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General => Armed Forces => World War Two => Topic started by: magicspice on Wednesday 12 March 14 12:26 GMT (UK)

Title: WWII soldier info required
Post by: magicspice on Wednesday 12 March 14 12:26 GMT (UK)
I was recently given access to a box of love letters which had been sent to my great aunt who died recently and the age of 102. One series of letters comes from Private Harry Dryden 7365-822. According to my cousins, she spoke of Harry occasionally, but said she didn't know what happened to him. Is there any way of finding out what did happen, particularly seeing as he rather helpfully gave his service number at the top of one letter.

Many thanks
Magicspice
Heather

Title: Re: WWII soldier info required
Post by: jaywit on Wednesday 12 March 14 12:48 GMT (UK)
You can check on here to see if he was killed.

http://www.cwgc.org/


Maybe post as much info. as you have, service number, date and place letters were written from, any mention of what was happening etc.
Title: Re: WWII soldier info required
Post by: bleckie on Wednesday 12 March 14 12:53 GMT (UK)
Hi

I couldn't find on CWGC site

Yours Aye
BruceL
Title: Re: WWII soldier info required
Post by: Spikey68 on Wednesday 12 March 14 16:07 GMT (UK)
Seems his service number falls within the Royal Army Medical Corps block. Which makes finding him even more difficult.
Title: Re: WWII soldier info required
Post by: ADM199 on Wednesday 12 March 14 18:25 GMT (UK)
He appears to have been a POW.
Title: Re: WWII soldier info required
Post by: magicspice on Thursday 13 March 14 09:26 GMT (UK)
Quote from: ADM199 on Wednesday 12 March 14 18:25 GMT (UK)
He appears to have been a POW.

Hi everyone, thanks for your advice. ADM and Spikey,
Where are you getting your information from please???

Regs
Heather
Title: Re: WWII soldier info required
Post by: ADM199 on Saturday 15 March 14 14:11 GMT (UK)
I have the official list of POW Italy. WO 392/21.

The list is not what it was  originally claimed to be, (and is still said to be by others) which was a list of POW and the Camps where they were held in 1943.

The list is one of members of the Commonwealth Armed Forces who were at sometime held by the Italians.
The camp given is where they were last known to have been located. Over 200 are still listed in Libyan Camps many months after the Camps were over run.
There are over 600 names in the list of POW who died at sea in 1942. 15 of them buried in Greece.

WO 392/21has to be treated with great caution.

I have posted this information elsewhere and now T.N.A. have altered the File description to agree with my findings.

Brian
Title: Re: WWII soldier info required
Post by: avajane1 on Monday 07 April 14 22:02 BST (UK)
Go on the common wealth war graves site it is free and you can do searches
Title: Re: WWII soldier info required
Post by: avajane1 on Monday 07 April 14 22:27 BST (UK)
Quote from: avajane1 on Monday 07 April 14 22:02 BST (UK)
Go on the common wealth war graves site it is free and you can do searches
Title: Re: WWII soldier info required
Post by: ADM199 on Tuesday 08 April 14 10:10 BST (UK)
As he appears to have been a member of the Royal Army Medical Service he would have been classed as "Protected Personnel"

Could have been repatriated prior to 1945, or as said earlier just not listed.

POW Lists are not exactly 100%