7910965 Trooper James BARKER, 44 Battalion Royal Tank Regiment: POW, E&E

Date of Enlistment: 13 June 1940
Army Number: 7910965
Rank: Trooper
Name: James BARKER
Unit: 44 Battalion Royal Tank Regiment

Date of Birth: 7 May 1914
Place of Birth:

POW Number:
Date of Capture: Gazala
Place of Capture: 1 June 1942

 

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

1. No. 7910965
RANK - TROOPER
SURNAME - BARKER
CHRISTIAN NAMES - JAMES
DECORATIONS -

2. UNIT (ARMY) - 44th BATTALION R.T.R.

3. DIVISION (ARMY) - 50th DIV. ? [sic]

4. DATE OF BIRTH - MAY 7th 1914

5. DATE OF ENLISTMENT - JUNE 13th 1940

6. CIVILIAN TRADE OR PROFESSION - LORRY DRIVER

7. PRIVATE ADDRESS - 6, STORER'S BUILDINGS, EXMOUTH ST., STEPNEY E.1., LONDON, ENGLAND

8. PLACE AND DATE OF ORIGINAL CAPTURE - GAZALA JUNE 1st 1942

9. WERE YOU WOUNDED WHEN CAPTURED? - NO

10. MAIN CAMPS OR HOSPITALS IN WHICH IMPRISONED
Camp No. / Location / From / Till
PG 66 CAPUA 14/6/42 - 26/7/42
PG 73 CARPI (MODENA) 29/7/42 - 24/3/43
PG 53 MACERATA 26/3/43 - 4/6/43


11. WERE YOU IN A WORKING CAMP?
Location / From/ Till / Nature of Work
148/V MAZZAGATTA 6/6/43 - 8/9/43 FARM WORK


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?
NONE REQUIRED


GENERAL QUESTIONNAIRE PART II TOP SECRET

1. No. 7910965
RANK - TROOPER
SURNAME - BARKER
CHRISTIAN NAMES - JAMES


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).
YES
At CAPUA, by a German officer. Began by asking how I was and if I had any complaints. Was anxious to know ( 1 ) details of new British tank he said we had, ( 2 ) If the British Military H.Q. was in CAIRO.
( 3 ) Were we trying to send many ships through Mediterranean Sea.


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?)
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?
None


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 May 4th 1945
Signature James Barker (TROOPER)

On the evening of Sept 8th 1943, we received news of the armistice between England and Italy though one of the sentries. The sentries and civilians who lived near the camp thought that the war was over and that Germany would in no way interfere. On the 9th of Sept 1943 we went to work as usual with an armed escort and just about noon we got news of some trouble in VERONA between Italians and Germans. The trouble didn't last very long because the Italians dropped their arms like one man and changed into civilian clothes. Our sentry did likewise and we were free men. There were ten British prisoners working on the farm and we split up. I went off with two others PTE. POLLARD 5442504 D.C.L.I. and DRIVER F.G. BARKER , R.C.S. to PIOMBAZZO near BUTTAPIETRA 10km South of VERONA. For the first five weeks we slept in a stable at night near the house and went into the fields at daybreak. Then Germans and fascists, kept calling at the house and the Italian people made us an excellent hide-out about 300 years from the house - an earth house in the side of a bank camouflaged with bushes and trees. There were about 150 people living in the c???? called PIOMBAZZO and for quite a long time only the family, VALLENARI who looked after us knew we were there. When others found out they kept their mouths shut. This VALLENARI family looked after us extremely well and did everything possible to help us. On the evening of April 25th '45 American tanks advanced near BUTTAPIETRA - and we presented ourselves to the American general there on Thursday.

 

TOP SECRET
MI 9/Gen/

APPENDIX "A"
GENERAL QUESTIONNAIRE
PART III

Number 7910965
Rank TROOPER
Surname and Initials BARKER J.
Unit 44th Battalion R.T.R.

Give such names and addresses as you can remember of those persons who helped you during your escape journey ( s ), with the approximate dates of their help to you and to your companions (if any), a very brief summary of service rendered, amount of money or approximate value of clothing supplied, (list of items of clothing and footgear to be stated if possible) and degree of risk incurred.

If you cannot remember the names of your individual helpers, state the place where you received help, and what details you can about such help. State also if you or your companions did or did not leave 'chits' with each helper, acknowledging assistance given by him, or her, or did these 'chits' take the form of merely your name and home address?

Dates and period of help. / Name and address of helper (put Christian name FIRST, and give Province if possible). / Type of Help given.

Sept. 9th 1943 to April 29th 1945
LUIGI VALLENARI
VIA PIOMBASSO
BUTTAPIETRA
VERONA
ITALIA

Sheltered and fed me Trooper J. BARKER R.T.R. and my two companions Pte. POLLARD D.C.L.I. and Driver BARKER, R.C.S. Did everything possible to help us. Provided civilian clothes whenever wanted, washed our clothes regularly - shirts etc every week and always gave us plenty of food. In winter time we were brought breakfast and food for midday and then a hot meal at night. The people did this because being winter time and the trees being bare untrustworthy people may see and find out we were hiding there. In the summer time when there was plenty of cover the people came and brought food three times a day, separately, hot meal at noon and evening. Although German soldiers and fascists kept calling and sometimes sleeping at the house these Italian people brought our food out just the same and told us they would continue to look after us until the end of the war or the arrival of British troops.

I left no chitty but they have my address.

1 suit of clothes and 3 shirts

 

See also:

• 1781886 Driver Frederick George BARKER, Royal Corps of Signals attached 201 Guards Brigade: POW - escape companion