245977 L/Sgt. James Lewis Gerrie Davidson British Army 1st Battalion Scots Guards from:Pimlico, London My Father, James Davidson served with the 1st Battalion Scots Guards and was taken POW at Anzio on 10th of February 1944. He was a sniper and had just shot a German major on the beach, when the water tower he was in, was stormed by German troops, he was shot in back and taken captive. He survived, but was taken to Stalag 357 which at that time was in Thorn in Poland. He was later moved to Fallingbostal.
The Family story goes that he escaped with another POW while being marched out of Fallingbostal in 1945 as the Allied front line drew closer. He only ever told my eldest brother the story and sadly he is no longer alive either, so we don't know the exact story.
His service record shows that he was in Italy 13.01.44 to 09.02.44
Taken POW (Germany) 10.02.44 to 11.05.45. Home 12.05.45
He later went on to become, what was at that time, the youngest ever Regimental Sergeant Major of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards. He had contracted TB while a POW and never fully recovered from it. In 1953 he failed his A1 medical because of this and could not remain in the Guards, so transferred to the RASC, which he served in until 1965. It was the greatest sadness to him that he had been forced to leave the Scots Guards as he was immensely proud of serving with them, as his father had before him.
He died aged 58 in 1983.
We are still trying to piece together his story, as like so many, he talked very little of his experiences. As a child I took for granted the strange star shaped scar on his shoulder blade, it was only after he died that I learnt it was a gunshot wound.
He served in Malaya (Scots Guards) 25.02.50 to 23.10.50
Korea/Japan (RASC) 12.08.53 to 01.10.55
Malaya (RASC) 02.10.55 to 19.06.57
ALFCE (Fontainebleau) (RASC) 07.10.60 to 07.10.63.
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