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| Friday, June 06, 2008 | | Guide to Prisoner of War records by Gordon Wilkie
By Steve White @ 1:40 PM :: 1360 Views :: 22 Comments ::  :: Military Archaeology |  | | Article Pages: | Guide to Prisoner of War records by Gordon Wilkie
While we are always happy to help with requests for information on actual prison camps in Britain, we cannot really offer any assistance with personal details of prisoners. The following guide is compiled from a National Archives publication (Military Records Information No. 29: Prisoners of War in British hands: 1698-1949 (ex-POWs and Displaced Persons, 1945 onwards), and the original can be downloaded at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=7 |
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| Comments |  By
darren rogers @
Monday, June 16, 2008 11:27 PM  |
hi gordon,i am new to this site.i am trying to trace my grandfather who was a italian pow,he worked on the land in and around elmley castle worcestershire.what pow camps were there in worcester.do you know the names of the farms who employed italian pow's.
many thanks darren rogers.
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By
Gordon Wilkie @
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 7:56 PM  |
Hi Darren,
Welcom to the forums!
Not too familiar with the Worcestershire area, but the camps in the area were:
#277 South Littleton, Evesham
#277 Fladsbury Golf Course, Pershore
#287 Perdiswell Hall
#687 Shotover House, Worcester
#689 Great Malvern
But bear in mind, this is based on the MODERN county of Worcestershire (post 1996).
The first two wouldn't have been in operation at the same time, so don't worry about the duplicate numbers. As for employment, all the records are in file MAF 47/132 in the National Archives in London,which covers the employment of PoWs. I'm currently waiting for an estimate for a digital copy of this file (a paper one was costed at £213!), so I can't help much there yet. You could try contacting your local council archives, who will have copies of wartime newspapers which might contain pics of PoWs at work. They might even have details of the County War Agricultural Executive Committee for Worcestershire who would have administered this work.
Be interested to know how you get on by the way.
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By
Jenny Boreham @
Sunday, July 06, 2008 10:12 PM  |
Hi
We are trying to trace my partner, Carl's, father. He was a Czech POW in Laindon Hills camp in 1945 and his name was Stefan D (surname unsure). He was allowed to help out locally and this is where he met Dorothy Agnes Crew. He came back for her but her family sent him away.Carl was adopted at birth and has just connected with all of his mothers side - his father Stefan may still be alive. Where is the best place to find the employment record of who was working from this camp?
Jenny
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| By
Gordon Wilkie @
Monday, July 07, 2008 5:50 PM |
Hi Jenny,
I'm a bit confused; is that Laindon Hills near Basildon, or Langdon Country park which is now in Thurrock? In either case, employment was handled by the local County War Agricultural Executive Committee, in this case Essex and Kent (I think). If you can travel to the National Archives at Kew, I think the relevant information is in Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries file MAF47/132. Be warned though; it is EXTREMELY thick! Also try your local archives office for wartime newspaper articles, or information about local CWAECs.
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By
Patrick O'Shea @
Monday, July 21, 2008 9:58 PM  |
Hello:
I am trying to find information about German Working Camp 249, Carbuton. My father Captain Albert O'Shea was posted there december 4, 1947. I had thought all camps were closed by then. Can you advise when that closure actualy aoouced.
Thanks
patrick
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| By
Gordon Wilkie @
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 12:30 AM |
Hi Patrick,
All camps had closed by the end of 1948 when the last Germans were repatriated.
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| By
Lisa Baker @
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 7:40 PM |
Hello,
Is there anyway to find out the names of German POWs who worked on farms circa 1947 in the Surrey area of England? Also can you suggest a website to get information on the British Land Army?
Thank you
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| By
Gordon Wilkie @
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 9:04 PM |
Hi Lisa,
You coud try looking through records at the Surrey History Centre-
www.surreycc.gov.uk/surreyhistoryservice
They should have local papers of the period which might have photos.
If you can manage to the National Archives at Kew have a look at Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries file maf47/132; it contains details of requests for PoW labour. It probably won't contain any personal names, but it should mention farm names and you could follow it through from there.
The best book on the WLA is "Woman's Land Army" by Vita Sackville-West, published in 1945. There was a book called "Land at War" published by HMSO in 1943 which dealt with British agriculture. You can get both through an inter-library loan.
The following websites should be useful too;
www.learningcurve.gov.uk/homefront/women/land/Default.html
www.homesweethomefront.co.uk/web_pages/hshf_wla_pg.htm
Hope this helps, and let me know how you get on.
Regards,
Gordon
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By
Jack McNamee @
Wednesday, August 20, 2008 4:33 AM  |
Hello,
I am doing this research for a good Italian friend. His dad was in the Italian Navy and his ship was sunk in 1943. He came to Britain via Tunisia. We are interested in any information about his time in Britain.
