Hi I'm wondering can anyone point me in the right direction? I'm researching my grandads service details below: Name: Charles Longstaff Service Number: 4751711 Regiment: 6th York and Lancaster DOB: He was captured in north africa 2nd March, initially by the italians, but then moved onto Stalag 17a in austria, is there any way i can get hold of: POW questionnaire document POW list from Stalag 17a details on the unknown location when he was in italian hands Thank you in advance for any help offered. steve
Hi, Welcime to the forum. Post liberation questionnaire may be available from British National Archives when it reopens - not available online. He may/may not have completed one as it wasn’t compulsory. As far as I’m aware there are no remaining nominal rolls of individual German POW Camps but you might manage to compile one if you use the Ancestry POW search facility. He will likely have passed through several Italian camps (my father went through 3) and may have gone through Stalag 7B en route to 17A post armistice - as my father did. Forum member vitellino may have a record of him in an Italian camp in WO392. You need to apply to Swiss Red Cross for his full record. They will list all the camps he passed through. Requests for information about people held during Spanish Civil War or Second World War: Quarterly limit reached You need to check the site 8am BST 25th May for the online application form. If it’s not visible check every half hour until it is. When you see it fill it in and submit it ASAP as the application form will be removed by mid morning. It’s a free service. You get a written reply through the post - not less than 4 months later in “normal” times. Good Luck Steve
Steven, If this helps here is his POW card WO 416/227/347 which has his DOB. I have attached casualty list, listing your grandfather and his comrades from the battalion, hopefully they are of help. brithm
Hello Steven, Here is Charles' entry in document WO 392/21 Prisoners of war held in Italy: The Report was compiled by the International Red Cross and dated August 1943. This does not mean that a prisoner was in the camp next to his name on that date, but that it is the camp he was last know to have been held in. You will see that there is no camp number next to Charles' name. This usually means that he was in a work camp, to which he would have been transferred from a main camp. I advise you to take up Tullybrone's advice. Regards, Vitellino
Wow... Thank you so much for this assistance, Looking at the date that a considerable amount of the 6th York and Lancaster regiment were captured, there must of been a considerable misjudgement leaving them stranded. I really appreciate the very kind assistance here. and ill also be sure to follow the recommendations from Tullybrone once the things start to open up again. steve
Hi, If you want to have sight of the Battalion War Diary contact forum member Andy Drew5233 or Lee PsyWar.Org who offer a look up and copy service at the National Archives. One of them might even already have the WD on file. If you can’t get to NA yourself to look for the Liberation Questionnaire Andy or Lee may also be able to help with that. Steve
Thanks Owen, certainly starting to draw a picture of the movements, can i ask which book this is? i might get myself a copy (if possible) also there looks to be some sort of map on the following page, showing the layout of operations? I have managed to find a diary of events from major R Elmhirst which mentions an operation on the 1st march which left a large number of C company 6th Y&L cut off, and only some of them returning. im trying to draw a picture of activities over those few days. Thank you very much for your assistance, its extremely helpful. regards Steven
the story of 46 division 1939 1945 Sorry answered at work & ran out of data. There is a link on forum to an online version. It's on this thread. WW2 British Army Divisional histories
There are a few threads on 6 Y & L on here. I know that some members have their regimental history. I'm sure they will copy some pages for you if you ask them.
That got me thinking I might have it, but I've just pulled out the booklet I have about the 6th Y&L but its a roll of honour with no history unfortunately
Hi Steve, Looks like you were on the same track as I am now - trying to find out the circumstances in which 37 mem of the Y&L were taken prisoner in North Africa. Did you reach a conclusion and could you tell me what it was? I think I am getting close with both general research and the replies you got here - but not seen a war diary