Saturday, 12 December, 2009 17:59    |   Contact

Requests for Help - P and Q

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

Numerics

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Friederike Pierer

Does anyone have any information on my mother's whereabouts and experiences during WWII?

She would have been around 12 years old when the war broke out and was living in Birkfield, Austria.  She never really told me very much about what happened to her and her family during those war years and I would like to find out more.

She was born in 1927 and died in 1987. 

Click here to find out more about her.

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Karl Pierer

Can you help with further information on my grandad, Karl?  He was born in 1907 and died in 1945. 

He was in the German Army and lived in Birkfield, Austria.

You can see more images of him here.

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Ernest Pearce

Tracey is searching for any information on her Mother's Uncle; Ernest Pearce. He served in the RAF flew in bombers, based Yorkshire/Lincolnshire area during the war. He was a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner and was shot down and spent the last 2/3 years of the war as a PoW in Stalag Luft 3.

Tracey believes that after the war he married a lady called Hilda and moved to Dumfries.

If you have any information, please contact Tracey directly.

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Victor Leggett and Malcolm Phillips

Nicki is trying to find two people, one a definite family member. Victor Leggett and Malcolm Phillips both lived in Aldershot in the 60's and 70's. Nicki recently heard that Victor Leggett lives in Farnborough now. They would both be in their late 50's to early 60's.

Anyone know of these two people? If so, please contact Nicki directly.

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Polish Prison Camp in Lothian

Ken Mcintosh is looking for information on his father, a Polish soldier held prisoner at Polkemmet, Whitburn, West Lothian in 1944/45. Ken never knew his name but would like to have some idea where the Polish camp was and find some photographs if possible.

Please contact Ken if you can help.

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Ernest Perry

Norman, (son) and Christopher (grandson) are looking any information on a family member. His name was Ernest Perry and he was with the Royal Pioneer Corp. He came from Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire. They have a copy of the long march, but unfortuately it was never discussed or spoken about to his family. They know he worked on a farm whilst a PoW at Stalags XXA and XXB, but that is all. He had a tattoo on his arm which read "Love Rose and Jean", which is Norman's mothers and sisters names.

Joyce has sent me some pictures of Ernest to help jog anyones memory. Click the images to enlarge them.

If anyone help with information on Ernest, please email his family.

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Albert Preston

Researching family tree and looking for information on Albert Preston who was a PoW in Camp No.52 PM3100 Italy (later escaping to Switzerland), and Leslie Preston who was a PoW in Stalag XVIII C Austria.

Please click on the images below to enlarge them.

Albert Preston	Albert's Pow Card	Leslie Preston	Leslie's PoW Card

If anyone help with information, please email Michael.

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Jack Pritchard

Maurice is trying to find information about a Stalag XXA PoW who got captured with his uncle at Bethune in 1940.

He carried this Scottish soldier to the PoW camp rather than get shot by the Germans.

Maurice's uncles name was Jack Pritchard and served with the 7th Worcesters and was part of the B.E.F. He lived in Smethwick, Staffordshire.

If you can help, please contact Maurice

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Kenneth Thomas Pick

Tracy is looking for any information on her grandfather, Kenneth Thomas Pick. She knows that he enlisted in the Territorial Army and his number was 14591186. After his training he was transferred to the Leicester Regiment - 1st Battalion.
He was sent to North West Europe from 2nd July 1944 and came home 19th May 1945. Tracy's grandmother told her that as far as she is aware he was at Normandy Beaches and also Arnhem.

If you can help, please email Tracy

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Thomas Parton

Mrs Stewart's father, Thomas Parton, was in the Seaforth Highlanders and was captured at St.Valery en Caux. He spent the next five years as a PoW. The only camp there is a number for is Stalag 1XC. Thomas spent time in the salt mines and also rock breaking. He was admitted to a German hospital when the rock dust turned to cement in his stomach. He had several spells in solitary confinement.

Mrs Stewart is looking for anyone who might remeber him or have nore information on the camp he was in.

He is still alive and, whilst not in the best of health, is stll active.

If you can help, please email J. Stewart

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John (Jack) Pomfret

Jude is looking for any information on his father, John/Jack Pomfret, from Preston, Lancs.

He was in the R.M 's and in India but Jude does not know which regiment. He has the Burma Star and was in Germany and France.

Jude has about 40 photos of him and other men in different uniforms and many diaries. Unfortunately the diaries are all in Pitmans shorthand and Jude is struggling to understand.

If you can help, please email Jude.

