PoW Record John Littleford Pte 5570444

[Grotto77]

I have found a WW2 Army Causality List on ancestry, it states at the top of the page "Previously reported Prisoner of War in German Hands (Germany) now Not Prisoner of War".
Yet I found a WW2 card with "POW Number 8258, Camp Type Stalag, Camp Number XX-B Camp Location   Malbork, Poland.
John Littleford born 28 Dec 1917 Birmingham, may have been Pte 5570444 Regiment Wiltshire

Does this mean he was never a PoW? 

[greenrig]

If you look at National Archives WO 416/225/360  you will see a German record card for this POW at Stalag XXA Thorn. Date of Capture: 22/05/1940.   So he was definitely a POW in 1940.
POWs who were badly injured or very ill could be repatriated to UK in a prisoner exchange.   This may be what happened to your man.
I would request his full Army records from MOD or NA to determine what happened here.

[Grotto77]

Thank you so much for your response, I shall follow this up.  Right birth date - this is who I am looking for.  He may well be the father of my cousin, my cousin was born in 1943.  John Littleford niece informed me that John didn't get married nor have children, so we can't go down the road of DNA with any children he may have had!! I am trying to find out if he was repatriated to UK as you suggested in a prisoner exchange before Mar 1942.  Obtaining his Army records can take up to a year!

[ShaunJ]

I have found a WW2 Army Causality List on ancestry, it states at the top of the page "Previously reported Prisoner of War in German Hands (Germany) now Not Prisoner of War".

That listed is dated July 1945: two months after the German surrender.

[Grotto77]

Hi ShaunJ - I have found two that you may be referring to, what page no does it have the date of 1945?

[ShaunJ]

This one:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/1000272:62623

It's page 22 and it's image 323 of 699. You have to go back to page 1 to find the date: image 302 of 699

[Grotto77]

Hi, I was just about to get back to you.

The document number 302 of 699 (Ancestry page no) and number actually on document 1805 .  Heading "SECRET Casualty List no 1805 Copy no 91. This list contains all casualties reported to the War Office Casualty Branch for the 24 hours ended 9 am 11 July 1945". Is this not a list where soldiers had previously been reported missing and 'now reported not missing'?  I noted that there is a range of dates some reported missing, now reported killed, some reported missing believed PoW now reported not missing, some reported missing, now presumed killed in action. First few pages have date of casualty but from 306 of 699 there does not appear to be a date.  I was wondering if this list is where at the end of war they would updating their 'master' list with all the reports during the war? Hence, John Littleford had been reported missing, perhaps PoW, but at the end of the war they compiled the information and he had been found and was not a PoW.

[ShaunJ]

He was reported missing on casualty list 256
Reported as PoW (previously reported as missing) on casualty list 270
We know he was a PoW in Stalag XXA and Stalag XXB
Reported as no longer a PoW (previously reported as PoW) on casualty list 1805 after the end of the war.

So he was liberated, released, or escaped sometime in 1945.  As you have no doubt discovered, Stalag XXB was dissolved in January 1945 and the prisoners forced to march west.

[Grotto77]

Hi ShaunJ,  Understood and thank you so much for your replies.  I guess from this he can't have fathered a child in 1942!  Very much appreciate your time in helping me.  Pamela