I visited the old Gestapo HQ in Rome last week and scraped into the walls of one of the cells is the following:- "SSM J. Lloyd British Army" and a service number which appears to be 5862880. On another wall is "M. Phillips. 318889. Worthing Sussex" I am intrigued as to who they were, how they got there and, most importantly, did they survive! Andy
J Lloyd - 5862880 - army allocations Suffolk Regiment 5819001 - 5875000 None appear on the CWGC register M Phillps - 318889 - army allocations ?? RAC - 309001 to 386000 Lancers None appear on CWGC register H M Phillips in the UK, British Prisoners of War, 1939-1945 Name: H M Phillips Rank: Corporal Army Number: 318889 Regiment: Reconnaissance Corps POW Number: 3868 Camp Type: Stalag Luft Camp Number: III Camp Location: Zagan, Poland Record Office: Royal Armoured Corps and Reconnaissance Corps Record Office, The Drill Hall, Barnet, Hertfordshire Record Office Number: 3 TD
Had a quick look. Name: H M Phillips Rank: Corporal Army Number: 318889 Regiment: Reconnaissance Corps POW Number: 3868 Camp Type: Stalag Luft Camp Number: III Camp Location: Zagan, Poland Name: J Lloyd Rank: Serjeant Army Number: 5882820 Regiment: Northamptonshire Regiment POW Number: 33 Camp Type: Stalag Luft Camp Number: III Camp Location: Zagan, Poland Record Office: Infantry Record Office, Warwick
Much of this is what TD and RCG have already supplied: Casualty List No 1543 dated 5 September 1944 Missing believed POW Royal Armoured Corps 318889 Phillips Cpl HM – 16/5th L - DNR Casually List No 1548 dated 11 September 1944 Previously reported missing believed POW now reported POW in German hands (Germany) Royal Armoured Corps 318889 Phillips Cpl HM – 16/5th L – DNR Casualty List No 1759 dated 17 May 1945 Previously reported POW in German hands (Germany) now not POW Royal Armoured Corps 318889 Phillips Cpl HM – 16/5th L – CM Italy Also POW List Camp No: L3 POW No: 3868 Name: Phillips HM Rank: Cpl Army No: 318889 Regt: RAC RO No: 3 The following arrived at this camp (Stalag Luft 6, Lager 111) from Montova Stalag 339 Italy, 3 June 1944 J9 Cpl Phillips Howard M 318889
Casualty List No 1626 dated 11 December 1944 Missing 5th Bn Northamptonshire Regt 5882820 Lloyd Sjt J – DNR Casualty List No. 1643 dated 1 January 1945 Previously reported missing now reported POW in German hands location unknown 5th Bn Northamptonshire Regt 5882820 Lloyd Sjt J – DNR Casualty List No. 1814 dated 21 July 1945 Previously reported POW now not POW 5th Bn Northamptonshire Regt 5882820 Lloyd Sjt J – CM Italy POW List Camp No: L3 POW No: 33 Name: Lloyd J Rank: Sjt Army No: 5882820 Regt: North’n R RO No: 21
They could have been captured at any time after August '43 as they don't appear in WO 392/21 POWs in Italy August 1943. It looks as though they escaped from their original captors, made their way to Rome possibly after having been helped by Mons. Hugh O'Flaherty and the Rome Escape Line, but were picked up by the Gestapo and put temporarily in their prison. Stalag 339 (later Dulag 339) was a transit camp set up by the Germans in Mantua (Mantova in Italian) from where both Allied POWs and members of the Italian Armed Forces who had been taken prisoner after 8 September 1943 (Italian Armistice) were sent on to Germany. I didn't know there was a Stalag Luft 6 - can someone put me right on that score? Vitellino
What a place! On reading Wikipedia it appears that the men from Stalag Luft VI were sent to Stalag Luft IV, not to Stalag Luft III. I wish I knew If/ when the two men were picked up in Rome. Vitellino
To second the post of cheekyphil above, please see this excellent thread created by dbf some years ago. You will see that Corporal Phillips served with 2nd SAS too, within Lt. Worcester's party. Operation Maple (Thistledown & Driftwood) It includes comprehensive information on the operation(s), lists of personnel, and those captured. Always remember, never forget, Jim.
Thanks to Mr Jinks for a reminder by of this thread mentioning SSM LLOYD 2SAS men, taken to be interrogated by Gestapo in Rome (from dates it appears they were taken directly after capture), see also: 5882820 Squadron Sergeant Major John LLOYD, 2 Special Air Service: POW, E&E Captured 24/4/1944, ITALY Camps, etc GESTAPO VIA TASSO ROME, ITALY 26/4/44 - 21/5/44 LUFT 7 BANKAU nr KREUZBURG GERMANY 6/6/44 - 29/7/44 GESTAPO CIVIL PRISON OPPELN GERMANY 29/7/44 - 21/10/44 STALAG 383 HOHENFELS BAVARIA GERMANY 24/10/44 - 16/4/45 Interrogation Gestapo H.Q. ROME. After capture for one month. Solitary confinement & lack of food added with threats of being shot. (OPPELN interrogation after 3 months solitary confinement & food shortage.) 5550150 Serjeant Paul HILL, Hampshire Regiment & 2SAS: POW, E&E Captured 5/2/44 ARTENA, ITALY Camps, etc REGINA COELI PRISON (GESTAPO) ROME Feb 44 - May 44 DULAG LUFT OBERURSEL 25 May 44 - 2 June 44 DULAG LUFT 7 - 6 June - 2 July 44 GESTAPO OPPELN 28 July - 21 Oct 44 STALAG 383 HOHENFELS 21st Oct - 16th Apr 45 Interrogation Secret Field Police, Artena, Gestapo Rome and Oppeln and DULAG LUFT, Oberursel
Andy, this is seriously amazing. Thank you so much for sharing this. Howard Mervyn Phillips is my great grandfather. I've been compiling a comprehensive view of his service history, and this whole thread is helpful. Can you share any memory or detail you remember about where this is inscribed? Assume this is within the Museum of the Liberation of Rome? If so, any pointers to roughly where / which room (etc) would be super helpful - I'll visit over the coming months. I'll post more later, but he indeed lived through the war. The Stalag Luft 3 mention in this thread is interesting, my family stories are that he was in two POW camps but I can only find information regarding his time at Stalag Luft VI (including from an oral account he did years and years ago). Thanks again for posting this mate. I can't wait to see this in the flesh.
