36158 Alfred Hope MASON of the 2nd NZEF he as captured in 1941 when the Germans overran a dressing station where he was serving, he was repatriated in May 1943, I think as a medic accompanying the wounded. Below is a cutting about the repatriation and then another service book, this time his Fiancé (mentioned in the cutting) who later became his wife
Wonder why it says Clerk under occupation 1939 England and Wales Register Name: James S Lewis Gender: Male Marital Status: Single Birth Date: 26 Jun 1916 Residence Year: 1939 Address: 69 Residence Place: Liverpool, Lancashire, England Occupation: School Teacher Schedule Number: 202 Sub Schedule Number: 3 Enumeration District: NIFS Registration district: 455/2. Household Members: Name Thomas Lewis Catherine C Lewis James S Lewis I would have thought he might have been better off in some other military occupation - ?? TD
4455249 Thomas Swineburne BLYTHE 8th DLI, the casualty returns seem to have him missing 21/5/40 but his discharge certificate below reads as if he became a POW 11-12/7/40, not sure if he evader for a bit (the dates on certificates like these tend to tie in with when they became POW's) of if the later date is when he crossed from France to Germany and he had already been a POW for a bit. Hopefully he has a liberation questionnaire and it will help. The photo has his details on the back so I'm assuming its him marked with the x
UK, British Prisoners of War, 1939-1945 Name: T S Blythe Rank: Private Army Number: 4455249 Regiment: Durham Light Infantry POW Number: 7864 Camp Type: Stalag Camp Number: 344 Camp Location: Lambinowice, Poland Record Office: Infantry and Army Educational Corps Record Office, York Record Office Number: 20 It is an early POW number TD
Alistair, Here is Nolan on WO392/21. Held at Campo 148, which I believe was located near Verona. Forum member, vitellino may know more.
2342166 Christopher Nicholls TOMAN of 13 Corps Signals captured 27 May 1942, I assume this was at Gazala
UK, British Prisoners of War, 1939-1945 Name: J E Nolan Rank: Pte Army Number: 5734 POW Number: 29958 Camp Type: Stalag Camp Number: 357 Camp Location: Oerbke nr Fallingbostel, Germany Section: 2nd New Zealand Expy Force: Officers and Other Ranks Toman from a family tree Name Christopher Nicholls Toman Spouse Vera Ethel Stones Father Lewis Thomas Gyles Toman Mother Mary Williams Nicholls Birth 15/01/1920 St. Ives Cornwall England Death 14/02/1972 Romford Essex England TD
T/153952 Duncan McMILLAN of 278 company RASC captured at Tobruck 21/6/42, this one is of extra interest to me as he was from Motherwell where I was born and near where I live. From the letter at the end from a POW who escaped back to Allied lines after the Italian Surrender it looks like Driver McMillan was very close to getting back too, but something must have gone wrong.
Thanks for posting this newspaper cutting, hard to find on this subject. Mason would have been repatriated as "protected personnel", but also would have looked after the wounded. I wonder if they had children etc and they know their backstory? His record on the Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph Alfred Hope Mason does not record his capture as a POW nor his repatriation. He is not on the List of 2NZEF POW (MS 2009/8). His wife Ria is also on AWMM with Mason as her "AKA" https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C118104?n=ria claridge&ordinal=0&from=/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/search If he was captured at Sidi Rezegh he was probably with my father when he was also captured. Edit 1- Thanks to this item I have now found several Newspaper articles re this Repatriation at https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/n...ated+mason&snippet=true&start_date=26-04-1943 and indeed he was captured with my father in the same action. Edit 2- Photos of the wedding in can be found at https://natlib.govt.nz/items/22463976 Cheers Geoff
Brilliant stuff, especially seeing photos of them both and it opens up some more general research avenues, I've looked at he Cenotaph page before for a casualty whose books I have but I didn't realise it also covered non-casualties so I have had a quick look at a few other 2nd NZEF members, nothing special jumped out but still good to see.
George Alfred SMITH T/53323 RASC attached to No3 Motor Ambulance Convoy RAMC, he was captured with the BEF in 1940 - in 1943 he was repatriated
Hi Alistair, Thanks for sharing. I’ve never seen a French language “Capture Card” before but I suppose that in 1939/40 German forces would’ve likely had more forms in French than English. Steve
George Leslie Tunstill 1919–1975 BIRTH 8 OCT 1919 • Hartlepool, Durham, England DEATH DEC 1975 • North Cleveland, Yorkshire North Riding, England Birth 08/10/1919 Hartlepool Durham England Marriage 1954 Durham Durham England Death 1975 Riding Northumberland England Father George Mead Tunstill (1879-1930) Mother Louisa Bomby Frank (1879-1956) Would you know if the family have seen these documents?? 1939 England and Wales Register Name: George L Tunstill Gender: Male Marital status: Single Birth Date: 8 Oct 1919 Residence Year: 1939 Address: 14 Residence Place: West Hartlepool, Durham, England Occupation: Joiner-single Carpenter TD