Prisoner of War

I encourage anyone that has more information (Flight Log Book entries) or photos on 112 Squadron please send an e-mail to raf_112_sqdn@yahoo.com before the history is lost.

112 Sqdn

BURCHAM, John: 119713 POW Stalag Luft III - his violin
112 Sqn

from RAF Ex-POW Association: CYH16: On the 7th March 1944 John Burcham was flying a Kittyhawk of 112 Squadron over Italy, was hit and crash landed near Trasacco. He evaded capture for a few days but was eventually caught and landed up at Stalag Luft 3, while there he acquired a violin which he taught himself to play sufficiently well to join the orchestra. The violin has now been given to a school in South London - "to be used by an outstanding pupil". It has been described as "although not a 'Strad' it is an exceptionally good instrument".

Camp	POW No	Surname	Names	Unit	A/C Serial	Service No	Force	Date of Loss
L3	1449	Adye	Edward "Ted" B	112 Sqdn	AK988	776184	RAF	11/6/42
.	.	Alves	John	112 Sqdn	AK476	1001427	.	12/12/41
N/A	N/A	Barlow	Lawrence Daniel Patrick (American)	112 Sqdn	AK746	83050	RCAF	28/9/42
Sulmona	.	Bartley (Can)	Leonard Lawrence (escaping from Greece)	112 Sqdn	(captured by submarine Ardua, escaped 1943) From this base, on the 24th, it left to move on a patrol in the waters between Alexandria and Crete. On June 3rd, 1941, off Cape Littinos, the ADUA intercepted a small motor barge on which 72 British soldiers were trying to reach the Egyptian coast. After having captured 8 officers, the lighter was forced back to Crete. Thereafter, the boat left the patrol area to return to Taranto where it would undergo refitting for about three months.	42182	RAF	31/5/41
Sulmona later L3	228358	Bennett	Richard John	112 Sqdn	(captured by submarine,)	40982	RAF	31/5/41
L3, Stalag Luft 3 at Żagan, Poland	N/A	Bowker	Neville	112 Sqdn	AN218	89773	RAF	27/12/41During the defense of Heraklion Bowker was slightly wounded and captured. He managed to escape from the field hospital and reached Egypt, where he rejoined his squadron. Bowker spent the rest of the year flying Tomahawks over the Desert. He was shot down and captured again later in the war, sometime after capture, his legs where badly damaged, surgery after the wars end allowed him to walk again.
L3 (Zagan and Belaria)	4325	Burcham	John Alexander	112 Sqdn	FR824,GAA	119713	RAFVR	7/3/44
L3,Stalag Luft 3 at Żagan, Poland	22728	Butcher	A.R. "Jack"	112 Sqdn	No plane involved	70104	RAF	30/10/40, From Flt Lt Fraser's log book - killed in bayonet charge MALEME, CRETE. later found out he was P.O.W.
L3	2665	Carson	Kenneth Francis	112 Sqdn	AK672	404233	RAAF	9/1/42
Stalag XXA, 357 (Kopernikus)	3264	Carter (WO)	H W	112	captured in Crete	1237091	RAF	31/5/41, From FLT Lt Fraser's log book - F/Lt Fry, F/O Bennett, W/O Carter killed by parachutists CRETE. later found to be P.O.W.s
.	.	Churchill	H F	112 Sqdn	FX800, GAR	207324V	SAAF	5/6/44
L6 (Heydekrug)	315	Critchton	Joseph M S	112 Sqdn	FR216, GAP	J/5032	RCAF	11/1/43
L3	3339	Fry	Charles Horace	112 Sqdn	33 Sqdn Hurricane V7857 confirmed	40047	RAAF	18/5/41
L3	228330	Greaves	Dennis Franklin	112 Sqdn	FR248	131855	RAF	2/10/42
L7 (Bankau, near Kreulberg, Upper Silesia)	22	Grubb	Derrick Warren	112 Sqdn	FX544, GAK	1323923	RAF	22/5/44
L3	2592	Guess	Ray Douglas "Goose"	112 Sqdn	FR429,GAP	J10277	RCAF	4/8/43
L3	6283	Hogg	Wallace Daniel	112 Sqdn	FR286,GAT	420401	RAAF	21/10/42
.	.	Harrison	Henry Willoughby	112 Sqdn	escaped from Crete	40910	RAF	trouble escaping Crete,
L3	2458	Johnson	William Alexander Jenkinson "Johnny"	112	AK603 code Unknown	115625	RAF	24/7/42 to May 1945
Adi Ugri	.	Kirk	Harold "Harry" Bell	112 Sqdn	Gladiator K7969 RT-N	70808	RAF	6/11/40 released during the British Advance
L6	248753	Lecours	Jerard G R	112 Sqdn	FL730	R/79289	RCAF	5/2/43
L3	3219	Leu	Rudolf Maurice	112 Sqdn	AL225,GAT	404178	RAAF	21/6/42
.	escaped	Liebenburgh	C J	112 Sqdn	FB263, GAM	542464V	SAAF	12/10/44
L3	2671	Loree	Joseph Ernest	112 Sqdn	ET1017/ GAV	J7414	RCAF	28/8/42
Crete	escaped	Molloy	Richard ? "Dick"	112 Sqdn	Ground Crew	.	RAF	A Yorkshire lad who had been taken prisoner then escaped from Crete in a dinghy with another escapee.
Crete, Lamsdorf, Luft 3 and Belaria	Held for duration of the war	Paddock	Leonard Francis "Paddy"	112 Sqdn	Ground Crew airframe fitter Master Tecnician	546274	RAF	.
.	.	Prentice	D F	112 Sqdn	Mustang Mk. III HB908/ GAW	329061V	SAAF	30/10/44
N/A	N/A	Rees	P L	112 Sqdn	FX670, GAW	930745	RAF	30/5/44
.	.	Sayle	Robert G	112 Sqdn	FR 214, GAA	115773		23/1/42
L3	935	Smith	Robert Rutherford	112 Sqdn	FR325, GAV	40952	RAF	10/3/43
344 (Lamsdorf)	21252	Snowden	Robert	112 Sqdn	LAC, captured in Crete	701292	RAF	6/6/41
L6	90163	Thomas	H G E	112 Sqdn	AK701.GAT	NZ405000	RNZAF	5/9/42
L3	2466	Thomson	Stanley Edward	not	confirmed 112 Sqdn	406604	RAAF	??/5/41
Stalag Luft ?	N/A	Warburton	Kenneth Crawford	112 Sqdn	FR857, GAV	1435351	RAF	7/4/44
344 then Dachau	27398	Watson	D S "Butch"	112 Sqdn	FR320, GAJ	516585	RAF	13/1/43
L1 (Barth Vogelsang)	4497	Watts	Walter Kenneth	112 Sqdn	FR811,GAM	400827	RAAF	6/4/44
L3	930	Wiley	George William	112 Sqdn	42-45798, GAD	J7234	RCAF	10/3/43
L3	3288	Wilkinson	Robert Matthew "Hawkeye"	112 Sqdn	FR864,GAM	135092	RAF	20/12/43
L3	2674	Wilson	Ronald Kenneth	112 Sqdn	AL196	115949	RAF	1/6/42
344 Silesia then	11996	Woolley	Frank W	112 Sqdn, Rigger	evacuation from Greece / Crete	645591	RAF	1941

