Long March POW Casualty 1945: John Antony Ronald Coulthard, Stalag XXA, Thorn

BarbaraWT · Feb 23, 2023

BarbaraWT said: ↑

View attachment 294039

When I visited my cousin in Oxford in 2019 she showed me this postcard from XXA dated 1943.
Antony is far left. Does anyone recognise the other 2 men? Note: Antony has the luxury of a proper belt at this stage.
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Actually, maybe the year isn’t 1943? Attached is the back of the postcard. What do you think?

BarbaraWT · Feb 23, 2023

Steve Foster said: ↑

A fantastically clear photo Barbara and shows Antony to be in good health unlike the Aug 1942 pre-escape photos of Antony and dad where they both look very thin. I don't recognise either of the two men who I have tried to cross refer to the men in dad's POW photos. Dad would have been in his camp in Bavaria when this was taken.
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I would expect this photo to be before 1942 considering he had a belt then (as opposed to the piece of rope in the other photo? Unless the clothes were just on loan? But Antony also looks healthier. I’d expect the longer there, the thinner?

brithm · Feb 10, 2025

6094047 Pte. Percy E.G. Figg Queen's West Surreys

Steve Foster said: ↑

Further to my post number 109 on 2 Feb, I have copied below the details of those who died from S/Sgt Aitken's affidavit. The first 23 are those who were presumably found by the Searcher Teams and subsequently exhumed from their graves in East Germany and moved to the CWGC Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. Read in 5 columns as: Name Number Rank Regiment/Corps Plot number:

Crocker WR 3963752 Pte Sherwood Foresters 10.L.6
Hunter FT 2752517 L/Cpl Black Watch 11.B.7
Pocklington 4801963 Pte Lincolns 10.H.1
Mann AL 4803935 Pte Lincolns 11.B.8
Alcock FS 1865236 Sapper REs 10.F.4
Colgate HA 4276 Pte N Z I 11.C.14
Mills W 3058420 Pte Seaforths 11.C.13
Burrows CF 5112203 Pte Warwicks 11.C.2
Webber E 4186794 Pte Cheshires 11.C.11
Keith F 7607908 Cftsmn REME 11.C.9
Lilley 7619209 Pte E Surreys 11.C.10
Whittaker 3383089 Pte KORR Lancs 11.C.8
Jennings S 6912477 Pte Rifle Brigade 11.C.7
Alexander EH 6090106 Pte West Surreys 11.C.7
Murray AD 2881507 Pte Gordon Highlanders 11.C.5
Kitchen C 3321069 Pte Highland LI 11.C.4
Donkin H 4541148 Pte West Yorks 11.C.1
Bone E C 1452883 Bombdr RA 11.E.21
Laidlaw T/87994 Driver RASC 11.E.20
Day RR 5184270 Pte Gloucesters 11.C.3
Drysdale A 3244009 Pte Seaforths 11.C.2
Coombs DJ 6846467 Pte Middlesex 11.E.19
Figg 6094047 4688333 Q West Surreys 11.E.18

The following seven are all memorialised on the Dunkirk War memorial indicating that their graves were not found after the war. This is not necessarily the case as there are 397 unidentified graves in the Berlin Cemetery; they may have been found and transferred but could not be identified. I have written to the CWGC asking if the searcher teams ever found the graves of the following soldiers. Read in 6 columns as: Name, Number, Rank, Regt/Corps, Place of burial and Dunkirk Memorial Column no:

Baldwin PA 6347218 Pte QOR West Kents Retzow 113
Cheshire A 6207962 Pte Middlesex Retzow 117
Torrance JC 7616581 Cftsmn REME Retzow 147
Jagger M T/140471 Driver RASC Retzow 137
Thomson G H 4392030 Pte Green Howards Wittenburg 50
Walker E 4688333 Pte DLI Walbehagen 123
Coulthard JAR 5386215 L/Cpl Int Corps Kaltenhof 155

I hope this is of help to relatives who may be searching by name on the internet. All this information is due to the good works of S/Sgt Aitken, the Senior NCO of the column who kept a diary, fought continually for better conditions for his men and squared up to Hptm Mackensen on numerous occasions. In my view he displayed great bravery and leadership.

Steve
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Long March POW Casualty 1945: John Antony Ronald Coulthard, Stalag XXA, Thorn

BarbaraWT Member

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Long March POW Casualty 1945: John Antony Ronald Coulthard, Stalag XXA, Thorn

BarbaraWT Member

Attached Files:

29210EA5-66E0-477B-8DBF-739772000AB1.jpeg

BarbaraWT Member

brithm Senior Member

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