Stalag XXA Fort 13 Camp 172 - 5568122 Pte Arthur Lional GRANT, 2 Wiltshire Regiment: POW, 28/02/1945

My Uncle Arthur Lional Grant was briefly in Camp 172. Can anyone tell me where it was please?

 

Welcome aboard.

The site's search function is simple, so it will work on one word / number e.g. XXA. Using "fort 13" site:ww2talk.com a few hits, nothing when using fort 13.

It might help if you provide his full name, service number etc. I assume you have some information already; have you applied for his service record?

We always recommend applying for the Service Record. It is the definitive account of his service. Yes, it can take time and regularly has good and disappointing responses. A very short note (copied from Clive): you will need his date of birth and death cert available here for £7 https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/ Link for service records
Select the service - Apply for a deceased person's military record - GOV.UK

There could be help in Poland, from a 2012 post:

From Post 112: Long March POW Casualty 1945: John Antony Ronald Coulthard, Stalag XXA, Thorn

The author was last logged in a year ago, I've sent him a message - assuming he is alive and the email address used on joining remains valid.

This site might help, it has a short history: Stalag XXA Thorn - Online Museum of Prisoners of War

 

Hi,

Welcome to the forum.

You may want to apply to Swiss Red Cross 27th May for a copy of the information held in their files via this link -


Requests for information about people held during Spanish Civil War or Second World War: Quarterly limit reached


Check the site promptly at the given opening time and a pop up online application form will be visible. Complete and submit the form speedily as the application window can close within 90 minutes due to the limit being reached.

It’s a free service and you can expect a reply by email within 3 months. You may be lucky and get a copy of the capture card postcard he completed on arrival at his first camp.

Steve

 

Thank you. I was not sure if I should put to much or too little. Arthur Lional Grant was born 14th January 1912. He was a Private in the 1st Battalion Wiltshire Regiment and then 2nd Battalion C company from 1931-1945, Service No 5568122.He was in the Battle Of Arras, captured 24th May, 1940, taken to the holding camp at Trier before going to Stalag 20A Fort 13/13A. He was briefly in Camp 172. His death is officially reported as on 28th February, 1945, but I believe it was on 24th January, 1945, four days into the march when they reached Wiebork, where the Graves Concentration Report says he was buried before reburial on 8th October, 1948 at the Old Garrison Cemetery, Poznan.
I have his Service Record, contacted the IRC, Wiltshire Regimental Museum and also Hania and Pawel on their wartimeguide site. I recently went to Poland, visited Arthurs grave and had a tour of Torun by Pawel.


https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2194271/arthur-lionel-grant/
PRIVATE ARTHUR LIONEL GRANT
Service Number: 5568122
Regiment & Unit: 2nd Bn. Wiltshire Regiment
Date of Death: 28 February 1945
Age 33 years old
Buried or commemorated at POZNAN OLD GARRISON CEMETERY
Grave Reference: 7. A. 3.
Location: Poland

 

Thank you. I do have those.

 

He was captured at Willerval and his POW No is 9642.

Name: Arthur Lionel Grant . Date of Birth: 14/1/1912 . Place of Birth: Littleton... | The National Archives

 

Too much or too little in first post?

Always best for other members if you post as much as you know.

Saves members time/effort in giving advice on sources of information you’ve already covered.

Steve

 

Yes, I realise that now.

 

Just checked his Service No. here and found a 2010 link to some photos @ the Wardrobe Collection; the links no longer work and their search function found five records - which I assume you have. Until your thread he had not appeared before.

 

Yes, I have this information thank you. I gave Arthur, his young brother and his dads details to the Museum several years ago. They were all in the Wiltshire Regiment at some stage. Although I have been given information on here that I already have, I really appreciate the help regardless. There is always a possibility that new information will surface.

 

Hello Wiltshirelass,

Your uncle being "briefly in Camp 172"; if the date(s) you have him being held there are in 1940 it's likely to be Frontstalag 172 which was at Doullens in France until December 1940. From January to March '41 it was located at Amiens.

You may find Frontstalag referred to as Frontstammlager too. Literally "forward camp"; "Camp at the front". Your uncle would have been moved to a Frontstammlager after his initial capture in France, before being moved east.

I'll have a look on the French side for you; If I find anything else on 172 I'll add it in here.

Kind regards, good luck with your research, always,

Jim.

EDIT: Contemporary list from 1940 France:



And French sourced postwar photograph of POW plaque (ID plaque) issued to a prisoner held at 172A (in this case located at "A"bbeville). You can see "FR STAL" (shortened form used for stamping) on there.



An excellent informative resource (in French) regarding Fronstalag is here:

Les Frontstalag en France

 

Hello Jim,
Thank you so much for this information. Doullens was suggested on another site, but I discounted it as it was not near where Arthur was captured. However, as you have given an explanation, it makes sense.

All I need to do now is find the sheet of paper I had with Camp 172 listed on it!
Kind regards
June