Prisoners of War
Prisoners of War
“The contributor's father-in-law, James Henry Miller, was born 13 October 1910, in Sunderland. He served in the 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry (DLI). Before the Second World War James served in Bombay, India and left the army, but rejoined on recall to the Colours on the outbreak of WWII.
"He married Marion Fellowes, born 8th September 1921. During the War he served In D Company, led by Capt Richard W Annand, then as Second Lieutenant was awarded the first VC of the Second World War in Ypres on 15-16th May 1940.”
"James was taken prisoner in Belgium as part of the BEF 1940, and remained a POW until he escaped from Stalag 8B Lamsdorf (Poland). His escape story varied, but the contributor believed that James took the opportunity to run when on potato packing duty. He eventually crossed the border into Czechoslovakia where he was sheltered on a farm. The 16-year-old daughter on that farm gave him a bracelet, which he kept all his life”
Shared by Linda Miller at National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire on 17 February 2024.
Shields Gazette 25 July 1941 missing in action
“Davison Brenen was born in South Shields on the 24th of February, 1920. Aged 15 he was working at Whitburn Colliery as a datal worker, the wages were poor so he decided to join the army. He lied about his age and at 16 years and four months he joined the Royal Regiment of Artillery. When he was 18 he was sent to Egypt in 1938. In 1942 he went to fight in Eritrea against the Italian army, he was attached to the Indian army in the Sixth Indian Artillery Division. The Italians had fortified hill positions and used to roll grenades down the hill when the infantry attacked, so they used their Howitzers against them. The Italian army, surrendered in Eritrea. Davison was then posted to Libya and they were given new 25 pounder field guns but he said the British army looked like Bostock and Wombwell's Circus. During one battle his gun team were badly hit, overrun by Italian troops and they were taken prisoner. He was posted missing in action and spent some time a prisoner in an Italian prisoner of war camp, but during a British air raid over the Italian prisoner of war camp, the fences were blown down and he escaped and he walked across enemy lines back to the British side.”
Shared by Peter Brenen at Ocean Road Community Centre, Tyne and Wear on 18 November 2023. The event was organised by South Shields Local History Group.
9mm Lanchester Machine Pistol
“Basil E. G. Bryant was my step-grandfather who was made a Prisoner of War following the surrender of the French Division under General Charles De Gaulle, of which the 51st and units of the 23rd Regiment Royal Artillery (RA) were part. He was a prisoner for five years. He was one of many British soldiers who were on the forced 1000-mile marches to move prisoners away from the advancing Russians. In a perverse way, we were truly grateful for this after the Russians used thousands of British Commonwealth and American prisoners as bargaining chips after WWII and sent them to Siberian Gulags as workers. Upon discharge and returning to the UK, he and his wife fostered a German boy named Werner, who had lost his parents. Basil never complained, except to say De Gaulle was an "arrogant bastard" for sacrificing the 51st and 23rd Regt RA to escape to England and become the person he did. He died in 1976 following stomach cancer, which was linked to his incarceration.”
Shared by Brian Ives at Shotley Village Hall, Suffolk on 8 July 2023.
