Identifying a POW

The attached images are of a photo/postcard that are among family photos passed down through the family.

From my understanding it looks like a Northumberland Fusiliers cap badge, and the postal mark dates it as Rome 1940.

The George Robert Prudhoe in my family tree would have been 52 in 1940.
I have tried searching on the forces website for other Prudhoes in the Fusiliers with no success.

Am I mistaken at any point or am I missing any obvious lines of enquiry?

 

Jerome had photographic studios throughout Britain, often date stamped on the rear. See some examples: Jerome Ltd.

Was there an envelope? Or is it a postcard with the postal franking mark?

 

It's simply the post card with the franking mark

 

Hello Mawson,

I have checked in the prisoners of war register for Italy (WO 392/21 in the National Archives, issued in August 1943) and there is no one with the surname Prudhoe. The same goes for WO 392/1,the German Register of 1944. (note that many POWs being held in Italy were transferred to Germany after 8 September Armistice, 1943.)

Do you have a date of death for him?

Regards,

Vitellinio

 

Are you calling the “Rome franking mark” the date on the back of the postcard?

If so I think it’s more likely the date the photograph was taken in 1940 by Jerome Studio in UK.

You need to look for the birth and or 1939 Register entry for a George Prudhoe likely born around 1918/1920 - likely a son of the 52 year old of the same name you have discovered.


Steve

 

1939 register gives 3 people, One born 1899, one born 1935 and one born 1923,
George
Prudhoe
1923
26 Long Row, Ashington
Ashington U.D.
Northumberland
England. His father Thomas was born 1895.

 

If your George Prudhoe was a POW I would expect him to appear in either the casualty lists or POW records, probably both, but I cannot find any trace.
The only Prudhoe as a POW was in the navy.

The Prudhoe's in the casualty lists are:
HL Prudhoe, 1537075 Royal Artillery, killed 3.5.41
RW Prudhoe, 6203977 1/7 Middlesex, wounded 2.10.42
JC Prudhoe, 4396396 7 Green Howards, KIA 20/21.3.43
GW Prudhoe, 4392673 7 Green Howards, DOW 19.6.44
E Prudhoe, 812411 Royal Artillery, KIA 3.8.44
TR Prudhoe, 14201671 RAC, KIA 22.2.45
A Prudhoe, 7883796 RAC, wounded 6.6.42
J Prudhoe, 4461072 5 Black Watch, wounded 11.7.44
WA Prudhoe, 2663648 3 Coldstream, wounded 1.9.44
WG Prudhoe, 3197028 2 KOSB, wounded 23.1.44

Can't say that the lists are 100% complete but would have expected him to turn up somewhere.

There is medal card for G Prudhoe 11062644 living Bishop Auckland, number suggests Royal Artillery but looks like France and Germany Star only.

What is the address on the postcard?

 

I also checked these. Puzzled.

 

I had assumed that George Prudhoe was the recipient rather than the sender. Was it usual for the sender's name to be on the back?

 

As per the above, who was it sent too?

 

Sadly I don't know.
The rear of the post card is shown and there is no envelope with it.

 

OK, just that you said there was a franking mark which is normally on the address side.

 

That’s the query I raised the other day that OP hasn’t answered yet Tony….think he’s misread Jerome as Rome and took that to be a franking mark….but that’s only my supposition until he replies.
Steve

 

It's entirely possibly that I'm mistaken.
I can see Jerome printed upside down under the wording 'Prisoner of War', it is the stamp below that I assumed was a postal stamp that said 'Rome 1940'

 

Does it say 10 Dec 1940? If it was a postal mark there must have been an address somewhere.

 

Date agreed - more than likely stamped by Jerome photographic studio to denote date picture was taken or print created.

I’m not sure there were many British POW in Italian hands in December 1940. Despite advancing from the Libya/Egypt frontier in September 1940 they were reluctant to engage with British forces who actually started their counter attack about 10th December. That took General O’Connor’s troops to Tobruk by early 1941 and contributed to the German strategic decision to send troops to North Africa to bolster their Italian allies. Italian POW were measured by “the acre”.

Steve

 

Agree, nothing to say that the handwriting and date stamp were at the same time. Subject is young, perhaps a photo when he was called up for the family album?