POSTS
1st July 1942 – DEIR EL SHEIN (PART 3)
THE PARTICIPANTS In an extract from a Post submitted to WW2Talk entitled “Deir el Shein sources – July 1942” we see from the War Diary of the 4/11 Sikh Battalion that the Brigade consists of the following, which ties in nicely with the Diary (above) of 2/5th Bn. of the Essex Regiment submitted by Lieut.…
Read more
THE GREAT ESCAPE
By Toby Graham – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toby_Graham Unlike the movie of the same name, coincidentally my favourite ever war movie and there were a few when I was growing up, the escape plan I have heard most about, associated with PG 49 at Fontanellato, is the escape by just a handful of prisoners from the sports field…
Read more
“Home by Christmas?” – a ‘Gift’
One of the great things about being handed a ‘Gift’, such as this book that I recently received, edited by Ian English, entitled “Home by Christmas?”, is that it feels as though it provides me with an entirely fresh set of paints with which to paint my picture. For me, learning about where my Dad…
Read more
1st July 1942 – DEIR EL SHEIN (PART 2)
The First Battle of El Alamein Following on from my first Post about Deir el Shein and, as I continue to stumble upon fragments of my father’s wartime story, I’m starting to piece together the lives of so many men that he was ultimately to become associated with in PG 49 at Fontanellato. But how…
Read more
Home by Christmas? – edited by Ian English
I first started dabbling with Family Research back in 2008 when I became curious about my partner Rex’s family origins in that his family name was Blanchette, which clearly sounded very French to me, and he had indicated when we first met that the only thing he had heard about his origins was that mention…
Read more
COLLINS, G.J.H.D. (Geoffrey) – Major
When I first started to find stories written by Servicemen who had been POW’s during World War II, I was immediately disappointed that I had never come across anything put in writing by my father. That’s not to say that he didn’t put pen to paper, but I’ve certainly not found anything so far and…
Read more
VICKERS, T.D. (Tom) – Lieutenant.
When I first found out that my father had been a POW in PG 49 at Fontanellato I immediately recalled that, during my childhood, he had briefly talked about living in the hills with an Italian family during a brief period of his wartime experience. But I knew nothing of how this had come about…
Read more
BLIGH, H.K.H Lieutenant
Hubert Kenneth Henry – 92415 (R.E.) I am so thrilled to be hearing from both English and Italian relatives who are finding that my little project is both interesting and informative. Recently I was contacted by a Patrick Bligh who had also been researching his father Lt. H.K.H. Bligh who had also been a Prisoner…
Read more
27th January 1942 – The Fall of BENGHAZI
On 27th August 2023 I ordered two books from the Naval & Military Press which I had posted to my brother Graham’s address in Sussex and, on my arrival there a month or two later, he was able to present me with a remarkable find. In January 1942, during World War II, Benghazi in Libya…
Read more
1st July 1942 – DEIR EL SHEIN
I can’t recall exactly when but, sometime before my father died on 5th December 1998 and whilst he was still mobile (possibly in the 1980’s or 1990’s?), I vaguely recall asking him if he would like to visit the Western Desert on one of the Tours that were becoming popular for veterans and families. I’m…
Read more
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
PG 49 at Fontanellato in Italy - The Story of allied servicemen who were held prisoner of war in this town in Italy in World War II 