Dvr. Albert Edward Kenneth Taylor
British Army 235th Field Park Company Royal Engineers
My grandfather Ken Taylor was in the 235th Field Park Company, Royal Engineers which, I believe, became part of the 50th Division. He was a prisoner of war from 29th May 1942 until 19th May 1945 and was captured by the Italians at Knightbridge, Africa. He was taken to PG 78 camp in Sulmona and while he was there, like most other POWs he kept a diary. In his diary he mentions a man named Harry Kingley from Brighton who he shared rations with to make them go further as they were often dropped to quarter issues and so they had to make do.
He writes that while at the camp two lads were shot trying to escape and one died a few weeks later. Further on in his diary he writes "Sept very exciting month Italy coming out of the war. Sulmona bombed by British planes had a very nice view from the camp we allowed to go out. Then Jerry came and we made for the mountains was 4 days living on sheep got recaptured on Sept 17th after great hardships then got pushed of to Germany nearly on the borders of Poland."
My grandfather ended up Pilsen where they kept him for three long years and was finally returned to military control according to the register form for recovered allied prisoners of war on the 19th of May 1945. He served almost another year on his return. My grandmother told us that he went away with jet black hair and came back with ghostly white hair, who knows what he endured but I am immensely proud of him.
