Thomas E Crack, POW PG57 Gruppignano

On a road trip in Canada I picked up a book "MISSING: believed killed in action" by a T E Crack. This Canadian had gone to farm in New Zealand and joined up with NZ forces when war broke out. He was a Sergeant, No 63928 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Forces Middle East and shipped out from WEllington on 16th September 1941. Captured 22nd July 1942. From his book I surmise that his first name was Thomas. The E was possibly Edgar.

I would dearly like to contact any surviving relatives. Ancestry has a Thomas E Crack, b 1911 and d 1993 in British Columbia. Those dates seem to fit. The relevant family trees are Robinson_Hindson_Crack_Broster.

His book was published (privately I think) in 1993 by Fraser Valley Custom Printers - who still exist. I'll try contacting them. I've written to the copyright address given (7460 Leary Crescent, Sardis, BC V2R 1J5) but received no reply.

Crack was on a work party and escaped at the Armistice, remaining in the area around Venice, liaising with local Italian partisans and organising hideouts for PoWs, finally taking a boat south in April 45 and arriving in Rimini, and shipped back to Canada.

And there the story ends. I would dearly love to know more, but am loath to pay the exorbitant Ancestry fee in order just to contact the Family Tree owner.

I did see a newspaper article from a place called Chilliwack which might be relevant. I couldn't read it without joining Ancestry.

Can anyone help me pursue this a little bit further? It was so strnge to come across his book in the Museum at Fort McLeod, surrounded by Mountie memorabilia. I've asked the museum and they have no idea how the book came to be there.

Many thanks

Anne

 

OK - I've prompted myself to do some more research and have come up with two references in the local newspaper "The Chilliwack Progress" attached

 

Let me check further Anne.......I actually LIVE in Chilliwack. I’ll see what I can find

 

Anne, I found a contact thru Ancestry.......would you like me to contact them and see if they will contact you. If you send your e-mail to me by private message, I can forward it to them if I get a response. I see they were “on line” on Ancestry just a week ago.

 

Can't ask for faster service than that. In the middle of a pandemic no less.

 

Follow up. Anne I’ve sent a message thru Ancestry giving the information (very briefly) that you presented, and that you are looking to make contact with a family member. I’ll let you know what response I get

Cheers

 

Temujin I've pm'd you my thanks and email address
Anne

 

Hi Anne,

Not sure if you have seen his record on Auckland Museum's Cenotaph page?

There is even a photo of him from 1945 and perhaps of more interest to you it appears his son James (Jim) has contributed some of the information on the page and has left his email address. https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C140422?n=Crack&ordinal=1&from=/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/search

Edited to add that his son's contribution is from April this year.

 

Also from WO 392/21 New Zealand Section.


Would be interested in the book as he would have joined 2NZEF 24 Battalion about the same time as my father. so would be interested in his story especially about Crusader and Sidi Rezegh

 

From Papers Past (NZ)-

PRESS, VOLUME LXXVIII, ISSUE 23710, 7 AUGUST 1942








PRESS, VOLUME LXXVIII, ISSUE 23794, 13 NOVEMBER 1942






EVENING STAR, ISSUE 25466, 23 APRIL 1945.

 

And check out Bill Rudds website, he is on here as ref# 700 -
CRACK Thomas "Tex" Edgar
Chapter 3 - ANZAC Nominal Roll/Casualty List | ANZAC POW Free Men in Europe

 

Many thanks for all the info Geoff. Attached a copy of the cover and initial pages of the book. It seems to have been privately printed so difficult to get hold of though maybe Temujin can get hold of a copy in Crack's home town of Chilliwack??

 

Many thanks Andy - have clocked the email now and will draft a reply shortly.

 

This is the extract from Julia McKenzie's bibliography of Allied PoWs in Italy
Missing: Believed Killed in Action | Allied POWs in Italy | TinyCat

 

Geoff I've now made contact with his children who have offered to forward a copy of the book. Do you want me to ask if they'd send you one? If so, pm me your address and I'll see if they'll do that for you.

 

Thanks Andy - I'm now in email contact with Thomas' children.

 

No worries Anne, the internet is an amazing thing!

 

Hi Anne,
My husbands mother is Thomas Edgar's cousin... I am not sure I can help any more than you may already know, but I am the one that owns they ancestry tree that is mentioned in this thread. Can I help? Please feel free to reply to me when you can. Cathy Robinson

 

Many thanks Cathy and sorry to take so long to reply - haven't been here for a while. I love the fact that I came across Thomas's book in the gift shop of the museum at Fort McLeod! I'm pleased to have made contact with his relatives and learnt something of his life after the war, but am always happy to learn more. If nothing else, he and his book are firmly on the radar of our Trust: Monte San Martino Trust - Monte San Martino Trust You might want to add that in to your "Ancestry" record??
All the best

Anne