My Grandad

[Madmaxi]

Morning everyone,  I wonder if anyone could help me.  I never got to meet my grandad due to him moving away when he divorced my nan.

Ive found out that he was a POW in WW2.  Find my past have the following details.

Frederick Reginald Wooding, Private, The Wiltshire Regiment.
Army number 5572396, Camp number 344, POW no. 21665,
Camp Type Stalag, Camp location Lamsforf

He was a POW between 1939 and 1945.  What I can't find out is how, when and why he became a POW and when and where he was released. 

Ive tried the National Archives but with no joy.

Am really hoping someone could please help me as I am stuck 

[t mo]

hi
you should be able to get his service record  even though you aren,t next of kin it may have personal details removed but should still give his movements whilst in the army go to this site and read up on how to apply for it www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/service_records.html from there you can download the necessary forms and it will cost you £30 a death cert is needed as well ,is that his death reg in blackpool in 1986 ? .
regards
trevor

[Neohet]

It's unlikley he was a POW from as early as 1939. War was declaired on 3rd Sept '39 and the British Expeditionary Force was sent to France/Belgium mid September but hostilities did not occur until 10th May 1940.

If he was a POW from early on, he may have been part of the BEF and one of the 198,229 men captured before Dunkirk (26th May - 4 June 1940).

Hope this helps,
Matt T.

[Neohet]

Hi Again,

Looks like only 2nd Wiltshire Regiment were part of BEF - Deployed to Cherbourg 14th Sept '39. They went on into Belgium & were evacuated from Dunkirk 1st/2nd June 1940 arriving back in UK at Ramsgate, then on to Rhyl by train:

War diaries available here:

http://www.thewardrobe.org.uk/research/war-diaries/search/regiment:27/year:1939

(Use "Search Again" to see other years)

Again, hope this helps.
Matt T.

[Madmaxi]

Thanks very much everyone.