Joins Territorial Army (Shropshire Yeomanry) Corps of Dragoons (Serving in UK)

Attested and Posted

Attended 15 Days of Annual Camp

War Agricultural Executive Committee From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The War Agricultural Executive Committees were government-backed organisations tasked with increasing agricultural production in each county of the United Kingdom, during both the First and Second World Wars.

They were later re-formed in Autumn 1939 with the outbreak of the Second World War, and given more expansive powers over farmers and landowners in the United Kingdom. After performing surveys of rural land in their county, each Committee was given the power to serve orders to farmers "requiring work to be done, or, in cases of default, to take possession of the land". Committees could decide, on a farmer's behalf, which crops should be planted in which fields, so as to best increase the production of foodstuffs in their areas.

With the help of the War Agricultural Executive Committees, or "War Ags", British farmers increased the total productive land in the UK by 1.7 million acres between 1939 and the Spring of 1940.

Transferred to Royal Artillery 75^th Medium Regiment as Gunner

Posted to 76^th Medium Regiment

Attached Tech Training Group Oswestry

Luton 18 May 40-28 Jul 40 Dad was billeted with Mrs Haywood and kept in contact with her for sometime, below is a letter from her.

Dad's only sister gets married when he is away in Luton

WEDDING AT GOBOWEN

MR. IDDON G. EVANS AND MISS L. M. MANFORD, CHIRK.

The marriage of Mr. Iddon Glyn Evans, of Halton Farm, Chirk, and son of Mrs. Evans and the late Mr. J. Evans, Ebnal Lodge, Gobowen, and Miss Linda Mary Manford, only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Henry Manford, Home Farm, Chirk, took place at Preeshenlle Congregational Church, Gobowen, yesterday (Tuesday). The ceremony was witnessed by a large congregation. Miss Manford is well-known throughout the district and was a former member of the Ellesmere Young Dairy Students, also a member of the Voluntary Aid Detachment at Chirk. Mr. Evans is a member of the Oswestry Young Farmers' Club, and on various occasions attended special functions held in London in connection with the Young Farmers' Club.

The church was decorated for the occasion. The service, which was fully choral, was conducted by the Rev. C. Stanley Brown, Congregational Church minister, and the Rev. W. R. Owen, Presbyterian Church minister, Weston Rhyn. The hymns, "O love divine and golden " and "Immortal love to Thy dear throne," were sung, and the Psalm, I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills," was chanted. Miss E. E. Jones, the organist of the church, played the "Wedding March" (Mendelssohn) and the bridal march from "Lohengrin" (Wagner).

The bride, who was given away by her father, wore a gown of ivory lace trimmed with white velvet. Her veil of white silk net depended from a halo head-dress of pearls. She carried a bouquet of pink carnations, a gift from Lord and Lady Trevor, Chirk. Mrs. C. P. Kempster, Newtown Farm, Ellesmere, was the matron of honour, and Miss Mary Mottram, Ebnal Hall, Gobowen, bridesmaid. Mrs. Kempster wore a dress of lavender lace, with accessories to tone, and Miss Mottram wore a green lace dress; both also wore head-dresses of variegated flowers and carried bouquets of sweet peas. Both wore diamante brooches, gifts of the bridegroom. Mr. John Maldwyn Evans was best man, and the ushers were Messrs. Rd. Arthur Evans and Norman Mottram.

The reception was held at the Hand Hotel, Chirk, to which forty guests were invited. The honeymoon is being spent at Llandudno. The bride travelled in clover coloured dress, a petrol blue edge-to-edge coat, with clover coloured hat and handbag to tone. Mr. and Mrs. Evans will reside at Halton Farm, Chirk.

Passed TT for T/Tech Storeman Group C Class II G & C In UK for 2 years 23 days

Mustered and appointed as Group C Class II T/Technical storeman Oswestry

Royal Artillery Appointed T/Tech Storeman Group C Class II w e (with effect?) 26 Jul 1940 Oswestry

Relinquished appointment of T/Tech Storeman Llansantffraid

Mustered and appointed Driver Mechanic Class II Group D Llansantffraid

Posted to 124th Field Regiment Royal Artillery RA Llansantffraid

In Middle East There for 170 days

Passed T/Test / Dut Mech Class II Grp D

Disembarked Egypt Order of 17/Jul/1941

5/Aug/1941

Embarked Egypt 18/Aug/1941

Curigwen Dad's first niece was born while he was in Egypt and other than these photos would not have seen her until after the war.

4/Sep/1941

Disembarked Cyprus order of 7/Aug/1941

5/Nov/1941

Embarked Cyprus

6/Nov/1941

Disembarked Palestine

2/Dec/1941

Entered Iraq

1/Dec/1941

In Iraq There for 182 days

19/Jan/1942

Entered Palestine

27/Jan/1942

Entered Syria

1/Feb/1942

Entered Palestine

3/Feb/1942

Entered Egypt

This is a photo taken by Mr Ballum that is his wife by the gate and you know the rest of us.

We are just starting the lambing season got 3 so far OK.

