rd September for the pop up online application form. If it isn’t there you need to check the site every 30 minutes and once you see the form you need to complete it speedily as past experience shows that the ICRC application/enquiry quota will be full within 3 hours of the application window opening.

I discovered the working camp number for a relative via ICRC as there was a copy of a POW postcard in the Swiss records with that detail. The POW record TD quotes above showed my relative was in 8B but ICRC had more detailed information showing he was transferred to Stalag 4C in early 1944.

You could request a forum member look up of the returning POW post Liberation Questionnaire held at National Archives in Kew. If he completed one he will likely have recorded his working camp (s) number(s) - that is how I discovered that detail for my father. You need to start another topic - POW Liberation Questionnaire Look Up Request.

There is an ongoing project at Kew to digitise the German Central POW Indices. The content is variable but some apparently contain a photograph of the POW. If his record has been digitised I believe you can download a copy via the National Archive search engine - otherwise you’ll need to ask a member to look it up and copy it for you.

Discovery | The National Archives

Good Luck

Steve

 

Link to members web site for tracing POW Questionnaire [and other stuff] - POW Liberation Questionnaires - www.arcre.com

TD

 

thanks guys much appreciated.

 

Did you manage to submit a Red Cross enquiry last Monday?

Steve

 

no steve , I get very little time to do this , Ive just looked and the next time I can do it is January . I did find a card in the national archives so I have requested I freedom of information request. the museum were also very helpful I nedd to send them an e mail with all details .