Sunday, 24 February, 2008 15:25    |   Contact

Requests for Help - E

Select the letter of the alphabet from the list below to view requests for help concerning that surname, location or camp.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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Lewis Edwards

Does anyone have any further information on my father, Lewis (Lew) Seccombe Farmar Edwards? 

He was born in 1914 in Bromley, Kent and died in 1993 in Chertsey, Surrey. 

He served in 'B' Company, 1st Bn Queen Victoria's Rifles (also known in 1937 as Kings Royal Rifle Corp).   His army number was 6142398. Click here to find out more about him. 

His first marriage was to Mrs F A Edwards and they lived at 16 Albany Road, Hersham, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey.  Dad's father's name was John Lionel Edwards and his mother's maiden name was Emma Grim. 

One of dad's brothers, John L. Edwards, served in the First World War and he was very close to his brother George who was younger than him.

Dad was camp tailor (he also made costumes for the theatre productions) and played violin.

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Albert Elliott

Ron would be interested to hear from any person who knew his brother, Albert Elliott, a Canadian, when he was in Stalag XXA, Thorn, Poland. He was captured during the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940, and was released in April or May of 1945. While he was in the camp a buddy tattooed a sketch of a maple leaf on his forearm.

If anyone help Ron with this, please contact him directly.

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George Edwards

Jeff is looking for information on his grandfarther, George Edwards, who was in the paratroopers in the Second World War. He has subsequently died but Jeff would really love to find out as much information as he can so is dad has something to keep.

George Edwards was in the 6 Airbourne Division, 3rd Battalion. His Army Number was 1763162. Jeff believes he was in Palestine around 1945.

If anyone can help, please email Jeff

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William Edward Lee Elble

Nancy's father, William Edward Lee Elble, was a PoW, Army, captured in 1944 at the age of 23 and spent 9 months in Stalag IIA He earned 7 medals, including the Bronze Star. He, along with Nancy's mother, a WWII WAC, (she sadly has Alzheimers) presently reside at the Ohio Veterans Home in Georgetown, Ohio.

William's discharge papers show him as a Corporal, Company M, 330th. Infantry. 83rd. Division. His military occupational specialty was Truck Driver-Light #345, Combat Infantryman Badge. Battles and campaigns were Normandy, Northern France.

Here is Williams PoW file that Nancy found online:

Nancy sent the photographs below of William to see if they jog anyones memory (click to enlarge).

Nancy would like to locate some other PoWs that spent the same time as her father did in this camp. He may even have a fellow camp IIA living in this home as well! He remembers being captured along with a fellow comrade, Dale B. Crawford, who might have been from Canton, Ohio. Dale's serial number was 15324862.

If anyone knew William, Dale or were at Stalag IIA, please email Nancy

UPDATE FROM NANCY (21 February 2007)

Just wanted to update you that my father, William E. Elble, passed away February 12, 2007. He was laid to rest in Tate Township Cemetery, Bethel, Ohio, with full military honors. The enlisted came from Fort Knox, Tenn., courtesy of Mr. Frank Morrow, Batavia Ohio Veterans Services Office. My Dad, last year, did a commercial for the Veterans Services and it is televised on cable TV.

I have Dad's full P.O.W. experience in print and am hoping to get it to the military museum in Ohio. My Dad was also, the most decorated World War II veteran in Clermont County, Ohio. He received 8 medals, which included two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars. He was honored in a ceremony attended by Rob Portman.

UPDATE FROM NANCY (12 April 2007)

MY GRANDPA (Eulogy)

By Apryl Oelker

A strong man that survived being a POW for nine months in World War II. A man determined to come home. This man is my Grandpa and his name is William Edward Elble. He was drafted into the Army infantry at the age of 19. He had wanted to go into the service, but not under these conditions.

During his time in the service he had been involved with the sixth fleet to invade France. The infantry was being bombed several times. During one incident, Grandpa had hid in a fox hole. After the bombing was over, he crawled out. There were bodies everywhere. One man, whose leg had been cut off, Grandpa tied a turniquite around it to stop the bleeding. He then crawled back into the hole and got the medics.

