Grandad - 6014747 Serjeant D V ANDERSON, 5th Sherwood Foresters: POW

Moved from to create separate dedicated thread
5th Sherwood Foresters Salerno September 1944

Hi all.
Can anyone help me find out some information about my hero please?
My grandad was transferred from Essex Div 22/05/1943 to the Sherwood Foresters 5th Bn, 46th infantry Division.
He was a sergeant, Army No. 6014747.
I am trying to find out:
Where did they actually land in Italy?
What happened for him to get captured on the 13th?
He was captured on 13/10/1943.
Recorded as taken to various camps, ending up in Stalag 4B. I gather that 4B was a massive camp.
I have mailed the Museum of the Mercian Regiment, they were very kind but only had minimal information from Army Book 358. The lady said to get in touch with the MOD records in Glasgow.
I wish I could turn back the hands of time and ask him directly, he passed when I was a teenager. Teenagers are not interested in grandads war, not that he ever talked about it.
Thanks in advance.
Nick

 

6014747 Anderson DV, captured at the Volturno river, 13/10/1943. POW lists show him as in Stalag 7A, which was a big processing camp at Moosburg, and then moved to 4B. As you say this was a big camp and several Foresters ended up there. The camp was liberated by the Russians and he was recorded as released on 21/07/1945, but unfortunately there is no individual POW record for him at the National Archive which would give more detail.

If he transferred on 22 May this would have been after the fall of Tunis, when the 5th Battalion was being made up to full strength following heavy losses in March. It appears several of these replacements were from the Essex Regt. Subsequently the battalion landed at Salerno on 9th September in the third wave and then fought in the front line north of Salerno for most of September. They were then part of 46th Divison's assault crossing of the Volturno, near the town of Cancello.

In the Nottinghamshire Archive there is a personal memoir by signaller George Warsop that refers to a Sgt Anderson as being the signals sergeant in HQ Company, I know of no other Sgt Anderson so this seems very likely to be your grandad. Warsop and several other signallers were overrun and captured when the German 26th Panzer Division counter-attacked the Foresters' bridgehead over the river, and I don't have a record of any other Sgt Anderson so it seems likely this is the same man. Warsop's memoir gives a good idea of the work and experiences of the signals battalion. I have a copy, but only as series of photographs, I have not got round to transcribing it. I do have a transcription of a memoir by Sgt Enser, also in the Nottingham Archive who was held in Stalag IVB, but he doesn't mention a Sgt Anderson.

46th Division and the Foresters don't get much mention in published works, hopefully you will be able to read more if I get my book published. If you give me your email I can send you some of the material I have.

It will cost you about £50 I think to get the full service record from the MOD ( I got this for my father several years ago now), but I don't know what details it would have of his time as a POW

Mike Somerville

 

The best bet for POW records are either the POW Liberation Questionnaires recently made available via UK National Archives on Ancestry or Red Cross.

If no trace of his questionnaire you should search for other men from his Battalion captured the same day to give you an indication of his possible POW route.

You ought to make an online application to Swiss Red Cross for any POW records held by them when the next application window opens for a few hours in January 2024.

It’s a free service and you get a reply 8 weeks or so after submitting the application. As a Sgt he likely remained in the main camp as with that rank he was excused work but he could’ve been in one of the many work camps attached to the Stalag as a “man of confidence”. Red Cross records only confirm the Stalag not the work camp.

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

Red Cross will provide details of the camps he passed through and you may be luck to get a copy of the “capture” Post Card on first arrival at a camp.

Steve

 

A search at TNA with surname and service number only comes up with this, so don't think there will be a liberation questionnaire. But the Red Cross tip is one I've not used before and worth knowing about.

 

That’s the link to his service file that has already been transferred to UK National Archives from MOD. It has the standard closed entry until the subjects 116th birthday.

Name: D V Anderson . Service number: 6014747 . Date of birth: 17 January 1917 . | The National Archives

OP needs to apply to NA under Freedom of Information Act for the release of the file. It will be examined by NA and a partial release usually follows. There will be some redactions and some contents will be withheld - usually medical and disciplinary records.

Request Closed MOD Personnel Records

The OP may be lucky and get copies of the W3040 form or the post POW resettlement/assessment course form (after a period of leave most ex POW went on a 2 week course to be assessed for future postings) that records some POW information but the best bet still will be to apply to Red Cross.

Steve

 

Oh my gosh guys..
Genuinely brought a lump to my throat.
Not knowing where to look, trying on my own has been extremely difficult and frustrating.
I asked with 1 message on here has brought so much more than I ever expected.
Thank you.
I remember one of the stories he used to tell.
He did say he was on a beach, Germans seemed to be everywhere, they were face down in the ‘bloody’ sand totally surrounded and there was only one ‘sensible’ option.
Bury all the weapons and hands up.
The other option, and apparently they did consider, was to carry on fighting even though they knew they were surrounded and going to take a real hiding.
Thankfully , for us, the sensible option was taken.
He did say that at Stalag 4B, the Red Cross parcels gave them tea bags. Apparently, you could get 5 cups of tea from 1 bag before you sold it for 5 fags to the Polish through the wire fence..who knew ‍♂️.
Nick Pitman

 

I posted the report on 5 Sherwood Foresters at Cancelo here - Lance Corporal, George Edward Bellamy, 5th Sherwood Forester's Killed | WW2Talk.

Incidentally, the German units were from 15. Panzergrenadier Division, not 26. Panzerdivision. I'd have to double-check, but I think the counterattacking unit was I.\ Pz. Gren. Regt. 104.