Prisoner Of War Lists

Even the greatest soldiers had trouble obtaining POW lists. This is from WO361/238, with the usual apologies and acknowledgements:


1 December 1945

To:

The War Office Casualty Branch,
Edge Lane,
Liverpool, 7.

Dear Sir,

With reference to your M/1038.R, I have been handed this letter by Captain J.N.Neale, R.A., who is one of the Officers in my Regiment.

My own details are as follows:-

33862 Lt.-Colonel P.J.D. Toosey, R.A.

and I have been in command of the 135 Field Regiment, R.A., since the 1st September 1941.

My Regiment has formed an Association in order to assist in the solving of the problem of our lost and dead members in the Far East.

I have obtained a list of casualties of which we are certain. This amounts to some 170 names. I have fairly full particulars of these 170 men. We believe, however, that our total casualties must be in the neighbourhood of 260 and we are making every effort to complete these records.

When these records are completed I propose, if possible, to write a letter to every next-of-kin as the Commanding Officer of the Regiment, which I feel to be my duty.

There are also many other problems of a domestic nature which we shall endeavour to solve for our men. We have already arranged two Reunions the week after next, which will help to collect more information and solve some problems.

If it is agreeable to you, I propose to call on you one day next week and discuss the whole matter with you, since I believe we can be mutually helpful. My telephone number is .... and I shall be at home from Monday afternoon, 3rd December, for at least ten days.

I believe that through our Regimental Association we ultimately shall be able to solve the whereabouts of the whole Regiment, which will be a step towards the difficult problem of finding the number of deaths amongst Prisoners of War in the Far East.

(...)

(sgd) PJD Toosey

Lt.-Colonel R.A.
Commanding C.M.D.G. 135 (Herts Yeomanry)
Field Regiment R.A.


Reply dated 10th December 1945.

The War Office,
Edge Lane,
Liverpool, 7

M/367 Cas.L.

Dear Colonel Toosey,

Casualties 135 Fld. Rgt. R.A.

I enclose the list of names of those under your command who are still shown as "missing" in our records. We should be so very grateful for any information you can supply regarding them. We will let you know as soon as any of the cases are disposed of - unhappily I am afraid in most, by presumption of death, so that you can then communicate with the relatives.

(...)

Thank you again very much indeed for the splendid records you have given in such desperate circumstances. They will do so much to relieve the minds of relatives - even though it be sad news - and make our work easier.

Yours sincerely,

V. Harvey


A third letter is from Lieut-Colonel A.W. Hackett, 2nd-in-Command, Royal Artillery Records (Field), Foots Gray, Sidcup, Kent to:

Mr. V. Harvey, War Office (Casualties), Edge Lane, Liverpool, 7, dated 4th Fenruary, 1946.

Dear Mr Harvey,

135 Field Regiment, R.A.

Thank you for your M/367/66A/CAS.L. of 1 Feb 46.

I am afraid with release problems at their peak, it is not possible to supply Colonel Toosey with the information he requires. As you can imagine, all Regiments have been on the same game, but in all cases we have, unfortunately, had to turn it down and they have supplied military clerks to attend at this office and get out the lists as required.

I will write to Col. Toosey today and point out to him that we will co-operate if he can supply the man or men to do the job.

(...)

Yours sincerely,

(sgd.) Ambrose W. Hackett

(ends)

 

Could I post this here in case anyone with an interest in POW camps on Java or Japan comes looking for names?

