L/Sgt. Frederick William Stephen Casburn
British Army 100th (Royal Monmouthshire) Field Company Royal Engineers
from:Newport, Gwent
My father's uncle, Frederick Casburn served with the Royal Monmouthshire (Militia) Supplementary Reserve, was mobilized on 23rd of August 1939. Serving with the 100th Army Field Company (Royal Engineers) he embarked at Newport on 14th of September 1939 and disembarked at Nantes, France on 16th of September 1939.
On 14th of April 1940 he was appointed and granted rank of Lance Sergeant (granted though paid acting rank of L/Sgt having remained unpaid for a period of 21 days). Army records show on 1st of June 1940 Lance Sergeant Casburn with the 100th Company was reported Missing.
Memories of Frederick's story of capture tells how he hid from the Germans in a ditch and was befriended by a French farmer, but a neighbouring French man reported him and he was taken prisoner by the Germans.
Prisoner of war records show Frederick was captured at Watou (just 18 miles from Dunkirk) on 29th of May 1940, he was wounded at the time of capture and was transported to a POW hospital in Magdeburg, Germany. He stayed at the POW camp hospital from 1st June 1940 to 26th September 1940. He was then transported to Thorn XXA and was there for 6 and half months. Then moved to Marionburg XXB for 5 months. Then back to Thorn XXA for a year. They then sent him to Hohenfels 383 where he stayed for 2 years and 7 months. He left Hohenfels 383 with the march on 21st of April 1945 and was liberated arriving in the UK on 28th of April 1945.
On his return to the UK, he was admitted to Woolaston Hospital, Newport and discharged from the army, being found permanently unfit for any form of military service. He returned from war, a very different man. Frederick, like so many others, hardly spoke about his time as a POW. He passed away in 1966 in Newport Gwent.