Both Canadians RR Smith is mentioned on personnel page

Frank Wooley's Capture in Crete

This story was submitted to the people's war site by James Barton of the County Heritage Team on behalf of Frank Woolley (the author).

I joined the RAF in May 1939. After square bashing, went to 112 squadron in Norfolk, working as a flight rigger on Blenheims.
In January 1940 we were sent to Egypt, stationed near Cairo, then to the Western Desert where we lived in tents. In October 1940 I was posted to Athens, working on Gladiators and then transferred to the north of the country as Greece was fighting the Italians. At this point Germany became involved and we were evacuated back to Athens, then on to Crete. When Crete capitulated in 1941 I was taken, as a prisoner of war, to Silesia and joined a working party.

In July 1943 whilst a prisoner in Stalag 8b (see e-mail below for location), a friend and I escaped through a short tunnel dug beneath our hut. We were free for 8 days and after our re-capture were placed in solitary confinement for 28 days. We went back to the working party.

In January 1945 the Russians were advancing on Silesia and we were evacuated to an area closer to Nuremberg. This meant walking from January to April 1945 with poor clothing and very little food. Once there we were put into another camp. Then, as the Russian advance came closer we were moved further inland and I was able to escape once more and found shelter. I could hear gunfire in the distance and next morning American tanks came through and I was able to get a lift from them.

From Nuremberg I flew to France and at Le Havre was put on a troop transporter back to Southampton, then a train to London and RAF H.Q.
where I was medically examined. After some home leave I was sent for rehabilitation in Scarborough. I was demobbed in September 1945.