It is the index of the places and names which appear in 'FROM JAVA TO NAGASAKI', a 1942-1945 diary of a prisoner captured on Java (Magic Rat Books)



Units

3rd Hussars, 205
6th HAA Regiment, 30, 33, 57, 218
15th Punjab Regiment, Indian Army, 209
16th AA Brigade, 204
21st LAA Regiment, 219, 220
34 (B) Squadron, 202
35th LAA Regiment, 218
48th LAA Regiment, 216, 218
77th HAA, 5, 14, 30, 33, 35, 57, 58, 64, 69, 70, 76, 77, 120, 162, 167, 186, 187, 199, 202, 203, 205, 207, 208, 210, 212, 217, 218, 220, 221, 222, 223
84 Squadron, RAF, 218
174 Field Ambulance, 223
211 Squadron, RAF, 218
Royal Corps of Signals, 218
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, 220
Royal Engineers, 209


People and Places

Ainsley, John, 11, 203
Ambon, 212
Angel Island, 195, 225
Australia, 9, 13, 42, 47, 211
B, Dick, 48, 58
Baker, Billy, 212
Bandoeng, 42, 67, 78, 210, 214
Barry, Wales, 5, 203
Batavia, 5, 10, 11, 16, 17, 23, 29, 30, 33, 40, 64, 67, 78, 81, 82, 202, 204, 205, 212, 213
Baxter, John, 199, 201, 202, 205, 206, 208, 209, 213, 214, 215, 219, 220, 222
Benghazi, 10
Berlin, 152, 165, 173, 222, 223
‘Bijou Maru’, 223
Birch, Captain, 20, 205
Black, Bill, 11
Blakey, George, 187, 224
Blakey (PoW, unknown first name), 20
Boei Glodok, 77, 205, 213
Boei Glodok (life at), 17-23, 70-77
Borneo, 41, 209, 210
Boxall, Jimmy, 11, 203
Bradford, England, 219
Brandon, Sidney Charles, 106, 218
Brooke, Rupert, 101
Burma, 8, 84, 160, 203, 209, 212, 215, 222
Burrlock (Burrluck), Sergeant AO, 103, 218
California State Military Museum, 225
Camp 8, Kamo, 216
Camp 8, Kamo (life at), 87-190
Canada, 195, 225
Cape Town, 7, 8, 9
Cardiff, 5, 29, 36, 81, 102, 118, 125, 197, 203, 208, 209, 211, 212, 219, 222
Cardiff Arms Park, 197
Cardiff City FC, 203, 208, 209, 212
Cardiff Rugby Club, 5, 197, 203, 219
Cardigan, 207
Ceylon, 9
Changi, 209, 212, 215
China, 86, 87, 219
Chungkai, 212
Chungking, 187
Churchill, Winston, 7, 10, 111, 208, 223
Clapton, London, 219
Coconut Grove, 45, 46
Cole, Driver S, 187, 224
Colombo, 9
Convoy DM2, 5
Convoy WS14, 5, 201
Cox, Alan, 120
Cox, Pat, 11, 59, 212
Crete, 8
Crewe, 210
Curtis, Ernie, 34, 208, 212
Cycle Camp (aka Bicycle Camp), 67, 70, 71, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 82, 212, 213, 214
Cycle Camp (life at), 67-70, 77-78, 82-83
Davies, Sergeant, 84
Davies, Griff, 25, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 56, 57, 60, 61, 63, 65, 67, 68, 70, 71, 72, 75, 76, 77, 83, 207
Derbyshire, 210
Donnington, 210
Dudley, 224
Dunn, Frank, 202
Dunn, Neville, 202
Durban, 5, 7, 8
Edwards, Hugh, 11, 132, 181, 199, 201, 203, 208, 216, 217, 220, 223
‘Empress of Australia’, 202
England, 10, 13, 20, 25, 26, 32, 36, 58, 66, 81, 106, 109, 123, 130, 142, 165, 169, 170, 179, 203, 223
Evans, Bert, 8, 23, 29, 37, 44, 45
Evans, Dai, 191
Evans, Horace, 11
Evans, Ken, 81
Exeter, 219
Far East War Crimes Tribunal, 213, 220
Fawcett, FS, 44, 211
Fleming, Bill, 195
Fobes, Hal, 165, 172, 186, 188, 222
Forge, John ‘Dusty’, 43, 44, 210
Formosa, 18, 86, 220
Fort Lewis, 195
Fort McDowell, 225
Freetown, 5
Frome, 5, 36, 125
