BROOKS, Charles Attfield

Major (36468) ‘B’ Echelon 2/5th Bn. Essex Regiment – C.O. at Deir el Shein on 1st July 1942
Ref: dbf and davidbfpo thread on WW2Talk

Further information supplied about the above by my friends at WW2Talk has me wondering? This episode at Deir el Shein on 1st July 1942 comprising, yes you got it, the 18th Indian Infantry Brigade, was made up, as I found in WO 169/7773 – 4/11 Sikh Regiment Diary referenced in my Deir el Shein post, of:-

• “2/5 Essex,
• 4/11 Sikh,
• 2/3 Gurkha Rifles,
• 66 Field Coy S & M,
• 4 medium M.G. manned by the Cheshires,
• 7 Matilda tanks manned by scratch crews from 42 R.T.R.
• while the arty (sic) consisted of 18 (?) 25 pdrs manned by 121 Field Regt & 79 Field Regt,
• approx 20 2 pdr A/Tk guns manned by unit’s, South Africans & some of the WELSH Regt
• also 16 (?) 6 pdr A/Tk guns manned by ?
• In addition of course was an ADS from 32 Field Ambulance & some S.A. sappers with compressors.”

So, would I be wrong in thinking that…. perhaps…… whilst I haven’t yet unearthed a document in which my father spelled out exactly what happened to him after he was captured ….. could he possibly have been rounded up with men of the 2/5th Essex who were right alongside the 4/11th Sikh Regiment in the same BOX at Deir el Shein?

And is it too easy to suppose that he too followed the same journey as Major Brooks?

Extracts from a General Questionnaire, dated 23rd April 1945, for British/American ex-prisoners of war submitted by 36468 Major Charles Attfield BROOKS, OBE, MiD, 2/5 Essex Regiment: POW –

PG 75 Bari, Italy 10 July – 21 Aug 42
PG 21 Chieti, Italy 22 Aug – 21 Dec 42
PG 38 Poppi, Italy 22 Dec 42 – 31 May 43
PG 49 Fontanellato, Italy 1 Jun 43 – 9 Sep 43

Escaped after Italian Armistice on 9 Sep 43. Accompanied by Lt. Col. E.N. EVERETT, King’s Own Royal Regiment. “I
walked southwards in attempt to rejoin our forces. After covering over 350 miles we were spotted by a fascist spy who handed us over to a German unit at FARA near GUARDIAGRELE south of CHIETI, Italy.“

STALAG VII A Moosburg Nov 10 – Dec 8 43
OFLAG VIII F Mahrisch Trubau Dec 10 ’43 – April 29 44
OFLAG 79 Brunswick May 1 ’43 – April 23 ’45