Gunner

1529862

466

155 / 52 LAA, RA

March – April 1941

Dulag 185 Corinth,

Dulag 183 Salonika

Stalag XVIIIA, Wolfsberg

ArbKdos: 11806, Niklasdorf

10084, Mallnitz / Lassach

Campo PG65, Gravina?

Source: family (daughter Giselle)

DoB 1 May 1918, Tain; DoD Jan 1972, Windsor

Survived Hellas?

“When my father was about fourteen then he was a Bell Boy in an Edinburgh hotel. He told me how he used to be so tired standing in the lift waiting for the up-market guests coming back after a long evening out. He would nod off standing up, at times.

At some point in the 1930s his family lost their grocery business in the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. They had let a lot of customers have credit for their provisions, meaning when the merchants wanted their bills paying, my grandparents did not have enough money. So, they all moved lock, stock, and barrel, to Co Durham in the North of England. My father and his father worked away in London.

I never realised dad was fighting in Greece, although one time I did ask him what countries he had been too. He said Egypt, Greece and Italy but had not seen much of the latter two. Now I can see why he didn’t.

I think when the War had ended, he was in an Italian camp in Bari. He has photos from there and a date of 20th May1945. Dad stayed in the South, married mum, Veronica Connolly on 15th November 1945 in Greenwich, London.

He was in hospital at some point to be rehabilitated, where later my parents settled in Windsor, Berkshire. Where I was born, and my brother and I grew up.

My father trained as a Watch and clock maker, a trade he stayed in all his working life, had letters after his name.

He was a kind, loving family man. He walked ten feet tall in my eyes even though my dad was under 5ft 4”. He never made a fuss and did not really talk of his 2nd WW years or as a POW. Sadly, he died young, age 53 in January 1972 in Windsor of a heart attack. My mother three years later, heart attack too. I know if he had lived longer and I grew older he would have spoken more about those war years with me.

He never really said much about Greece, in fact I never knew he was fighting there, just knew about North Africa. He mentioned a ship he was on and someone, he tried to help, will not go into detail as not very nice but I now think he meant the Hellas. Being marched to be deloused and new blankets were issued when the Geneva party’s’ inspection and taken back afterwards. Being in a rail cattle truck but no more detail than that. Being always hungry and dreaming of eating Kippers. He did say, to work on a farm was useful as one got more to eat. Something about an Aussie having a German soldier on, one day. Being asked what he did in Australia to which he replied he owned a walking stick farm. This German wrote that down.”