Fryett, Frank, 9, 18, 28, 33, 35, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 56, 57, 58, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 70, 71, 75, 76, 77, 78, 80, 83, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 100, 105, 107, 109, 110, 120, 122, 123, 125, 126, 128, 131, 132, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 143, 148, 149, 153, 156, 163, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 174, 175, 178, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 196, 202, 220
Gardner, Les, 170
Garoet, G, 16, 205
Gaskell, Major GFG, 12, 16, 30, 81, 203
Gibson, Corporal, 99, 218
Glamorgan County Cricket Club, 197, 203
Glasgow, 161, 210, 218
Goronwy, John W, 182, 223, 224
Gosney, Ronald, 128, 220
Grandon, Dai, 11, 60, 119, 122, 128, 130, 187, 188, 189, 191, 196, 212
Grider, James A, 152, 157, 164, 165, 169, 188, 221
Guadalcanal, 208
Guernsey, 205
Hampson (PoW, unknown first name), 136
Hancock’s Breweries, 203
Hardacre, Harvey, 11, 60, 72
Haruku, 212
Hawarden, 210
Hawkins, Charlie, 18, 205
‘H’ Force, 203, 212
Higashi Misome, 211
Hitler, Adolf, 166, 223
HMS Glory, 196, 225
HMS Ramillies, 9, 201
Hoeffer, Frank, 213
Honolulu, 193, 225
Honshu Island, 211, 224
Horner, RM, 210, 215
Humphries, HR, 12, 17, 22, 27, 29, 30, 31, 40, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 56, 57, 58, 59, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 212
Hunt, Les, 19, 35, 36, 37, 39, 41, 42, 43, 44, 211
Inatsukimachi, 87, 216, 221, 224
Jakarta, 5
Jakarta War Cemetery, 205, 207, 208
James, Billy, 209, 212
James, Noel, 19, 20, 28, 41, 42, 70, 76, 77, 83
Japan, 5, 43, 44, 55, 57, 58, 66, 77, 84, 87, 105, 119, 123, 127, 138, 144, 148, 156, 160, 172, 182, 183, 197, 210, 211, 214, 216, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225
Java, 5, 11, 16, 33, 39, 53, 83, 87, 117, 138, 141, 152, 162, 196, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 224
Jesselton, 210
Jones, Allan, 204
Jungle Journal, 15, 17, 32, 62, 204, 207
Kama, Fukuoka Prefecture, 223
Kanchanaburi hospital camp, 212
Kent, England, 219
King, Reg, 120, 220
King Victor Emmanuel III, 214
Knight, William, 32, 208
Kokura, 211
Konno, Shiggy, 197
Kuching, 210
Kyushu, 87, 216, 219, 224
Lanarkshire, 218
Lane, Colonel CM, 40, 52, 53, 209
Leicester, 218
Lewendon, Brigadier RJ, 202
Lewis, Jack, 7, 41, 141, 221
Lloyd, Herbert ‘Doc’, 24, 25, 26, 42, 50, 51, 206
Lock (unknown first name), 14
Lock, George, 11
MacMillan, Captain HMR (also McMillan), 11, 203, 224
Malang, 56
Malaya, 202, 209, 221
Manchukuo, 166, 181, 223
Manilla, 85
Manorbier, 190, 191, 224
‘Marine Shark’, 192, 225
Marriott, Ted, 207
Middlesex, 219, 220
Milligan, Jonny, 11
Missen, Sergeant LA, 110, 121, 149, 219
Mitchell, SD, 44, 211
Miyata camp, 224
Moji, 139, 211, 216, 224
Moji Number 4 camp, 211, 221
Mombasa, 8
Motoyama, 211
Mussolini, Benito, 79, 166, 214, 222
Musson, John Wilfred, 108, 218
Nagasaki, 182, 189, 190, 223
Nelson, David, 209, 212, 215
Newport, Wales, 5, 220
New York, 196, 197, 225
Nippon Times, 165, 222
North Africa, 71, 213
Norway, 8
O’Fitzpatrick, M, 11, 59
Ohama, 210, 211, 224
O’Hara, Michael, 105, 218
Okinoyama, 211
Olympia, Canada, 195
Onada, 211
Otago, New Zealand, 211
Ottawa, 196
Oversay, 5
Owens, Henry, 148, 221
Owens, Tudor, 78
Pearl Harbor, 5, 194, 220, 225
Penarth, 191
Penarth Water Polo Club, 203
Perkins, Syd, 193, 225
