231166 Cpl. Alfred Percy Wakeman British Army Middlesex Regiment from:27 Kate Street, Balham Percy Wakeman was my uncle and he was captured by the Wehrmacht after June 26th 1944 as I have a field service post card censored saying he is well only.
I am in possession of his wartime issued bible which is stamped 4 Gepruft Stalag IV B. In this bible are paper snippets of messages from fellow American and British prisoners. These are the names and addresses of the the prisoners written in the blank pages of the bible.
- Mr Anthony Palecki 3214 Tilton street Philadelphia 34 Pennsylvania USA
- Wesley d Swibold 703 Valley Drive Syracuse New York USA
- James f Ray RFD NO1 Box 946 Phenix City Alabama USA
- Mr E Turner 17 Saxby street Lyme Road Brixton Hill S.W.2
Although the following names are noted in the bible,Stalag X11 A is written at the top of this page so may have been his first camp which I believe was a Transit camp.
- Mr Martin Lawrence 322 Main Street Binghampton New York USA also 499 Court Street Binghampton N.Y USA .
- Mr R Cherry 13 The Crescent Bolton on Dern Nr. Rotherham Yorkshire.
- Fred South 6 Baltic Terrace Wilton Park Nr Bishop Auckland County Durham.
- Mr G. Barber 109 Elm Park Avenue Elm Park Romford Essex.
I hope these names might help any of the above named prisoners relations information on finding out where the were held.
Uncle Percy didn't say much about his experience at the camp but I remember him telling me he was captured in France and while on a transport train going back to Germany the train was attacked by allied aircraft and a lot of German soldiers were killed.He said he and the rest of the prisoners were ordered off the train and they thought they were all going to be shot. but he said that the soldiers were Wermacht and not SS which probably saved them.
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