Author Topic: Searching For Details About My Father from Germany  (Read 2964 times)

Offline Colin Marschall

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Searching For Details About My Father from Germany
« on: Saturday 05 September 20 13:51 BST (UK) »
Hi All,

New member here, i've done some looking around the forum and tbh am still a little lost.

I'm trying to piece together my fathers history, he sadly died in 1983 and we as a family know little of his earlier life etc.

His name was Friedrich Wilhelm Marschall, he was born 28th April 1923, birth place unknown, he spent most of his early life in Wermelskirchen in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis district, he attended university for about 6 months (again which university is unknown) until joining the German army in 1941, he was dispatched to North Africa where he was part of the 15th Panzer division that took part in the retaking of Trubruk until his capture by the US. He was sent to the US via Staten Island and spent some time in an unknown US POW camp before being shipped to the UK where he was a POW at the Dorstone camp, about 15 miles outside of Hereford City where he met my mother.

The most important things we are trying to discover is where he was actually born, what university he attended and some more about his time in North Africa and as a POW in the US.

He spoke very little about his time in the war, and even less about his life before it .. one of my own main reasons for researching all this is I'd like to try and contact some of my living relatives in Germany and apply for German citizenship.

TIA

Offline Kloumann

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Re: Searching For Details About My Father
« Reply #1 on: Saturday 05 September 20 17:26 BST (UK) »

Offline CaroleW

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Re: Searching For Details About My Father from Germany
« Reply #2 on: Saturday 05 September 20 17:30 BST (UK) »
Welcome to Rootschat

Do you have a copy of your parents marriage cert as that would (hopefully) give you his fathers name and occupation

Did he apply for or obtain British Citizenship?
Census Information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Carlin (Ireland & Liverpool) Doughty & Wright (Liverpool) Dick & Park (Scotland & Liverpool)

Offline rosie99

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Re: Searching For Details About My Father from Germany
« Reply #3 on: Saturday 05 September 20 17:49 BST (UK) »
Welcome to rootschat

Could this be him on a Pan American flight in 1951  :-\
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01pvc/
Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk


Offline avm228

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Re: Searching For Details About My Father from Germany
« Reply #4 on: Saturday 05 September 20 18:00 BST (UK) »
Welcome.

Have you considered taking a genealogical DNA test, which may indicate where living relatives are located or even enable you to contact them directly?
Ayr: Barnes, Wylie
Caithness: MacGregor
Essex: Eldred (Pebmarsh)
Gloucs: Timbrell (Winchcomb)
Hants: Stares (Wickham)
Lincs: Maw, Jackson (Epworth, Belton)
London: Pierce
Suffolk: Markham (Framlingham)
Surrey: Gosling (Richmond)
Wilts: Matthews, Tarrant (Calne, Preshute)
Worcs: Milward (Redditch)
Yorks: Beaumont, Crook, Moore, Styring (Huddersfield); Middleton (Church Fenton); Exley, Gelder (High Hoyland); Barnes, Birchinall (Sheffield); Kenyon, Wood (Cumberworth/Denby Dale)


Offline Colin Marschall

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Re: Searching For Details About My Father from Germany
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 06 September 20 03:02 BST (UK) »
Welcome to Rootschat

Do you have a copy of your parents marriage cert as that would (hopefully) give you his fathers name and occupation

Did he apply for or obtain British Citizenship?

Hi, Thank you for the response.
I am unable to access that pdf, its coming up as unavailable.
No he never applied for or obtained British Citizenship

Offline Colin Marschall

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Re: Searching For Details About My Father from Germany
« Reply #7 on: Sunday 06 September 20 03:04 BST (UK) »
Welcome to rootschat

Could this be him on a Pan American flight in 1951  :-\
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01pvc/

Hi, Thank you for your response.

No I don't think it can be, I know my parents were married in 1951, and my brother was born in the same year.

Offline Colin Marschall

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Re: Searching For Details About My Father from Germany
« Reply #8 on: Sunday 06 September 20 03:12 BST (UK) »
Welcome.

Have you considered taking a genealogical DNA test, which may indicate where living relatives are located or even enable you to contact them directly?

Hi, Thank you for your response.

Haven't really thought about that, worth investigating.