Perry, Harry, 150, 151, 158, 221
Philippines, 85, 86, 192
Phillips, Rev, 33, 208
Pontefract, 218
Pontypridd, 223, 224
Pritchard, Jackie, 209, 212
Probert, Johnny, 12, 44, 203, 211
‘Queen Mary’, 196, 197
Rabinovitch, Simon, 112, 219
Rangoon, 8
Reardon Smith, Alan, 25, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 55, 56, 57, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 75, 76, 79, 83, 207, 215
Reardon Smith, William, 207
Rhondda, 204, 220
Riley, Dennis, 207
Roberts, Stan, 205, 207, 215, 216, 217, 222
Roosevelt, Franklin D, 163, 222
Russia, 28, 125, 131, 139, 142, 152, 165, 222
Rutter, John, 38, 61, 65, 72, 76, 77, 79, 83, 84, 209
San Antonio Express, 225
San Franscisco, 192, 193, 194, 195, 223, 225
Seattle, 194, 195
Serang, 70, 213
Shepherd’s Bush, 225
Shikoku Island, 224
Shrine, Ron, 11
Sicily, 81, 214
Simonoseki Hospital Camp, 211
Singapore, 8, 9, 10, 39, 84, 85, 190, 202, 209, 210, 212, 215, 222, 223, 224
‘Singapore Maru’, 210, 211, 221, 224
Sitwell, HDW, 13, 204
Smead/Smeed, Joe, 105, 218
Sonei, Kenichi, 213
Southampton, 197
Southend-on-sea, 217
Southport, 212
South Wales Echo, 197, 203, 209, 212, 219
Staffordshire, 205, 208, 221
Stalin, 223
Stanton, Lionel, 112, 128, 163, 178, 182, 219
Stiles (unknown first name), 14
Stoodley, JH, 11, 203
Street, Ken, 11, 203
Street, Major, 141, 221
Street, Stan, 24, 117, 207, 220
‘Suez Maru’, 204, 209, 212
Suffolk, 222
Sumatra, 10, 11, 39, 83, 215
Sumption, Ted, 14, 67, 204
Sunda Strait, 84, 215
Surabaya, 11, 59, 69, 78, 202, 203, 204, 212, 223
Surrey, 219
Sutcliffe, Corporal, 108, 109, 219
Sydney War Cemetery, 211
Taiwan, 220, 223
‘Tamahoko Maru’, 223
Tandjong Priok, 23, 67, 68, 72, 77, 82, 104, 156, 204, 205, 207, 208, 209, 210, 212, 214, 222
Tandjong Priok (life at), 23-67
Tasikmalaya, 14, 24, 204, 207
Taylor, Ken, 19, 22, 41, 42, 58, 212
Thai-Burma Railway, 203, 209, 212, 215, 222
Thailand, 162, 212, 222
Thompson, Charles, 19, 205
Tjideng internment camp, 213
Tjilatjap, 13, 14, 56, 204
Tjimahi, 78, 214
Tjisompet, 15, 204
Toda, 1st Lt, 222
Tojo, Hideki, 121, 220
Tottenham, 218
Trealaw, South Wales, 221
Trogong, 205
Truman, President, 223
Twickenham, 20, 110, 219
Ube, 211
Upton, HC, 208
USS Chenango, 190, 224
USS Tang, 224
USS Bonefish, 204
‘Ussuri Maru’, 215, 216
V, Ken, 38, 48, 58
Vancouver, 225
Wallis, WL, 203
Wangon Cross, 204
‘Warwick Castle’, 5, 50, 201
Watson, Frank, 117, 124, 143, 151, 152, 169, 219
Weeks, Mac, 11, 43, 211
Welsford, Norman, 91, 112, 122, 123, 178, 217, 220
Wermuth, Arthur, 225
West Bromwich, 222
Williams, Emrys, 159, 160, 222, 224
Williams, Frank, 202, 205, 213
Williams, Peter, 87, 89, 91-95, 101-105, 107-111, 113- 117, 119-123, 125-126, 130-137, 139- 144, 147-158, 160-162, 165-176, 178-180, 182-192, 196, 216
Williams, Ronald, 202, 205, 213, 224
Windhurst/Windust, Sergeant, 161, 222
Winnipeg, 196
Wood, Jack, 122, 136
Wooller, Wilf, 12, 14, 17-23, 25-31, 33-53, 55-58, 60, 61, 63-68, 70, 71, 72, 74, 75, 76, 78-86, 118, 197, 203, 215, 219
Woolley, AA, 99, 126, 217
Wright, Sergeant A, 161, 222
Yawata Steel Mill, 211
Yokohama, 44
Yokohama Cremation Memorial, 221
Yokohama War Cemetery, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222
‘Yoshida Maru’, 210, 224
Zentsugi camp, 224

