Which POW camps WW2

[Sonia Gardener]

Within my fathers service records is the information that he was overseas BEF 1.4.40 to 23.6.40 , Unit 3 Supp Per. Coy. interned in Switzerland from 24.6.40 to 5.11.42.  and reported new at St Hippolyle Le Fort 4.9.41 approx.  From there he was taken to a prison camp near Nice.  I also have a copy of a collage of The British Military Internment Camp, Switzerland, with the following printed on the back:
Bewilligt Seitens der Sektion Film im Armeestab unterm 22.10.40.  What does this mean?
 
My father was John William Parker Corps RASC No S 129574.

Would anyone be able to tell me which POW camps the above information might refer to and where I might be able to gain further information.
Many thanks
Sonia

[Roger Griffiths]

This sounds like your relative evaded capture by the Germans in 1940 and managed to get across the Swiss frontier. Switzerland being a neutral was obliged to intern soldiers from whatever country.

I don't understand the Nice reference. That would have been in Vichy France until occupied by the Germans. Perhaps he tried to get back to Britain but got caught in Southern France before the Germans took over.

Regards,

Roger

 

[Sonia Gardener]

thanks Roger - yes I think that is how events happened.  What I don't know is the name of the camps - most of what I find relates to Stalags of different numbers and am not sure if I am looking for a particular stalag.

[harribobs]

using bablefish (my german isn't up to it!))

the translation is

Granted on the part of the section film in the army staff unterm (it doesn't like the last word) i would guess unter or unten ...below or beneath so it's probably an official swiss photograph

what an intriging story you have there... as roger says Nice wasn't really occupied at that time..why was he there?

I'll dig out some POW sites and references for you

[Sonia Gardener]

according to a newspaper article my father escaped from the Swiss camp and went to Vichy France where he was picked up by the French Military and ended up in a prison camp at St Hippolyte and from there to a camp nr Nice in 1942 from where he escaped again an eventually got to Gibralta. Quite an adventure!!!

[harribobs]

fantastic!!  what a man

i imagine the temptation to spend the war in a swiss camp would have been great

i guess ( and i mean guess) that  Unit 3 Supp Per. Coy  would have been set up just to supply new soldiers to the BEF

[Roger Griffiths]

From what you wrote, it does not look like your relative was in a German POW camp. As you say there were Stalags (for enlisted personnel) and Oflags for officers. Greater Germany was divided into military districts known as Wehrkreise. Each one had a number of POW camps. For instance, WK XII Wiesbaden had Oflag XIIB (Hadamar), Stalag XIIA (Limburg), XIID (Trier) and XIIF (Forbach) in 1944.

Roger

[Sonia Gardener]

thanks both of you for your input into this - as I never knew (or met) my father then all the information I can gather helps greatly.  I really would like to pinpoint the camps he was at so that I can look at all the info about them on the internet and build up a picture as to what my father experienced
thanks again Sonia

[ADM199]

Hi Sonia,
              sorry to be 2yrs late. I only came across your Post when looking through the Archive.

Your Father did escape as a P.O.W. He was mentioned in dispatches for his efforts.
He made a Report when he arrived in the U.K. and if you would like a copy you can get one from The National Archives in London.                                         

You could use the telephone and ask for a quote for a copy of  Report No. 956 made by Pte.J.W.Parker R.A.S.C. from WO 208/3311,or you could order a copy online.

 Shouldn't be too expensive and will tell you all you ever wanted to know.


Brian