Segem, Belgium

[heilanlassie]

Does anyone know where the town of Segem is in Belgium?

Apparently, my father was captured there during the Second World War.

[jorose]

Can't find a "Segem", although ~gem sounds like a Flemish place name.

Possible suggestion: there were POW camps in Zedelgem (~ 20 mins from Brugge)

[heilanlassie]

Can't find a "Segem", although ~gem sounds like a Flemish place name.

Possible suggestion: there were POW camps in Zedelgem (~ 20 mins from Brugge)

I wonder if this could be the place I am looking for.

My father was Polish, and because of the way the borders were at the start of the second world war, he was conscripted into the German army, and went missing with his comrades while on a mission.

His records with the Polish Resettlement Corps said that he had been captured at Segem (Zedelgem, maybe?)

Does this sound feasible?

[garstonite]

Hiya - do you know which town / village that your father was born in ??...The reason I ask is this -for over 200 years there was a section of Poland / Ukraine about 11-17 miles wide that changed hands SEVERAL times ...my father in law was Ostap Kabluckyj who was born in Rohatyn ,Ukraine - this is known as Roghatyn in Poland ....
Because Russia had gone into Ukraine and took over the country - Ukranians decided to join the German army because they were at war with Russia - and the Ukranians wanted the Russians out of Ukraine .....
IF YOUR FATHER was born in this small stretch of land - although Poland when he was born - it may have been Ukraine at the time of WW2...my father in law was shot in Italy and became a POW ...he was shipped to England in 1947 and served 3 years in a POW camp in Southern England ...the prisoners who were released were given the option of going back to Ukraine -or staying in England ...those who did go back - were shot for being traitors ...my father in law came to Liverpool and stayed in England the rest of his life .....so - as I say - although born in Poland - he may have signed up with the 14th SS Gallicia Waffen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_Waffen_Grenadier_Division_of_the_SS_(1st_Ukrainian)

realistically - many of these men were not given a choice of NOT signing up !!...

if you know the town / village your father was born - post the name and I will check if it came within that 17 mile boundary ....I think you will find he was - the only explanation that I can think  of ...

allan
ADDED....there was a large contingent of these prisoners stationed in a POW camp in Scotland
http://www.ukrainiansintheuk.info/eng/01/former-e.htm

[heilanlassie]

Hiya - do you know which town / village that your father was born in ??...The reason I ask is this -for over 200 years there was a section of Poland / Ukraine about 11-17 miles wide that changed hands SEVERAL times ...my father in law was Ostap Kabluckyj who was born in Rohatyn ,Ukraine - this is known as Roghatyn in Poland ....
Because Russia had gone into Ukraine and took over the country - Ukranians decided to join the German army because they were at war with Russia - and the Ukranians wanted the Russians out of Ukraine .....
IF YOUR FATHER was born in this small stretch of land - although Poland when he was born - it may have been Ukraine at the time of WW2...my father in law was shot in Italy and became a POW ...he was shipped to England in 1947 and served 3 years in a POW camp in Southern England ...the prisoners who were released were given the option of going back to Ukraine -or staying in England ...those who did go back - were shot for being traitors ...my father in law came to Liverpool and stayed in England the rest of his life .....so - as I say - although born in Poland - he may have signed up with the 14th SS Gallicia Waffen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_Waffen_Grenadier_Division_of_the_SS_(1st_Ukrainian)

realistically - many of these men were not given a choice of NOT signing up !!...

if you know the town / village your father was born - post the name and I will check if it came within that 17 mile boundary ....I think you will find he was - the only explanation that I can think  of ...

allan
ADDED....there was a large contingent of these prisoners stationed in a POW camp in Scotland
http://www.ukrainiansintheuk.info/eng/01/former-e.htm

Morning,

My father, according to the records that were held by the Polish Resettlement Corps, my father was born in Montawy, Swiecie, Pomorze, Poland.