 

I have come across this site and topic in the hope of finding more information on my Grandfather who was a POW in Italy and Germany from 23.1.42 to 16.4.45. I'm hoping one of you amazing knowledgable people can help me find more information on what camp he was at. His name was George H Sedgwick (think the H is for harold) and he was a gunner enlisted into Royal Artillery, Territorial Army his service number was 871287. I have his army record in front of me which just says served overseas: Middle East from 2.6.41 to 22.1.42 then POW Italy and Germany from 23.1.42. to 16.4.45. I only ever heard my grandad say " i have seen men sell out their best friend for a cigarette" . Would love to know more on what camps he was at so my son can know more. Also would like to know if there is a POW medal, I have his other medals of which there are 3. A 1939/45 Star, the Africa Star and War Medal 1939/45 Any help you can offer so we can pass down details for my children and remember my grandad would be very much appreciated. Thanks Jill xx

 

Thanks Steve, youve given me some great starting points and they are much appreciated, sorry I posted in the wrong spot, but lucky for me you seen it. Thanks again!

 

Hi,

I'm in the process of researching for a book concerning the men of WWII who appear on my local war memorial. A few of those named died in POW camps. I apologise if this information has already been posted in this thread and/or on this forum but I could really do with a steer on how and where to locate any information that may be available on these men.

Can anyone help?

Regards

Jeff

 

HI Jeff,

wondering if you have had further success since your August posting? May I ask whether the men that you are researching were to die in POW camps in Europe? Australians?

kindly,
KK. (daughter of one lucky gunner and former POW Italy)

 

Message for jillsteele

This may be late, but have only just come across this thread today, is this your relation??

UK, British Prisoners of War, 1939-1945 about G Sedgwick
Name: G Sedgwick Rank: Gunner Army Number: 871287 Regiment: Royal Artillery POW Number: 139068 Camp Type: Stalag Camp Number: XI-B Camp Location: Fallingbostel, Lower Saxony Record Office: Royal Artillery (Heavy Anti-Aircraft) Record Office, St. Maries Hall, Dunchurch Road, Rugby Record Office Number: 43

Edited to add:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_XI-B

 

Hi KK,

I did have some luck since August although it came from a regimental museum and not this forum. I managed to find out about one of the men I am researching who had been taken at Tobruk and died two years later as a POW in Austria.

All the men being researched are English and all appear on my local war memorial (see profile picture)

Regards

Jeff

 

Is there a central repository/database of the British and Canadian PWs online like the US NARA POW database? In particular the units that the individuals were assigned prior to capture.

I have the names and service numbers of approximately 300 British and Canadian PWs that passed through or were liberated at Rennes Military Hospital (AKA Frontstalag 221 W, Zweilager Rennes, EPS Rennes, Stalag 221) and am attempting to associate names with units and where they ended up. My eventual goal is to create a website dedicated to the Hospital with as much detail about the Germans, PWs and French that were there.

