Cpl. George Ellis Ormerod
British Army Kings Royal Rifle Corps
from:Rickmansworth
(d.7th Sep 1944)
George Ormerod was my mother's uncle. He was captured at St Valery being one of the units left behind after Dunkirk. At some point he was imprisoned at Bad Sulza where he received a head injury and eventually developed 'prison fever'. Different stories emerged, both official and unofficial, regarding his death. We have the letters from Major J Sherman who spent time with him (Sherman I believe was the Cadbury's doctor prior to the war and he returned to the company after the war), other letters which my mother and his girlfriend wrote to him. I understand that as well as working in the salt mines he also used to do work in the surrounding villages as he was a draftsman and electrician. He was also good at languages. He was a regular in the Army prior to WW2 and had only left 8 months before being called up again.
I notice that in A. Robert Prowse book the name Corporal Ormerod is mentioned on p50 of Remember? (a few of the many) Killed during daring bid for freedom (s), I presume that (s) means shot! A very telling but short paragraph in the book also describes what my grandfather was told by someone who was in the camp. We have never had confirmation of this - only the Red Cross report and obviously War Office communication which completely contradict the book and unofficial version.