I met my wife at a Youth Hostel in North Wales in 1946 and we married in 1947

E Mail from Mark Haycock

I came across your excellent website, while I was trying to find some information on 112 Sqdn while they were in Crete.

I am research 701292 LAC Robert SNOWDEN, I recently came across his newly released P.O.W Report from the National Archives Kew, London (WO344). This indicates he was serving with 112 Sqdn when captured on

Crete 6/6/1941 and when captured he was wounded.

He was later sent to Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf 22/8/41 -22/2/45 -

Memmingen 26/2/45-19/3/45

Stalag 383 Hohenfels 23/3/45-29/4/45.

The reason I am research Snowden, is due to the fact that prior to WW2 conscription was started by calling men Aged 20-21 to serve in tne British Army Militia. Many of these men served at Dunkirk. The R.A.F called up over 2,000 prior to September 1939, Snowden was one of these men. So far I have found that about 100 of this group died during WW2 and that 10 of them became P.O.W of the Germans!

I was wondering if you had anymore information on squadron personnel who were also taken prisoner on Crete.

Regards

Mark Haycock

Royal Australian Air Force Service badge

Flight Lieutenant

WALLACE DANIEL HOGG

420401

Service Royal Australian Air Force

Date of Birth 23 August 1922

Place of Birth RANDWICK, NSW

Date of Enlistment 7 November 1941

Place of Enlistment SYDNEY, NSW

Next of Kin HOGG, HERBERT

Date of Discharge 24 September 1945

Posting at Discharge RAF STN ALUI SWIR

Prisoner of War Yes

Flight Lieutenant

RUDOLPH MAURICE LEU DFM

404178

Service Royal Australian Air Force

Date of Birth 1 February 1915

Place of Birth NELSON BC, CANADA

Date of Enlistment 21 June 1940

Place of Enlistment BRISBANE, QLD

Next of Kin LEU, EDWARD

Date of Discharge 10 December 1945

Posting at Discharge 450 SQUADRON

WW2 Honours and Gallantry Distinguished Flying Medal

Prisoner of War Yes

Born in Canada but taken to South Africa as a baby and then to Madagascar from where he was sent to England for his education.
Leu joined the RAAF in June 1940 after moving there in 1934. He was then posted to the Middle East, joining 112 Squadron in June 1941. On the 12th October he was shot down but bailed out, returning to the Squadron 2 days later.
On the 21st June his aircraft was hit and he crash landed, suffering burns he remained in an axis hospital for 2 months. He was then despatched to Italy as a POW, but escaped in September 1943. 7 weeks later, still on the run, he was captured again and sent to Stalag Luft III.
He returned to Australia in September 1945 where he became a farmer and died in the late 1980's.

Flight Lieutenant

CHARLES HORACE FRY

RAAF No 267607 RAF no. 40047

Service Royal Australian Air Force

Date of Birth 29 October 1914

Next of Kin FRY, HORACE

Date of Discharge 27 February 1946

Posting at Discharge 2 MEDICAL REHABILITATION UNIT

Flight Lieutenant

WALTER KENNETH WATTS DFC

400827

Service Royal Australian Air Force

Date of Birth 10 August 1915

Place of Birth BOULDER, WA

Date of Enlistment 9 November 1940

Place of Enlistment MELBOURNE, VIC

Next of Kin WATTS, N

Date of Discharge 26 November 1945

Posting at Discharge 1125 Squadron

WW2 Honours and Gallantry Distinguished Flying Cross

Prisoner of War Yes

Additional Notes Ken Watts suffered severe injuries at the hands of the Gestapo and the brutal beatings he received at that time eventually resulted in him being wheel chair bound for the latter part of his life. Ken was held at Stalag Luft No1 until his release by Russian Troops in 1945.

Squadron Leader KENNETH LEE DFC

Ken 'Hawkeye' Lee, was posted to 501 Squadron at the outbreak of war. He went to France in May 1940 and claimed two quick victories, and two more over Dunkirk. On 10 June, his Hurricane blew up but he bailed out, and on 18th August he was shot down by Gerhard Schopfel of JG-26, but again managed to bail out. With his tally standing at 6 he was posted to the Middle East, flying P-40 Kittyhawks with 112 Squadron and then 260 Squadron. Here he scored his 7th victory. In March 1943 he took command of 123 Squadron and in July led a formation of 109 Hurricanes in a strafing attack on Crete, during which he was brought down by ground fire. He spent the remainder of the war as a POW.

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