Pte William Dawson of the Railway Tavern, Thornley, Co Durham is featured on the extreme right of this photograph of Green Howards’ POWs taken at camp PG 70, Italy in 1943. Photograph courtesy of Bob Dawson. All further details on the POWs featured most welcome.
|
|
For a left side enlargement of the photograph, click here.
|
|
For a right side enlargement of the photograph click here
|
|
For an illustrated listing of Thornley POWs, click here.
|
|
For a photograph of the Railway Tavern, Thornley, click here
|
|
For two more Group Photos of Camp PG 70 POWs click here or on the images below.
|
|
A plasterer in civilian life, William Dawson enlisted in the Green Howards on March 15th 1940 (Army Number 4393555). He served in the 4th Battalion, which was part of the 50th Division, and was captured at Gazala on June 1st 1942. Held at camps PG 85 and PG 70 in Italy, he was transferred to Germany in October 1943. He was at Stalag 4B Muhlberg from 2/10/43 until 19/10/43, where he was assigned the German POW number 251765. He was at this camp at the same time as another Thornley man, my father Pte Tom Tunney of the 16th DLI (German POW Number 227987), though it seems they never met there. It is fascinating though how documents and information link together. At least four of the men in my father’s work camp at Bad Schmiedeberg Germany in 1943-45 were also POWs at PG 70 in Italy. Click on the photographs below, which are very similar to the one above and must have been taken at around the same time and by the same photographer, for enlargements and captions
|
|
From Stalag 4B William Dawson was assigned to a work camp of Stalag 4C in the Brux area, on 19/10/43 where he worked in a coal mine until his liberation in May 1945.
|
