7617126 Pte Cyril Eccles, Arnhem POW

Discussion in 'Airborne' started by Alan Pollard, Dec 9, 2017.

  1. Alan Pollard

    Alan Pollard New Member

    Hi,
    Im new on here and I am looking for any information on my farther-in-law 7617126 Pte Cyril Eccles of 156 Parachute Bn he jumped at Arnhem and was eventualy taken prisoner to where I do not Know. He survived the war and died in Port Hedland Western Australia on 19th April 1992.
    Any help would be welcome.

    Alan
     
  2. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    UK, British Prisoners of War, 1939-1945
    Name: C Eccles
    Rank: Private
    Army Number: 7617126
    Regiment: Reconnaissance Corps
    Record Office: Army Air Corps and Army Catering Corps Record Office, Drill Hall, East Claremont St., Edinburgh 9
    Record Office Number: 45

    Doesnt give any more details here you really need to

    Apply for his service records - Request records of deceased service personnel - GOV.UK

    and also apply to IRC for his POW records - Requests for information about people held during the Spanish Civil War or the Second World War: Quarterly limit reached

    TD
     
  3. Alan Pollard

    Alan Pollard New Member

    Thanks for that information
     
  4. harkness

    harkness Well-Known Member

    Eccles01.jpg

    Eccles02.jpg

    Eccles03a.jpg
    Eccles03.jpg
     
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  5. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    From FindmyPast:


    Casualty List 1580, 18th October 1944
    NWE, Army Air Corps, Missing
    First name(s) C
    Last name Eccles
    Year 1944
    Capture year 1944
    Service number 7617126
    Rank Private
    Rank as transcribed Pte
    Regiment Army Air Corps
    Regiment as transcribed Army Air Corps
    Theatre of war North West Europe
    Archive reference WO 417/83
    PIece description Casualty Lists - Other Ranks 1573 - 1588
    Screen Shot 2017-12-09 at 12.28.58.png


    Casualty List 1607, 18th November 1944
    NWE, Army Air Corps, Previously reported Missing, now reported Prisoner of War in German Hands, location unknown
    First name(s) C
    Last name Eccles
    Year 1944
    Capture year 1944
    Service number 7617126
    Rank Private
    Rank as transcribed Pte
    Regiment Army Air Corps
    Regiment as transcribed Army Air Corps
    Theatre of war Western Europe
    Archive reference WO 417/85
    PIece description Casualty Lists - Other Ranks 1606 - 1623
    Screen Shot 2017-12-09 at 12.31.07.png

    Casualty List 1779, 11th June 1945
    Previously reported Prisoner of War in German Hands location unknown, now Not Prisoner of War
    First name(s) C
    Last name Eccles
    Year 1945
    Service number 7617126
    Rank Private
    Rank as transcribed Pte
    Regiment Army Air Corps
    Regiment as transcribed Army Air Corps
    Archive reference WO 417/93
    PIece description Casualty Lists - Other Ranks 1776 - 1796.
    Screen Shot 2017-12-09 at 12.32.23.png
     
  6. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    I have noted this phrase before

    "Previously reported Prisoner of War in German Hands location unknown, now Not Prisoner of War"

    does anyone know what it actually means apart from the Allies nor the Germans know where he/they is/are, have they been repatriated and in Allied hands, are they in Russian hands, are they just wondering around Germany

    TD
     
  7. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Hi TD,

    I can clarify the second part of the phrase as I recall from an original document posted on another thread that when POW came into contact with an allied unit their details were recorded on an official Army form as they were passed back through the lines - likely in the usual triplicate - one of which would likely end up back in the UK (or more likely BLA HQ and details would be sent to UK via radio).

    On receipt here details would be passed to NOK and would appear some weeks later as an amendment on the official casualty list.

    Steve Y
     
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  8. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    One of the forum members has all the Arnhem POW Liberation Reports-If your chap filled one out he'll have it, hopefully he'll be along soon :)

    Looking at the Bn war diary, On the 25th September the Bn was ordered to with draw towards the Rhine to evacuate which put them in close contact with the enemy. The withdrawal was successful but the diary records 6 unnamed casualties, potentially one of these was your father in law.
     
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  9. horsapassenger

    horsapassenger Senior Member

    Drew - didn't see you at the Archives today!! Alan if you PM me your email address I'll send you a copy of Cyril's POW Liberation report. For information he states that he was taken POW on the 20th. The 156 is one of the units at Arnhem where they p osted everybody missing as at 25th September (i.e. missing after the withdrawal on Op Berlin).
    If you want to learn about the 156 at Arnhem I can recommend the book "From Delhi to Arnhem" by John O'Reilly which states that he was C Coy. The Company Commander of this Company was Geoffrey Powell who wrote the book "Men at Arnhem", initially under the pseudonym of Tom Angus and then published it under his own name where he identified the characters previously given aliases.
     
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  10. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Hi John-I was there yesterday for the day.
     
  11. horsapassenger

    horsapassenger Senior Member

    Didn't see you, although I was very busy.
     
  12. Alan Pollard

    Alan Pollard New Member

    Hi, Thank you for the information you and your friends have supplied as requested my email is
    Cheers
     
    Last edited: Dec 10, 2017
  13. horsapassenger

    horsapassenger Senior Member

    Alan

    Thanks - message sent - I'd advise removing your email address from the post

    John
     

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