Hi there, I am doing some research on Stanley Ivan Jakins on behalve of my wife and her family. He was taken POW at Chuisi, Italy. I have been able to piece that together from stories my wife and her Grandmother, his wife, has told me. With the help of Maj R Collins from First City Regiment I have been able to get a pretty clear picture of the movements of the regiment up untill the end of the Italian Campaigne. However what happened to Mr Jakins after he was captured at Chuisi seems to elude me as there are no clear records of where the POW's where transported to after Chuisi up untill the end of the war. Any help wil be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Have you applied for his service records. ( I assume First City Regiment is indeed the South African one?) All South African Service Records: Any request for information on South African Military Personnel from 1910 up to the present day should be addressed to: Department of Defence Command & Management Information Systems Division Documentation Centre Private Bag X289 PRETORIA 0001 SOUTH AFRICA Tel: (27) 12 339 4611 Fax: (27) 12 339 4631 E-mail: sandfdoc@mweb.co.za
I have applied and they have sent me a service record certificate. The info contained in this document is medals, theaters of service and enlistment and discharge dates. It states on the documemt that he was indeed taken pow but no further infomation on when and where or which camp they were taken to.
Hi, The information you require is held by the Red Cross (ICRC). They stopped accepting enquiries on Jan 2014 to start a digitisation project that should be completed sometime in 2016. Keep a eye on their website to see when records become available. I understand they will be searchable on the internet at no cost. Good Luck Steve Y
There is also another thread on this site that may give some more info - http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/33867-south-africans-in-italian-pow-camps/ TD
Hello, I have attached the information held in the National Archives in London regarding South African prisoners of war held in Germany. it shows a L/Cpl. W.S.S. Jakins, no. 11228, as being held in Stalag 11A Altengrabow. Is this your man? If so, after having been taken prisoner at Chiusi he would have been held in a temporary transit camp - possibily at Pg 82 Laterina (current photo) near Arezzo which was still being used for that purpose as late as the last week in June 1944. He would then have been taken by train to Germany, probably to Stalag 7A Moosburg, where most of the men coming in from Italian transit camps were held in the spring and summer of 1944, before being sent to Stalag 11A Altengrabow. Regards, Vitellino
Vitellino, I believe it might be. His initials were WSI Jakins but the force number is spot on. Sure it could have been a typo. Thank you very much for the info, its yet another step in the right direction!! JP
Interestingly enough WO 392 via Ancestry has him as WSS W S S Jakins in the UK, British Prisoners of War, 1939-1945 Name: W S S Jakins Rank: L/Cpl. Army Number: 11228 POW Number: 133433 Camp Type: Stalag Camp Number: 11A Camp Location: Altengrabow, Germany Section: South African Land Forces : Officers and Other Ranks TD
TD, His full names were William Stanley Ivan Jakins, so it is very interesting that he would be listed as WSS Jakins. His force number is correct according to his service certificate as well as his rank. I really appreciate the help, it is definitly starting to paint a clear picture!! Thank you JP
This is my grandfather. He told us stories of being captured in a cinema in Italy and being taken POW. Any other info would be appreciated.
Hi, Welcome to the forum. Red Cross reopened their archives 2 years ago and you can now apply again via this link - Requests for information about people held during Spanish Civil War or the Second World War: Quarterly limit reached You need to be quick off the mark 20th May. I would advise checking the site every 30 minutes from from 8am U.K. time until it opens and quickly downloading and completing the application form as the site can close within 2 to 3 hours with the applications quota being reached. Good Luck Steve PS As the OP hasn’t been on the forum since October 2015 I’ve sent him a Personal Message to alert him to your post. If he still has the same email that he used when he registered on the forum he will get the message and hopefully return to the forum.
Hi Lindi, I have copies of the service certificates and I can also send you the details of the books that I got from Maj Collins at First City in Grahamstown. It might also be worth while to take a tour of FC HQ in Grahamstown as they have a lot of memrobilia and photos there.
Would he have been any relation to JAKINS, HAROLD MONTAGUE. Private. Service Number 12194. Died 20/09/1917. Aged 23 2nd Regt. (Inf.). South African Infantry Son of Thomas and Eliza Jakins, of 45, 2nd Avenue, Kenilworth, Kimberley, Cape Province. Commemorated at YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL Panel 15 - 16 and 16A. JAKINS, EWAN ERNEST EVELYN. Private. Service Number RR/1784. Died 24/03/1918 1st Regt. South African Infantry. Commemorated at POZIERES MEMORIAL Panels 95-98.
They could very wel be that they are cousins. Did a project a while ago with the family trees and they share the same ancestor that arrived with the 1820 Settlers.
Hello Lindi, There was a famous hand to hand battle in the theatre in Chiusi in June '44 and there is a wall plaque inside to that effect. If I can find a photo I will post it. Vitellino
Yes, the ancestor was an 1820 Settler called John Todd Jakins who arrived in SA as a tennager under the William Smith party (I think). They settled at a farm outside Grahamstown called Seven Fountains where his grave still exists. I have photos of this, if you'd like.
Whilst it doesn't go into detail regarding Chiusi, this may give some idea of the background to the fighting in June 1944 The First South African Armoured Battle in Italy during the Second World War: The Battle of Celleno – 10 June 1944
I also found this article online that gives more info on the Battle of Chiusi: How the story of the South African experience in the Italian campaign was recorded - and distorted