We had 2 ½ days thrashing last week. Oats & Wheat a very good lot of stuff & we have another 2 ½ days to thrash next month. So we are quite well off for kibbling etc. We have about 100 acres to plough and we can't start on aft last of the frost. We have had about a month of it. I went to Leintwardine last Friday to Chris Manford's funeral he died in London. Had a heart attack and died before any one could get up there to see him. Well Bill every body is enquiring after you and wishing you the best of luck and safe return. Many of them, Bill.

Dad

Captured at El Alemain Western Desert Egypt. All Allied forces captured in North Africa were sent to Italian POW camps. Reported by WO War Office or Warrant Officer. In Italian POW til 23 May 1945 for 2 years 327 days

Cable sent home "Missing in WD Egypt 1/7/42" Next of Kin notified. Form 104-83 sent (Notification Soldier posted as missing)

International Red Cross reported was in POW in Italian Hands. All Allied forces captured in North Africa were handed over to the Italians, by an agreement between Germany and Italy.

Next of Kin Notified with form 104-83A (Notification to provide further details on soldier)

POW Card from Soldier "Captured Jul 1^st Campo Concentramento No 51 - PM 3450 (P.G. 51 Altamura Villa Serena Bari - Transit camp) PM Post Mark (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_War_II_prisoner-of-war_camps_in_Italy)

Transferred to Camp PG 73 PM 3200 (P.G. 73 Fossoli di Carpi Near Modena.) Next of kin not informed reported by WO War Office or Warrant Officer

Lawrence and I visited this camp on 15 September 2014, unfortunately it was closed but at least it is still there and being restored. It was a hugely moving experience to know that your father was imprisoned there, and to imagine what he and the other prisoners went through during that time.

I am also trying to read the book "POW, The diary of a Prisoner of War" by David Nell. This is his diary written while in an Italian POW camp (not the one Dad was it but gives an idea of how harrowing life was there, and how lucky Dad was to survive this.

Forget Hollywood's depiction of POW camps this book describes what it was really like living there day to day. It is surprising in places but largely shocking what these prisoner were put through.

Dad told us that the Italians deliberately starved the prisoners to lower their moral and to weaken them physically, and the book confirms this.

At best they had half rations, but frequently they had no food or water for days at a time. They were largely dependant on Red Cross parcels to survive on and their arrival was sporadic to say the least.

Dad spent some time working in Italy on a farm and was treated very well by the farm bailiff and the rest of the female farm workers. He brought back a few photos of them, and after the POW camp Dad was grateful for this period.

From Dad's Diary 7 Sep 1943 Italy packed in, Ities going mad outside the pen. 9 Sep 1943 Free men. but no where to go. 10 Sep 1943 Slept under dutch-barn. 12th moved to another barn. But by 17 Sept 43 Back at camp, 1:30 following day Gerry took us P.O.W.s went by lorry to Bologna in the barracks [A] 13th pen. Transferred to Stalag IVC, in the Czech republic, which was then part of Germany.

From the present day signs at Fossoli "Fossoli Concentration Camp was set up in 1942 to imprison Anglo-American prisoners of war, and it had different employment until 1970. Between the end of 1943 and summer of 1944 it worked as Jews concentration camp and political and racial deportees transit camp: more than 5000 prisoners, designed for Auschwitz, Mauthausen, Bergen-Belsen, Buchenwald, Ravensbr ck lagers, passed through Fossoli camp. After the end of World War ll, the remaining area of the camp had different employments: foreign refugees Transit Camp, Nomadelfia Community, Villaggio San Marco."

Transferred to Stalag IVC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_IV-C) located in Wistritz, Sudetenland, (now Dubí, Czech Republic), just north of the town of Teplitz (now Teplice) in the Erzgebirge ("Ore Mountains") region. POW No 251039

Camp history

The camp was opened in February 1941. The main camp was housed in a former porcelain factory. In 1943 fewer than 250 men were there, with the remaining population, some 23,000 men, attached to various Arbeitskommandos working in local industry and construction. The largest detachment, of 8,000 men, was at Brüx (now Most) working on the construction of the Sudetenländische Treibstoffwerke ("Sudetenland Fuel Works"), part of the state-owned industrial conglomerate Reichswerke Hermann Göring. This plant was designed to process oil from coal, and as part of the Allied campaign to attack German oil production it was bombed several times between July 1944 and April 1945. In the second raid on 21 July 1944 six British POWs were killed and 21 were injured.

The camp was liberated by the Russian Army in May 1945.

John Richard William Evans was born, Dad's only nephew was born in Chirk Cottage Hospital.

Released by Allied Forces Next of Kin Notified 18/06/1945. Came back to UK

Granted Agricultural leave until 26/Nov/1945

Dad finally got to meet his only niece Curigwen when she was 4. Curigwen still remembers the day she meet him because she knew that this POW was coming to see her, she was terrified and went and hid. Dad arrived in a old car that had been kept for him in the garage next to the house in the old farm.

Left Army After 1 year 16 days in UK Total service 6 years 44 days

Shortly before his death and after talking to Lawrence about the war, he went off to his bedroom and came out wearing his medals and we took this photo with Me and Mum. Wonderful day.