126570 Captain William Joseph WRIGHT, RASC attached 201 Guards Brigade: POW, E&E

Date of Enlistment: 10 September 1939
Date of Commission: 6 April 1940

Personal Number: 126570
Rank: Captain
Name: William Joseph WRIGHT
Unit: Royal Army Service Corps attached 201 Guards Brigade

Date of Birth: 20 December 1913
Place of Birth: London

POW Number: 128830
Date of Capture: 21 June 1942
Place of Capture: Tobruk


London Gazette : 12 April 1940
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34828/supplement/2146/data.pdf
ROYAL ARMY SERVICE CORPS.
The undermentioned, from R.A.S.C. (Officer Producing Centre), to be 2nd Lts. except as otherwise stated. 6th Apr. 1940:—
Pte. William Joseph WRIGHT (126570).

 

Name: William [J] Wright . Date of Birth: 20/12/1913 . Place of Birth: London . ... | The National Archives
Reference: WO 416/403/253
Name: William [J] Wright.
Date of Birth: 20/12/1913.
Place of Birth: London.
Service: British Army.
Rank: Captain.
Regiment/Unit/Squadron: [Royal Army Service Corps].
Service Number: 126570.
Date of Capture: [unspecified].
Theatre of Capture: [unspecified].
Camp Name/Number: Stalag VIIA Moosburg.
PoW number: 128830.
Date of Death: [unspecified].
Number of Photographs: 0.
Number of Fingerprints: 0.
Number of X-rays: 0.
Number of Cards: 2.
Date: [1939-1945]

 

View Record via Ancestry

PART I.
GENERAL QUESTIONNAIRE FOR BRITISH/AMERICAN EX-PRISONERS OF WAR.

1. No. 126570
RANK - CAPTAIN
SURNAME - WRIGHT
CHRISTIAN NAMES - WILLIAM JOSEPH
DECORATIONS - Africa Star

2. UNIT (ARMY) - R.A.S.C. - H.Q. 201 Guards Bde.

3. DIVISION (ARMY) - 1 Armoured Div.

4. DATE OF BIRTH - 20 December 1913

5. DATE OF ENLISTMENT - 10 September 1939

6. CIVILIAN TRADE OR PROFESSION - Secretary

7. PRIVATE ADDRESS - 'Nether Edge', Wise Lane, Mill Hill, LONDON, N.W.7

8. PLACE AND DATE OF ORIGINAL CAPTURE - Tobruk 21 June 1942

9. WERE YOU WOUNDED WHEN CAPTURED? - No

10. MAIN CAMPS OR HOSPITALS IN WHICH IMPRISONED
Camp No. / Location / From / Till
PG 75 Bari Italy 1 July 42 - 3 Aug 42
PG. 21 Chieti Italy 4 Aug 42 - 23 Sep 43
Stalag VII A Moosburg Germany 7 April 44 - 24 June 44
Oflag VII B Eichstatt Germany 25 June 44 - 15 April 45
Stalag VII A Moosburg Germany 23 April 45 - 29 April 45


11. WERE YOU IN A WORKING CAMP?
Location / From/ Till / Nature of Work
NO

12. DID YOU SUFFER FROM ANY SERIOUS ILLNESSES WHILE A P/W?
Nature of Illness / Cause / Duration
NO
12 b. DID YOU RECEIVE ADEQUATE MEDICAL TREATMENT?
YES


GENERAL QUESTIONNAIRE PART II TOP SECRET

1. No. 126570
RANK - Capt.
SURNAME - WRIGHT
CHRISTIAN NAMES - WILLIAM JOSEPH


2. LECTURES before Capture:
( a ) Were you lectured in your unit on how to behave the event of capture? (State where, when and by whom).
NO
( b ) Were you lectured on escape and evasion? (State where, when and by whom.
NO

3. INTERROGATION after capture:
Were you specially interrogated by the enemy? (State where, when and methods employed by enemy).
After original capture, NO. After re-capture in civilian clothes in Italy, 11/3/44, YES. At Civita D'Antino, Abruzzo, Italy. On 12/3/44. Enemy was sour but courteous and wished principally to assure himself I was British and not a German deserter.


4. ESCAPES attempted:
Did you make any attempted or partly successful escapes? (Give details of each attempt accurately, stating where, when, method employed, names of your companions, wherein when recaptured and by whom. Were you physically fit? What happened to your companions?)
Successful escape nr. AVEZZANO from train carrying P.Ws under German Guard, 1st October 1943; I jumped from moving train at night ; ( i ) Capt. K.A. WAUGH, R. SIGS; ( ii ) Lt. P.W. ALLSEBROOK, SHERWOOD FORESTERS; recaptured at MOREA, ABRUZZO, 11/3/44 by Germans. Fairly fit. Capt. WAUGH was liberated and reached U.K. July 1944.


5. SABOTAGE
Did you do any sabotage or destruction of enemy factory plant, war material, communications, etc, when employed on working-parties or during escape? (Give details, places and dates.)
NO

6. COLLABORATION with enemy:
Do you know of any British or American personnel who collaborated with the enemy or in any way helped the enemy agains other Allied Prisoners of War? (Give details, names of persons concerned, camps, dates and nature of collaboration or help given to enemy).
NO

7. WAR CRIMES
If you have any information or evidence of bad treatment by the enemy to yourself or to others, or knowledge of any enemy violation of Geneva Convention you should ask for a copy of "Form Q" on which to make your statement.
(NOTE: Form Q is a separate form inviting information on "War Crimes" and describes the kind of offences coning under this title.)



GENERAL QUESTIONNAIRE PART II TOP SECRET
(continued)

8. Have you any other matter of any kind you wish to bring to notice?
After my escape, I was housed, fed, clothed, advised and generally befriended by Signor DOMENICO PETRACCA, LE CESE PER AVEZZANO, ABRUZZO, ITALY. With Germans constantly billeted in the village, he and his family, acting on my behalf and sheltering me, ran great danger of losing their lives by German reprisal. They recognised this. I and Capt. K.A. WAUGH, R.C.S., were living in Signor PETRACCA's house or on his property from 13/10/43 to 27/2/44. I sincerely hope that Allied authority will recompense him generously.


SECURITY UNDERTAKING
I fully realise that all information relating the matters covered by the questions in Part II. are of a highly secret and official nature.

I have had explained to me and fully understand that under Defence Regulations or U.S.A.R. 380-5 I am forbidden to publish or communicate any information concerning these matters.

Date 9 MAY 1945
Signature W. J. Wright, Capt.