 

Dale,

There's this record at the National Archives that can be downloaded for free: WO 392/1: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/s/res?_q=WO+392%2F1&_sd=&_ed=

It lists all the POWs in Occupied Europe and gives their Regiment or Corps. This is the document that started this thread. The list of POW camps given is very inaccurate but should be sufficient regarding regiment or corps.

If you want more detail on the men, including which battalion they served in, next of kin, etc. then an alternative approach would be to search for liberation questionnaires for them. Not all returning POWs completed these but around 50 to 60% of them did.
As the POWs were all liberated from the same place it could be a case of all of them or none of them completed a liberation questionnaire depending on whether they passed through an IS9 interrogation centre or were repatriated immediately back to the UK. Seeing as this was a hospital then perhaps it's the latter case but probably worth doing a spot check on a few names if you're able to get to the National Archives at Kew.

Lee

 

Thanks. I will start with that link. If I can get the regiment I am good.

Edit:

In looking at the file it appears to be dated 3/2/43 on the second page of the document which is too early for me. Is there one dated October 1944 or so which might have the guys I am looking for?

I have looked for all the officers that were at the Rennes Military Hospital and none are on that list. The next later version of the list is not online and a copy would have to be ordered.

 

That list is supposed to date from September 1944.

The date on page two I suspect is a badly written 3/2/93 as it seems to relate to the PRO (Public Record Office) rubber stamp and signature. That was probably the date the document was received by the Archives.

There is an April 1945 edition of the list as well, files WO 392/11 to WO 392/20.

But if you have a FindMyPast subscription or your local library has then this will probably meet your needs: http://www.findmypast.co.uk/search/military/indexes/ww2-prisoners-of-war/
(They don't actually say which records were used to compile their lists)

 

The Canadian Forces have their own POW list - I found this and a few others (unlisted) in the depths of the National Archives

John

 

I saw that each of the Commonwealth nations had their own PW lists. Unfortunately none are online and none are searchable. The expense of getting these lists at 200+ pages would break the bank.

 

From the latest quotes I've been told TNA are charging £3.00 a page, so a 200 page document from them would likely cost you over £600.00.

I provide digital photographs at £0.09 per page, so I'd charge £18.00 (that's less than $30 US) for a 200 page document.

But wouldn't a number of your British POWs being listed in free September 1944 list or were they are captured too late to be listed in it?

 

I have looked through the free list for all of the officers and a smattering of enlisted with no hits. So I would say they were captured too late to make that list. Consider that is 3 months (June, July, August) from the earliest possible capture to the publishing date it is quite probable that the Germans communications through the Red Cross would take longer.

I would assume that using the September 44 list as a guide that the April 45 list would be about 500 pages. Canadians would be say 200 pages.

 

I have just discovered this page and now intend to research my father's wartime history. My father was Captain (later, Major) John Charles Mertens a member of the Tyneside Territorials Blackwatch, Ist Regiment, 51st Highland division. My father was wounded and captured outside of Dunkirk. I have yet to check his Regimental details. That is his Service number and to which POW camps he was incarcerated in. I believe he was in one camp with Airey Neave MP (deceased). Before my father's death he mentioned several incidents relating to attempted escapes however he never mentioned the disasters leading up to Dunkirk. He was an engineer in civilian life and post war he spent nearly 5 years in Germany before immigrating to Australia.. Any advice gratefully received. Please note that I am living in Australia. Also somethings that may be of interest. I have one of the silk maps of Europe and Germany that were provided as scarves. More importantly I have a copy of "The Quill". It is collection of POW cartoons, stories, poems etc that was edited and produced as a limited edition after WW2. I also have a Brass Bowl that appears to be a racing trophy for yachting. 1946. Kiel' I can only suspect that it would have been for racing captured /confiscated German yachts by allied crews.
If this all makes sense to anyone I'd appreciate some assistance in researching some of the topics and items mentioned above.

Thank you

Mike Mertens