Author Topic: GARVEY - Bromley Kent ww2 POW photo  (Read 1329 times)

Offline cavair

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GARVEY - Bromley Kent ww2 POW photo
« on: Monday 11 July 16 20:01 BST (UK) »
Anyone researching or have links to GARVEY, John Patrick from Bromley?  wife Doris.  Possibly married 1934 to Winifred E D HILL.  Bromley   

Photo postcard of him as RSM in POW group at Stalag18A  dated 14/12/1941.  Addressed to Doris  32 Babbacombe Rd, Bromley.

Any info gratefully received!!     
BANKS -North Yorks/Durham;  ORD - Durham;  WALKERLEY / HUGGINS / KING - Lincs;   CAVILL - Bristol;

Offline Chris Doran

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Re: GARVEY - Bromley Kent ww2 POW photo
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 13 July 16 04:19 BST (UK) »
Kelly's Bromley directory for 1937 (the latest I have here) shows a Wm H Hill at 32 Babbacombe Rd, which supports your identification of Doris. There are no Garveys in the directories I have. Maybe John and Doris lived with her parents, or at least she had returned to them while her husband was in the forces (which was what my mother did).

For the record, Wm H Hill was at 32 Babbacombe Rd from 1929. There is no entry in 1928 at that address, but a Wm H Hill was at 41 West Street and not there in 1929. I haven't gone back further.

I will see what else I can find at Bromley Local Studies later this week, though they are in the midst of reorganisation and a lot of stuff has been removed from the shelves, hopefully only temporarily.
Researching Penge, Anerley, (incuding the Crystal Palace) and neighbouring parts of Beckenham, currently in London (Bromley), formerly Surrey and/or Kent.

Offline Chris Doran

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Re: GARVEY - Bromley Kent ww2 POW photo
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 02 August 16 21:44 BST (UK) »
Just a brief progress report, nitty gritty later: Electoral rolls for 1949 and 1950 list John & Winifred at 32 Babbacombe Rd with the Hills, but marked as S(ervice) voters, so it seems John at least continued in the army and they may have been overseas. No Garveys in the few Bromley directories after that date, so they may not have returned to Bromley.

The Bromley Times (not digitised or online) has stories about POWs. I've looked at issues around the end of 1941 without success, and it would take forever to read every issue up to the camp's liberation in May 1945, though I'll look around then.

But maybe he escaped? If you look at the end of this discussion you'll find a contact for someone researching escaped POWs from the Greek campaign.

More after later library visits (and when they aren't closed due to strikes against the cuts).
Researching Penge, Anerley, (incuding the Crystal Palace) and neighbouring parts of Beckenham, currently in London (Bromley), formerly Surrey and/or Kent.

Offline Chris Doran

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Re: GARVEY - Bromley Kent ww2 POW photo
« Reply #3 on: Saturday 13 August 16 17:37 BST (UK) »
Forces War Records' POW database is free to search until 15th August, and you can see his entry here (presumably this link will turn into a pumpkin at midnight on 15th). It doesn't say much you don't already know, but is dated 1945, so he presumably didn't escape.

The Bromley Times records that the first groups of returning POWs were invited to tea by the Mayor, but his name isn't among the guests. The tea parties ceased after the end of June 1945 when numbers were tailing off, through from the estimated number of Bromley POWs, there were many more to come.
Researching Penge, Anerley, (incuding the Crystal Palace) and neighbouring parts of Beckenham, currently in London (Bromley), formerly Surrey and/or Kent.


Offline Seymour123

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Re: GARVEY - Bromley Kent ww2 POW photo
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 30 May 17 12:25 BST (UK) »
J P Garvey known to me as uncle Jack was married to my father's cousin Daisy.  Daisy's parents Will and Alice lived at 32 Babbacombe Road.  My family lived nearby and we were very close to them.   After the war Jack and Daisy lived in Bielefeld in Germany.  They returned to England and Jack worked for the London County Council, they lived at Eltham.  They retired to Southampton where they both passed away some years ago.   As a child I remember Uncle Jack telling us about the end of the war, walking away from the camp and meeting the Americans.

I live in Australia and will let family in UK about this - I am so amazed to come across this post and photo.  Maureen

Offline Seymour123

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Re: GARVEY - Bromley Kent ww2 POW photo
« Reply #5 on: Wednesday 04 October 17 11:01 BST (UK) »
Thank you and I am very happy to have your reply. Jack and Daisy had no children and as we lived nearby and Daisy was my father's 1st cousin we became their family.  We are doing family photo archiving here at present and scanning photos and information. I would really appreciate it if you could send me that photo of Jack in the POW camp and maybe scan and email me any other photos and information on life in the Stalag for the collection that I can then share with my extended family back in the UK. It would be lovely to have the original photo of Jack but of course I will understand if you can only send me a scanned copy.

I do realise that this might involve a bit of work and am happy to pay for your expenses.

I am still amazed to have found
your post. My street / postal address is 115 Seymour St Bathurst NSW Australia 2795. My email is maureenppike@gmail.com.

Looking forward to your reply,
Maureen