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Stanislaw Peksa

Steve is looking for information on his father (now deceased), Stanislaw Peksa.

Stan was captured by 66th Infantry Fegiment, 13th Panzer Division in Warsaw on 18th September 1939 and sent to Stalag XXA and listed on 20th January 1940. Stan would have been about 29 years old at the time.

Steve has other information regarding Stan's fathers and mothers name and PoW number, also the name Anastasia Peksa from Stolno, Poland.

Stan was said to have been sent to build U-Boats for the Germans.and ended up working for the B.A.O.R. forces in Westphalia from 1945 to 1949. Steve also has photo of him in uniform in 1946/7.

If you can help with information on Stan, please email Steve.

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Edward Payne

Looking for any information on Edward Payne who drove an ambulance in WWII. He was in the 559th Ambulance Co.

Battles and campaigns:
Northern France
Ardennes
Rhineland
Central Europe.

He left fort geo. meade md. March 21st 1944 and travelled on the Queen Mary to Scotland. Arrived back to the USA January 1946.

If you can help with information on Edward, please email.

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Leslie Crompton Price

Dianne has read the account of the rescue of the Dutch Royal Family and is wondering if anyone knew her father, Leslie Crompton Price.

Leslie was involved with the rescue and when Dianne was young she was shown a citation in Dutch and English regarding his actions. It also seems he was awarded a medal in relation to this rescue.

Dianne is trying to find out how to get a copy of this citation/medal and find out any information with regards this and other actions her father was involved with.

Leslie was in the Irish Guards.

Dianne recently added "I have now found out my father was awarded the bronze lion on 15th July 1947 this is listed in the London Gazette, issue 38018 page 3322. This medal was awarded by the Dutch."

If you can help with information on Leslie or the rescue of the Royal Dutch Family, please email Dianne

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Oton Polak

Milena is looking for information on Oton Polak. Apparently he was a PoW at PG 62 in Grumello (close to Bergamo) in Italy. The city-hall says that the Grumello camp was a British one.

Milena is having problems finding information on Oton as it seems that the name of the camp was wrongly recorded (i.e. Grunello, Grumellina, Grumelo). The only thing known for sure was the number - PG 62.

Milena is interested in finding out about Oton as her uncle was in contact with him and Oton was apparently a painter. They would like to know if he's still alive and to make contact.

EDITOR NOTE: I have found information on an exhibition of art at Maribor Art Gallery from the Academy of Fine Arts & Design which opened in 1945 of their first generation of artists who graduated, one being an Oton Polak.

If you can help with information please email Milena

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Harry Perry

Lee would like to find out more information on Harry Perry, Dental Corps. 1939-45: Dunkirk, Stalag XXA Poland.

Lee is researching his wife's fathers wartime experiences. He died in 1980 and his wife (now 88) has Alzheimers and can tell us nothing about him.

His name was Harry Perry, (Hedley William) and he was a dental technician. He was at Dunkirk, and as a medico stayed behind with the wounded. He was force-marched to Thorn in Poland and imprisoned at Stalag XXA. He described the camps early days as a "shambles", very badly organised.

He was a camp dentist and also went to work in Thorn for a German dentist and was apparently something of a wheeler-dealer, pinching medical supplies to trade for other useful gear. He was very tall and thin. He was a also something of a musician (drummer) and may have taken part in camp concerts and similar things. Eventually he contracted TB and was invalided out in 1944.

Does anyone have any information that they would be willing to share with me? Particularly about the forced march to Poland, and the days at Stalag XXA? I am planning a trip to Poland later this year (2008) and want to be as prepared as possible to know where to go and what to look for. I will be happy to share any information I get, and any photographs I take.

If you can help with information please email Lee

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John Colin Pawley

Colleen is looking for information on her grandfather, John Colin Pawley (known as Colin) who served in the Royal Army Corps. Unfortunately he never talked of his time in the army and has since passed away.

John was from the Midlands and spent most of his life travelling with the fair. Colleen knows he had something to do with ambulances and apparently his name was mentioned twice in the London Gazette but although she has searched the origanal citations, when Colleen looked in the Gazette archives there is no mention of him.

If you can help, please email Colleen

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Thomas Patrick Power

Mark's grand uncle-in-law, Thomas Patrick Power, was one of the Guardsmen killed in Operation Harpoon. Mark would be glad to receive anybodys recollections of him, or hear who can provide me with any information regarding him and his military service.

If you can help, please email Mark.

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John (Jack) Parkinson

Dennis is working on his family tree and John (aka Jack) Parkinson was a PoW in Stalag IXC

If you can help, please email Dennis.

