247889 Pte. Fred Victor Brooks British Army 4th Btn. Green Howards from:Leeds Fred Brooks joined the 4th Battalion, Green Howards in 1941. He went with the 50th Division, first to Egypt and then to Cyprus.
After this 50th Division went to Palestine before being transferred to the Western Desert in February 1942. The Division took up a position in the Gazala line ready to face Rommel and his Afrika Corps. The Division was in a box area and lacked any kind of mutual support. Fred and his comrades faced the might of Rommel's troops after they attacked following their avoidance of the Gazala line and eventually locating the Brigade. Rommel launched his assault with 3 German and 2 Italian Divisions. After using up all of their munitions the Brigade was overrun on 1st June 1942 and most, including Fred, were taken prisoner.
Rommel and his Afrika Corps then moved on to capture Tobruk. Fred Brooks was transported to Italy as a P.O.W. and was incarcerated in P.O.W. Campo No. 65 Cressina (Bari) (also listed as Gravina, Altamura). To the War Office he was initially listed as missing on casualty list 869 on the 4th June 1942. This was then communicated to his family who had two and a half months of anxiety regarding his fate until the War Office received news on 24th August 1942 that he was officially a P.O.W. (Casualty list no. 910). Fred was still at Cressina in 1943 (P.O.W. no. 253414) and remained there until the British invaded Italy in 1944.
With the British advancing the Italian P.O.W's were moved north and in to Germany, many went to Stalag 8B, but Fred went to Stalag 4F located at Hartmansdorf Chemnitz. The camp was liberated by the Americans in March 1945 and Fred was repatriated home later that year.
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