One afternoon he was driving a jeep, along with ten other men, taking ammunition to the front line. Meanwhile, the Germans had been on scouting patrol on the back of the German lines. My Grandpa's group was almost back when the Germans attacked them. They had asked seven of the men if they were wounded. When their reply was affirmative they were shot and killed on the spot. Grandpa was shot in the lower stomach, but said he was not wounded. The three surviving men were then taken to be interrogated. After being interrogated my Grandpa told a German officer he was shot. He was then taken immediately to the German medics.

The POW's were kept in the barracks in the woods. They slept on straw mattresses. The Germans had taken away their clothing and gave them an overcoat from the Jew's that had been burned. The POW's were given one blanket. The temperature would drop to below zero. My Grandpa cut the end of his blanket to make a hat and a pair of gloves. They received two meals a day, which consisted of turnip soup without the turnips, one cup of coffee that tasted like chicory, (fake coffee) and one slice of hard bread. A lot of men died of starvation. When Grandpa would wake up the man lying beside him would be dead.

My Grandpa had escaped three times for about two or three days. He would sleep during the day and walk at night, but the civilian people turned him in. He was then tied down and tortured for trying to escape.

When the Americans would bomb the Germans, they came close to bombing the POW barracks. When the British bombed them one city block away, it had knocked the men out of their bunks. The next morning when they had to do their chores, they walked to the railroad that had been blown to pieces. The hole was so big that you could fit five houses in it. One chore consisted of chopping big trees down and digging up the stump. Sometimes the stump hole was over their heads.

After nine long and horrible months, a German officer falsified my Grandpa's papers along with a few other Americans and marched them back to American lines. There the German officer gave himself up to the Americans. My Grandpa then had to prove, with his papers, he was an American.

The men were then put in to a hospital for three weeks. Their clothes were burnt and heads shaved because of the lice. One man stopped at a Red Cross stand and because he was so hungry ate six dozen doughnuts. He then died immediately. All Red Cross stands were shut down. Grandpa was then sent to Camp Adaberry in Indiana. It was a recuperation center where he spent one week. He finally came home for two weeks. After his stay at home, he was sent to Miami Beach, Florida for more recuperation. From Florida, he was sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky and became a tank instructor for six months. He was supplied with his own car, license plates, and could leave to come home at anytime. One weekend when he was home he was called back to Kentucky to be discharged. For all of his sufferings, he received two purple hearts. A man who has been through a lot, but is still the most caring person today, my Grandpa.

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Reginald Everson

Vince is looking for information on his father-in-law, Sergeant Reginald Everson MM Royal Co of Signals, who was involved in the capture of a General Creipe on Crete. He has kindly been sent a book by a gentleman he met over the Internet entitled "Hide and Seek" by Xan Feilding where Reginald is mentioned.

Reginald is originally from Great Yarmouth and after the War he settled in Wales.

If anyone can help with information on the activities in Crete or remembers Reginald, please email Vince.

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HMS Eagle

Gary is interested in any information he can get regarding HMS Eagle. He believes his uncle went down with her in 1942. His name was Stanley Morris and he was a stoker on board, but cannot find out if this is true.

Any information, please email Gary.

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William Elvin

Janette's son, Aaron, is working on a project on WW2 and was interested in the battle of St Valery-on-Caux as both his great grandfather, Albert Lake, and his great uncle, William Elvin were taken PoWs there on surrender to the 7th Panzer Division.

Both men were in the1st Division of the Queens Own Cameron Highlanders.

Albert had been billeted at Landes before the battle and Janette thinks he stayed in a PoW camp in France. Billy was certainly taken to Germany but she doesn't know where.

Janette has an old photo that she thinks her grandmother must have been sent by her grandfather and on the back it says STALIG XXA Gepruft 49.

If you can help with any information, please contact Janette and Aaron

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Richard Evans

John and Brenda are looking for an uncle, Richard Evans.

The photo was addresed to John's mother who was his sister. Richard was married to Alice and came from Tilley near Wem in Shropshire.

Richard died some years ago but his daughter lives near Cheltenham (John's cousin).

Richard was in Stalag 306.

If the reverse of the photo is not clear it has the folowing info =from (dvr) richard evans 7706 stalag 306 xv111 1967/L germany the stamp has the following = ?tammlager xv111-D, ??PRUFT, K?????? 4 also a signature .

If you can help with any information, please contact John and Brenda

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Revised: 24 February, 2008