Author Topic: POW William Stephen Kennaird Walker  (Read 5892 times)

Offline curtainhooks

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Re: POW William Stephen Kennaird Walker
« Reply #9 on: Friday 25 November 22 15:33 GMT (UK) »
Thanks again, Cathy!

Offline Andy J2022

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Re: POW William Stephen Kennaird Walker
« Reply #10 on: Friday 25 November 22 16:16 GMT (UK) »
The International Committee of the Red Cross, which was responsible for monitoring the welfare of POWs and liasing between the belligerents on the subject of POWs, maintained card indexes which sometimes resulted in more than one card being created for the same individual, especially if he was moved between camps and it took a while for the ICRC to update their records. On the plus side, the German records of POWs were extremely thorough and comprehensive. Unfortunately the ICRC's resources for dealing with historic requests are very limited and so you are better off using the National Archives to get hold of his POW records - ideally by making your own visit if you can.

Offline curtainhooks

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Re: POW William Stephen Kennaird Walker
« Reply #11 on: Friday 25 November 22 17:37 GMT (UK) »
Thank you Andy, I live quite near to the Kew Archives, so will definitely have a look there- thank you.

Offline greenrig

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Re: POW William Stephen Kennaird Walker
« Reply #12 on: Saturday 03 December 22 16:32 GMT (UK) »
Just to add my experience with these records.

The ICRC do have some basic PoW records, but it may take a long tome to arrive  (ICRC reasonably prioritise their more current work), and the results are not very comprehensive.   

As said, try the record set WO 416 at National Archives.   The index is online, so you can search before you pay.  If you can travel to Kew you may hold the original German card(s). The German WO 416 card MAY have photos, fingerprints and medical data, or it may not, but to see the actual card (which your PoW probably never did) is fantastic.  I did this for my Father's card.    If travel is not possible, they will scan the card(s) for a fee.
NEILSON - Erskine/Bishopton, Renfrewshire and Glasgow
BROWN - Hamilton, Lanarkshire
CAIRNS - Hamilton, Lanarkshire
FINDLAY - Kirriemuir area, Forfarshire/Angus
PORTER - Tobermore, Derry, Ireland


Offline curtainhooks

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Re: POW William Stephen Kennaird Walker
« Reply #13 on: Monday 05 December 22 14:30 GMT (UK) »
Hello, I have found some more information about William Walker but was wondering if anyone had any ideas about where the places he is talking about are?
The second screenshot is talking about a march he did from ''Templebury/Templeburg?'' to ''Belle?''
The first screenshot is of the names of working camps he was in, the last one is ''Templebury/Templeburg'' but I can't make out the other two
Can anyone work out what the writing says or where they are?
Thank you  :)

(He was captured in Ypres, Belgium and was in Stalag XXA in Poland if this helps location wise)

Offline Andy J2022

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Re: POW William Stephen Kennaird Walker
« Reply #14 on: Monday 05 December 22 15:02 GMT (UK) »
I think the place to which he marched in 1945 is Celle, which was later  in the British Zone of occupation. The place he marched from is possibly Zempelburg. Today it's Sępólno Krajeńskie, in Poland which would have been in the Russian zone at the end of the war. However there was also a place known by the German name of Tempelburg (today it's Czaplinek also in Poland) which was a WW2 labour camp for Russian prisoners of war.
No luck so far with the other placenames

Offline Andy J2022

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Re: POW William Stephen Kennaird Walker
« Reply #15 on: Monday 05 December 22 15:12 GMT (UK) »
There's an incomplete list of German POW camps on Wikipedia. And a more comprehensive list in German here: https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/Kriegsgefangenenlager/Stammlager-R.htm (includes only the STALAGs ie the camp for soldiers.

Offline curtainhooks

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Re: POW William Stephen Kennaird Walker
« Reply #16 on: Monday 05 December 22 15:15 GMT (UK) »
Thank you Andy!
I think you're right that looks a lot more like Celle than Belle.
Now comparing the T to the ''T'' at the start of ''Thorn'', it looks like it could be Zempleburg rather than Templeburg, so that makes sense.
Also the first letter of the first working camp looks almost exactly like the T in Thorn, so think that one starts with a T.
Again, thanks, will look through that list on wikipedia

(Moved this question to the handwriting deciphering board to see if I can find out any more of the words)

Offline JenB

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