After a great deal of research, I managed to trace living relatives in Poland, and from them, I learned that when my father was born, 1907, that part of Poland was actually Prussia. I also learned that originally he refused to fight in German uniform, and was imprisoned for a while in Stutthoff concentration camp, which is near Gdansk.

I then learned that he was conscripted into the German army and then, as my original posting said, he was captured in Belgium. It was written on his record that the place of capture was Segem, but I'm not beginning to believe that the spelling was incorrect and the place was actually Zedelgem.

My father came to Scotland, where he met my mother, and from that union, I was born in 1950.

He never returned to Poland, or had contact with his family, but after speaking to my Polish relatives, I now know, and can understand the reason why.

[garstonite]

1887 survey of Pomorze
Pomorze

A village on the River Sonia, located in the district of Ciechanow, Opinogora township, parish of Ciechanow, 6.4 km from the City of Ciechanow. It has 22 houses, 220 inhabitants, and 890 acres of land.
 
Source: Slownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego - Warsaw [1887, vol. 8, pg. 753]
 
This translation, by Steve Kamm and Krzysztof Nowakowski, is used by permission.

so it looks like a small village - looked it up and it was  in Pomerania,East Prussia - ruled by the Germans since WW1 ....so nothing to do with my idea of Ukranian / Poland descendants ...
you might find this interesting - I did .....Polish Roots - EAST PRUSSIA
http://www.polishroots.org/GeographyMaps/S%C5%82ownikGeograficzny/S%C5%82ownikP/tabid/321/Default.aspx

it`s so cheap now on budget airlines to get to Poland - I would be out like a shot to see Pomorze - and being a small community - the odds are you would find some connection to your dad - and even if you didn`t , it would be nice to see where he was born ......
I wish it was that easy to get to Rohatyn in Ukraine - it`s miles from any airport ....
take the plunge - and go to Pomorze - you won`t regret it -  .....and it`s so cheap the cost of living .....hope I`ve helped in some way.....

[heilanlassie]

1887 survey of Pomorze
Pomorze

A village on the River Sonia, located in the district of Ciechanow, Opinogora township, parish of Ciechanow, 6.4 km from the City of Ciechanow. It has 22 houses, 220 inhabitants, and 890 acres of land.
 
Source: Slownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego - Warsaw [1887, vol. 8, pg. 753]
 
This translation, by Steve Kamm and Krzysztof Nowakowski, is used by permission.

so it looks like a small village - looked it up and it was  in Pomerania,East Prussia - ruled by the Germans since WW1 ....so nothing to do with my idea of Ukranian / Poland descendants ...
you might find this interesting - I did .....Polish Roots - EAST PRUSSIA
http://www.polishroots.org/GeographyMaps/S%C5%82ownikGeograficzny/S%C5%82ownikP/tabid/321/Default.aspx

it`s so cheap now on budget airlines to get to Poland - I would be out like a shot to see Pomorze - and being a small community - the odds are you would find some connection to your dad - and even if you didn`t , it would be nice to see where he was born ......
I wish it was that easy to get to Rohatyn in Ukraine - it`s miles from any airport ....
take the plunge - and go to Pomorze - you won`t regret it -  .....and it`s so cheap the cost of living .....hope I`ve helped in some way.....

In 2011, I went to Poland (with Ryanair......) and met up with two half-sisters and one half-brother, lots of nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
I wouldn't have said the cost of living was cheap though - but there again, I can only compare it to where I live in Spain.

I am planning to visit my family again, either at the end of this year, or in the Spring of 2014. Unfortunately, Ryanair have withdrawn their direct flights from Alicante to Gdansk, so I will have to fly all round the houses to get there.

Thank you for the link to the Polish / Prussian roots. I will certainly study that.

[Zefiro]

A very late reply to this old topic, but topicstarter is still active on this forum.

You're right that Segem has to be Zedelgem. I don't know if your father was capured there or somewhere else in the region, but he certainly was transported (by train) to the POW camp there.

I found this website (in Dutch) with lots of information and pictures.
https://zedelgem-jabbeke-powcamp.com/zedelgem-powcamp/