205900 Cpl. Sidney John "Taffy" Thomas British Army 4th Btn. Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders from:Swansea My father, Sidney John Thomas, joined the TA prior to World War II and found himself a Welshman in the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. He was part of the BEF sent to France at the start of the war and was captured at St Valery on 12 June 1940. The Battalion was covering the evacuation from the beaches of Dunkirk. My father, like the rest of the 51st Division, spent the remainder of the war in prisoner of war camps across Europe. His experiences, and those of his colleagues, were recorded in a meticulously kept log book which was provided by the YMCA. This log book, which I still have, contains poems, drawing and photographs relating to their years in prisoner of war camps. By 15.07.40 they had been marched across Europe and reached Thorn (Fort XV) in Poland. He spent the next 4 years in Lobsen (22.08.40.), Graudenz (22.04.42), Kulm (03.03.43.)before returning to Thorn (01.04.44)and then being marched to Fallinbostel (Stalag XIB) in Germany, where they arrived on 12th August 1944.
Many POWs contributed to the contents of the log book, they include: G Foot;- H Lowe;
- S M Taff;
- A Macgillvray;
- Nobby King;
- W Drake;
- J Westcott;
- Clifford;
- G Broughton;
- Alfred James;
- Eric J Holmes;
- J Owen;
- S Brands;
- Alex Clarke;
- S A Godfrey;
- J Ludford;
- W Waldack;
- "Wally";
- J Holt;
- B Gurner;
- G E Barder;
- R Wilson;
- Harry Cottle;
- A James;
- C Foot;
- A A Rees;
- F Richmond;
- F MacDonald;
- J Morrison;
- A MacKenzie;
- G MacKenzie;
- R Johnson.
My father survived the war, returning to his home town of Swansea where he lived until his death in 1991.
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