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Gordon "Elmer" Palmer

Anne is looking for information on her grandfather, Gordon Palmer, and sent through the following details:-

"My grandfather fathered a child with a woman known only as Trissie. It is believed that she was from Ireland, living in
England during WWII. I have been told that due to the price of everything in that era, a child may have been dressed in a dress, even though it was a male. So, that said, the gender of the baby is unknown. I have searched the BMD of England and Wales, and only one record stands out: Time frame correct by my calculation.

Quarter: October - December, 1943; District - Bromley; name of child - Roy A. Thatcher; mother - PALMER; Vol 2A Pg. 1421. The name Roy is a curiosity as the name of the Seaforth Highlander's Padre was Roy. It seems that by
the letters exchanged by this Padre and service men he was very well liked by all. Of course Palmer was not the mother's surname, but it certainly could have been recorded as such.

His name was GORDON "ELMER" PALMER, date of birth 25 May, 1915 in Spokane, Washington to Canadian parents Mary Anne Moore and Gordon Elmer Palmer. He enlisted in the Canadian Active Service Force 15 July, 1940, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. REGIMENT NO. K.63062. He first enlisted as a member of Canadian Scottish Regiment and while in England was transferred to The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada. He achieved the rank of Corporal before his death in Italy on 4 January, l945. He was laid to rest in the Ravenna War Cemetery in Italy. He was not sent overseas to England until 9 October 1942 so the birth of the child would have been after July 1943. In August of 1943 he was given personal leave of 7 days. Sept 12, 1943 he was sent to Italy with the 4 Battalion Seaforth
Highlanders of Canada.

I have copies of letters (exchanged after the death of my grandfather) between my grandfather's brother Lloyd and the Padre of the Seaforth Highlanders. It seems my uncle Lloyd and the Padre both knew of the woman known only as "Trissie." On the back of the photo she writes "This is a very bad photo, but it is the best we can do just now, he did not wait for the baby to laugh. Love Trissie."

Gordon Palmer in 1940	Trissie and child

I am including a photo of my grandfather and one of his girlfriend and child. Story has it that it was Elmer's plan to stay in England with Trissie and baby at the end of the war. My personal feelings on that are a bit romantic, I guess. I feel that with such uncertain times many men and women reached out to whomever was there at the time. Looking for comfort in the arms of someone. If he found love, then I am happy for them. Even though I never had the opportunity to meet him as he died fifteen years before I was born, I have very positive feelings about him.

Thank you once again, Krista. I hope that my search may one day be fruitful. The older I get, the less chance there is of finding any further information as anyone who knew anything of Elmer's life in England, has passed on already."

If you can help with information on Trissie or Gordon, please email Anne

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Edgar William (Bill) Pegg

Lynne is looking for information on Edgar William Pegg.

Edgar is from Derbyshire and is now 96 and has asked Lynne to see if she can find any information out for him.

He was captured in 1941 in Africa on April 8th, moved on to Italy, then Stalag VIII for a while before going on to Oflag VA, Weinsburg, where he was for around 5 years.

He also mentioned Fort Bismarc in Strazberg. Edgar had an interpretor called Captain Noon but that's about all he can remember.

He was in the Royal Artillary and escaped the camp with 4 South Africans and a lad from Birmingham.

William (Bill) Pegg		A label from a parcel Bill recieved from his wife while in camp
A meal ticket from camp.(Weinsburg)	A group of Czechs	Card Bill recived in camp from Pope Pius PP XIIi
Insert of card

If you can help Edgar with details or were one of his regiment friends or family of the same, please email Lynne

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William (Bill) Parker

Mrs Cree wrote to say:

"Trying to find any information about a William (Bill) Parker who died in Burma. He was a rifelman from the Harehills area of Leeds who saved a gentelmans life whom I take care of. He normaly does not talk about his time during the War but has some fond memories of this man."

If you can help, please email Mrs Cree

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Willie Phillips

Received email from Martha to say:

"Would love to find information on my dad, Willie Phillips. In WWII he loaded private boats. He loaded Kennedy's private boat. Kennedy called him Whitey."

If you can help Martha, please email

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Walter Payjack

Received email from Tammy to say:

"I am looking for information about my grandfather Walter Payjack. He served in WWII in England. I do have his medals from the war would they have any info on them? I don't know anymore information than that. Please let me know if there is any way I could get a picture of him in his uniform or any other info about him. Thank you so much for your help."

If you can help Tammy, please email

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Revised: 12 December, 2009