2657805 Guardsman Wilfred ROBERTS, Coldstream Guards & Long Range Desert Group: POW

Army Number: 2657805
Rank: Guardsman
Name: Wilfred ROBERTS
Unit: Coldstream Guards attached Long Range Desert Group

Date of Birth: 20 May 1917
Place of Birth: Skipton
Date of Enlistment: 1 Apr 1937
Date of Capture: 17 Dec 1941
Place of Capture: Libya

 

Name: Wilfred Roberts . Date of Birth: 20/05/1917 . Place of Birth: Skipton . ... | The National Archives
Reference: WO 416/309/145
Name: Wilfred Roberts.
Date of Birth: 20/05/1917.
Place of Birth: Skipton.
Service: British Army.
Rank: Guardsman.
Regiment/Unit/Squadron: Coldstream Guards.
Service Number: 2657805.
Date of Capture: 17/12/1941.
Theatre of Capture: Libya.
Camp Name/Number: Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf.
PoW number: 28407.
Date of Death: [unspecified].
Number of Photographs: 1.
Number of Fingerprints: 1.
Number of X-rays: 0.
Number of Cards: 3.
Date: [1939-1945]

 

View Record via Ancestry

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

1. No. 2657805
RANK - GUARDSMAN
SURNAME - ROBERTS
CHRISTIAN NAMES - WILFRID
DECORATIONS -

2. UNIT (ARMY) - COLDSTREAM GUARDS (LONG RANGE DESERT GROUP)

3. DIVISION (ARMY) -

4. DATE OF BIRTH - 20/5/17

5. DATE OF ENLISTMENT - 1/4/37

6. CIVILIAN TRADE OR PROFESSION - MOTOR DRIVER

7. PRIVATE ADDRESS - 39 BRIGHT STREET, SKIPTON, YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND.

8. PLACE AND DATE OF ORIGINAL CAPTURE - AGADABIA [AJDABIYA?] 17/12/41

9. WERE YOU WOUNDED WHEN CAPTURED? - NO

10. MAIN CAMPS OR HOSPITALS IN WHICH IMPRISONED
Camp No. / Location / From / Till
CAMPO PG 66 CAPUA ITALY 1/1/42 - 1/2/42
CAMPO PG 59 SERVIGLIANO ITALY 1/2/42 - FEB 43
CAMPO PG 53 MACERATA ITALY FEB 43 - 22/5/43
CAMPO PG 55 BUSETTO ITALY 22/5/43 - 9/9/43
STALAG VIIB (344) LAMSDORF GERMANY 18/9/43 - 22/1/44
MEININGEN HOSPITAL MEININGEN GERMANY 9/3/45 - 19/4/45


11. WERE YOU IN A WORKING CAMP?
Location / From/ Till / Nature of Work
(55) BUSETTO ITALY 22/5/43 - 9/9/43


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?
-


GENERAL QUESTIONNAIRE PART II TOP SECRET

1. No. 2657805
RANK - GUARDSMAN
SURNAME - ROBERT
CHRISTIAN NAMES - WILFRID


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).
AGADABIA LIBYA. ARRALONIA LIBYA
LOCKED IN CELL. NO FOOD OR WATER FOR 4 DAYS
REPEATEDLY TOLD WAS NOT A REGISTERED POW.


4. ESCAPES attempted:
Did yo 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?)
NO

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?
-


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 April 18th 1945
Signature W Roberts

 

Thanks Diane.

I think he would be transported to Naples with my father (captured 23/12/41 at Antelat) on the Ankara that left Tripoli with 1,000 POW on 29 12 41 and arrived Naples at 1100 hours 1 1 42.

They went through PG 66, 59 & 53 together although I don’t remember my Dad mentioning him by name either from that time or when they were both in 3rd CG - although he did knew several ex 3rd CG who served with G Patrol LRDG.

Steve

 

Steve,
Thanks for posting about that interesting shared history.

Roberts was the last of the POW Reports, which I've identified as LRDG currently on Ancestry, to be transcribed. 300+ more CG files to go... not necessarily Nulli Secundus, I'm afraid. You've seen the list, so let me know if any might be of interest to you.

 

Thanks Diane. Really appreciate your efforts in transcribing the original questionnaires. I’ve copied the list to my phone for reference - my father is the last one listed. I intend to work my way through the names at my local library in the coming months.

I know from the official casualty list that he was captured with 6 or 7 other men - a Platoon half section - and I noticed 2 or 3 had completed their questionnaires but all except one (his mate Ken Smith who comments on the reluctance of Germans guards at his work camp (E716 from memory) to let POW seek shelter from air raids in late 1944 when he was at Lamsdorf) had gone elsewhere after PG66. The subaltern (patrol leader) captured with them doesn’t appear to have completed a questionnaire.

BTW I’m sure you already know but you occasionally see the prefix E or B before a work camp number - signifies English or British.

You also see work camp numbers can have a L or GW suffix. L’ for Landwirtshaft or ‘GW’ for GewerblichenWirtshaft (spelling?).

Basically farming/forestry or factory/construction work respectively.

Steve

 

Suspect he was nabbed with the remainder of G.1 half-patrol under Capt. Hay, by German soldiers. This would make the capture date 16 Dec 41, and the location just north of Mn el Grara, some distance east of Agedabia.

Interesting to note about his mistreatment, by the Germans I suspect. Not sure what Arralonia is supposed to be, and suspect he got confused about locations, as it cannot have been Appolonia as that was in British hands by 20/21 Dec and to the east..

All the best

Andreas

 

Ankara only sailed on 30 Dec. As he was in Capua on 1 Jan I suspect he may have been on Vettor Pisani which left Tripoli on 28 Dec with POW.

All the best

Andreas

 

Thanks Andreas.

I was quoting 2017 information a member here provided from Axis forum -

“1/ Ankara left with 1,000 POW on 29 12 41 and arrived Naples at 1100 hours 1 1 42.

2/Vettor-Pisani left Tripoli with British POW on 27 Dec 1941. The only ship to leave the harbour that day. Vettor Pisani was a modern fast merchant, launched in 1939, .I don't have the number of POWs, but Napoli was the destination. Departed Tripoli at 1800 on 27 Dec 41, arrived Napoli 29 Dec at 1030 hrs. Escorted by the Tp Partenope e Pollice.”

My Dad said he arrived in Naples on New Years Day 1942. He said it was snowing - first snow he’d seen in 5 years.

Steve

 

That sounds like something I wrote. If so, I got the dates wrong for Ankara, I checked the German navy war diaries again last night. But last night I got the date wrong for Vettor Pisani, she did indeed leave on 27 Dec, 1800.

As your dad says he was in Naples on New Year's Day I think it is likely that Roberts was on Vettor Pisani.

All the best

Andreas