Hi every one i wondered if you could help me. I found out recently that my late grandfather was a p.o.w in ww2. my grandad came from canada and served in the Canadian tank corps or core. As far as i know he fought in africa and some how he ended up in europe,where he was captured and put in p.o.w . I do not know how long he was in there for but he did escape and fled to the mountains where the locals kept him hidden until it was safe. After this he made his way to england where he remained until his death. Please can any one help with my research i would be very grateful . My grandad was called Eric lewis parker but i dont know where in canada he was born plus i dont know where he was stationed. Can any one help me with this. Thanks every one.
I have been wondering about these pows transfers too. I once came accross a file at the Canadian archives about an aircrew and was surprised to read that the report mentionned an English pow evader who was captured at Tobruk, North Africa and somehow managed to jump off a train in France where he was hidden by a farmer. He stayed there until the liberation in August 1944. God knows how he ended up in France after being captured in Africa, because I thought the routes to Germany went via Italy and Austria, but apperently some went through france in pows trains. This was in 1942.
Army service records in Britain and Canada can be obtained from: a) a great source of Cdn genealogy links: the Military - What to Search: Topics - Canadian Genealogy Centre - Library and Archives Canada b) (best for circa WW1) the National Archives of Canada. Home - Library and Archives Canada (allow pop ups for faster log in.) (website is slow or down this minute, don't know why) Click on "Ancestors Search" - For WW1 army records. 1. in "Topic" select "Soldiers of the First World War" 2. enter Last name in text field, (first name choices pop up automatically) select yours then Click "Go" 3. Double click on the correct name 4. Basic info comes up 5. Click the icons below the info for gif scanned images, then SAVE TO DISK - then select to print each page, but first a) UNSELECT the "fit to page" check mark (yep) b) adjust the image size upwards until it fits to page, then c) print off your saved gif image. - and some real treasures will appear out of your printer! (Have to stop and think how to get to on-line WW2 records... hmm get back to you.) If you cannot find the information you want on-line (should be there) ask them directly.
Thanks Fred. I got my file via an English friend who got it there. I suppose that's where you got some help too. The mystery about the transfer route in Europe remains.
Apply for his Service Records from here. Canadian Forces after 1918 (including Second World War) - Military - What to Search: Topics - Canadian Genealogy Centre - Library and Archives Canada OOps , sorry Fred already linked to it.
Thanks everyone for your help much apriciated. I shall be sending of my application form asap. If anybody else can help please feel free to say so.
Does anybody know when similar files will be availble in the U.K. I know Canada released them because of a 60 year term, but I think restrictions in the UK are 100 years for personnal files. I'm not talking about the National Archives files such as the AIR14 ones which are available now but for instance the investigations reports made by grave recovery agents in 1945 etc...
Thank you fred for this i really appriciate it. I am still waiting for some documents to come in the post that will hopefully say what my great grandparents were called and where in canada they came from. Hopefully then i can start my search and get some where trying to find info on grandad Eric.
Hello Little Dragon Can you give some details about your grand-dad such as date of birth, where he might have been from in Canada, what military unit he was with, anything like that. I have access to a very comprehensive geneology source and may be able to get you some information fairly quickly. Leslie
Hi Leslie . All that i can tell you is that my grandad was called Eric Lewis parker. Eric was born 27th Nov 1918. Now this is where i get stuck and also what im still trying to find out. I don't know where in canada he was born and neither do his children. I know he was in the tank corps/core, but do not know where he was stationed. He did not go to war till we think 1942/3 and we also think he was captured in italy ,but i still have to clarify this. If you can help me in any way i would be so grateful as i can not seem to get any where . thank you sarah.
Will see what I can find out for you. Can you give me more information such as when he passed away and where. Do you know his father or mother's name. Parker is fairly common so the more information, no matter how trivial, would help. You can send it by private message if you wish. Regards Leslie
Hi everyone, i recieved this morning my grandad' certificates that i ordered. Now the good news is i have finally found out that he was born in Toronto Canada. now could some one help me . It says on his marriage certificate that he was living in Upavon wilts. Now when he escaped from prisioner of war camp would he have been sent there or was there a camp nearby where he would have been staying? If any one can help i would be grateful it's just that im puzzled as to why he might have been there . thanks sarah.