Info: First name-Livio Last Name-Berti born 1/1/1922 from Ancona -- Camps- Harrington Camp and Kimberley Park
My Italian friend said that no one thought Livio survived when his ship. the Italians heard him sing on the BBC as part of propaganda to Italy and he acted up at the end. What can I find out about Livio.
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| By
peter harden @
Friday, August 22, 2008 11:20 AM | |
Hi. I was an evacuee at Audley End House from late 1940 until mid 1941. My mother, now deceased, told me there had been Italian prisoners of war there...is this really possible?
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| By
Gordon Wilkie @
Friday, August 22, 2008 7:44 PM |
Jack,
I don't have information on individual prisoners I'm afraid. You could try contacting Leicestershire Archives for Harrington camp, and Norfolk Archives for Kimberley. You might well find something there.
This link www.kg6gb.org/pow_camps_in_uk_101_-_250.htm is to an organisation of postal archivists. They might have something more on these camps.
Sorry I can't help more.
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| By
Gordon Wilkie @
Friday, August 22, 2008 7:48 PM |
Peter,
Audley End House was used by the Special Operations Executive to train Polish officers in sabotage techniques. As such, there MAY have been Italian PoWs there BEFORE it became "Station 43", but I can't find any details yet. Leave it with me and I'll see what I can find.
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| By
charles friend @
Wednesday, August 27, 2008 4:38 PM | |
85 Italian pow camp, mildenhall. I remember this camp well and as a schoolboy stayed with my father Lt FF Friend in the officers mess when on school holidays. I am sure that this was totally unauthorised. He was the interpreter and seemed well liked by the POW. On sundays he and I attended the RC chapel inside "the cage" and I have a carved box inscribed IPOW camp 85 S. Pasoura 1945 by the maker and it was given to my stepmother on her marriage at that time
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| By
Gordon Wilkie @
Wednesday, August 27, 2008 8:00 PM | |
Thanks for that, Charles!
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| By
Rachel Hanger @
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 9:01 AM |
Can you give me any information on Merley Park, Wimborne, Dorset.
Were there any German POW's there?
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| By
Gordon Wilkie @
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 9:20 AM |
Hi,
Merley Park was a Processing Centre, where newly-arrived PoWs would have been interrogated, classified according to their political beliefs as well as rank, and then sent to an appropriate camp. I don't any more info just now though.
Officers were kept in separate compounds from enlisted men in most camps, and neither officers nor NCOs could be forced to work under the Geneva Convention.
As a general rule, those classified as 'Black' ('C') were die-hard Nazis/Fascists and were either shipped to the US/Canada, or to a camp in Scotland. They were not allowed out of camp except under guard, and did not usually work.
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| By
Gordon Wilkie @
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 9:23 AM |
Hit the wrong button!
White (or 'A') prisoners were completely non-Nazi, while Grey (or 'B') prisoners were not considered to be completely trustworthy.
Hope this helps.
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| By
Ivan Webb @
Thursday, November 13, 2008 6:48 AM | |
Hello, could you please help me, I am looking for a list of pow in the allington camp no51 ivanwebb@email.com regards, Ivan
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| By
pam michell @
Sunday, November 23, 2008 9:46 PM | |
Trying to find any prisoners of war who worked on my parents farm Scarfield farm Alvechurch Worcestershire particularly Italian, and German man called Fritz
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| By
Gordon Wilkie @
Friday, December 26, 2008 2:15 PM |
Pam,
I appear to have missed your post-my apologies.
If you go to the National Archives website, the records for your County War Agricultural Committee should have the names you need. A quick search will throw up the relevant file numbers.
If you can't actually get there yourself (like most of us!), they provide links to some very good researchers who are NOT prohibitively expensive.
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| By
Caterina Cosentino @
Sunday, December 28, 2008 1:52 PM | |
My father was an Italian POW in WWII located in India and then GB. The only information I have is that he initially worked in a car factory near London and then on a farm near Glasgow. I am trying to identify the camps in which he may have been housed. Can you help? Thanks.
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| By
Gordon Wilkie @
Sunday, December 28, 2008 2:57 PM |
Hi Caterina,
Do you have more precise info, by any chance? If your father was employed at a car factory in London, do you know what he was making? As far as I know, all British car factories were turned over to war production, and employing PoWs there would have been an infringement of the 1929 Geneva Convention, unless they were doing work which was not directly related to the war effort.
If you can find out which factory, that might narrow down the possibilities.
Same with the farms near Glasgow; it depends how near Glasgow!
If you go to the British national archives website at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk, you'll find information on the employment of Italian prisoners in the following files-WO199-404 and WO409. The site also has links to researchers who could obtain the files for you at reasonable cost.
Alternatively, you could try the International Red Cross Archives Section in Geneva. There information is NOT complete however.
Please let me know how you get on.
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