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Prisoner of War

Old Boy

Old Boy

master brummie
Hi All,

My brother, Arthur George Beresford, now deceased, was in Bomber Command during the war. In June 1944 following a raid on Germany (Krefeld in the Ruhr) his Lancaster was shot down over Holland. Arthur and two others in the crew bailed out the others, including the pilot, were sadly killed. Arthur was taken prisoner and confined in Stalagluft V11 in Poland. One morning just before the end of the war in Europe the prisoners woke to find their guards hurriedly deserting the camp. The Russians were very near. The prisoners themselves decided to take off but not before they could find any portable souvenirs,
Among his Arthur brought his records from the camp office. I reproduce them below as you might find them of interest and certainly different from the usual service photograph.

Old Boy.
 
Thanks oldboy that was a first for me and a lot of folks I'm sure, wonderful bit of thinking by your Brother. Also a great piece of WW11 History.
Thanks for showing it to us.:)
 
A superb piece of this country's history, Old Boy. Thank you for showing it to us, it leaves a lump in my throat.
 
That sound interesting, can you tell more about happened to Arthur during war, you can write about him that could make be a good movie… why not? ;)
 
Burning Jerry,

I doubt if there are any war exploits left that have not been filmed already, However here is a nice little story :-

Arthur worked in the offices at BSA, Small Heath. On leaving to join the RAF his colleagues presented him with a watch inscribed ' To A G Beresford on joining the RAF from his friends at the BSA'

When he bailed out he was found by Dutch farm workers. They took him to the local doctor as he had injured his ankle. The doctor treated him and then said "I must hand you over to the Germans. If I do not and it is found out they will take reprisals against the whole village" Arthur said, "Fair enough, but you have my watch as I do not want the Germans to have it"

A few months after the war Arthur received a parcel containing the watch and a letter from a doctor in Warrington. This doctor had visited his old friend in Holland, the Dutch doctor, and was given the watch to try and trace the owner,. The Warrington doctor made enquiries at the BSA and was given Arthur's last known address which, in fact, was where he still lived. Alls well that ends well.

Old Boy.
 
Thankyou for showing the record of your brothers internment, and for a great story about the watch, very interesting.
 
What a fascinating piece of history - I would never have guessed that the authorities took such detailed records of prisoners, even next of kin are listed.
I'll bet your brother was shocked to see the watch again - did he get in touch with the Dutch Doctor afterwards, do you know?
 
Lloyd,

I do not know if Arthur contacted the doctor in Holland as I was away with the Royal Navy at this time. However, knowing Arthur, I feel that he most probably did so even if it was only a thank you note.

Old Boy.
 
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