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Laghouat Prisoner of War Camp
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Want to know more about Laghouat Prisoner of War Camp? There are:-1 items tagged Laghouat Prisoner of War Camp available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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Able Sea. Thomas "Ron" Hall Gunner HMS Manchester   Thomas (Ron) Hall was born in South Shields, Co. Durham on 11 April 1917, the family home being in Hebburn-on-Tyne. Although christened Thomas, he was always known as Ron by his RN friends and his wife's family - no-one knows why! At the age of 16 he joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Sailor. After training at the shore base HMS Ganges, he was sent for gunnery training at HMS Excellent, Portsmouth.
At the outbreak of war, he was serving on HMS Glasgow, but was transferred to HMS Barham, where he was wounded in May 1941. Barham had been assisting with the withdrawal of Allied forces from Crete, during which time she was subjected to almost constant German attacks. The gun turret in which Thomas was serving was hit, and he was the only one to emerge from the wreckage.
Posted ashore in Alexandria on 2nd July for rehabilitation, his next ship would be the Cruiser HMS Carlisle. On 9th April 1942, Thomas joined HMS Manchester, which had been assigned the role of escort to convoy WS-21S - better known as Operation Pedestal - the convoy which would save Malta from starvation and surrender. On 13th August, whilst rounding Cape Bon, Manchester was crippled by Italian torpedoes and was later scuttled off Kelibia Roads, Tunisia. Thomas survived and was taken prisoner and interned by the Vichy French at Laghouat in Algeria.
With the landing of British and American troops in Morocco and Algeria as part of Operation Torch on 8th November 1942, Thomas and his shipmates were able to return to England in December. After 8 months ashore, Thomas was assigned to the Destroyer HMS Janus, which provided artillery support for the Allied landings at Anzio on 22nd January 1944 under Operation Shingle. Janus was sunk the next day by a German air attack. Thomas was again saved, but the experience of being sunk for a third time would have a lasting effect on his nerves.
He was invalided out of the Royal Navy in November 1945, and died in 1973, aged 55.
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Ray "Taff" Davies HMS Manchester My first ship was the destroyer HMS Cossack (LO3)and I was aboard when she was sunk by a German U-Boat in the North Atlantic in 1941. I was one of 58 survivors out of a ship's complement of 240. I spent 6 hours in the water and was able to help rescue a young Lieutenant who went on to become Rear Admiral Anthony Davies. Rear Admiral Anthony Davies eventually became the President of the Swindon Branch of the RNA and stayed in contact with me and my family until he passed
away a few years ago. We were eventually rescued by HMS Legion, which was under the command of Commander Jessel.
My next ship was the cruiser HMS Manchester that was sunk whilst escorting a Malta convoy in August 1942. We were in the water for 12 hours and eventually picked up by an Italian E-Boat and taken to Tunis. We were then tranferred by train to Algiers and truck to Laghouat POW camp, which was 320 miles into the Sahara desert. I spent 5 months in Laghouat and was then repatriated to Algiers where I took passage aboard the troopship Arundel Castle back to Rosyth in Scotland. I then travelled back to RNB Portsmouth before taking 2 weeks leave.
I then joined the light cruiser HMS Emerald and sailed for the Far East in January 1943 and patrolled the Indian Ocean for about 18 months before being recalled post haste back to the UK. We went straight back to Rosyth, we were not allowed any leave and once back at sea the ship's company was informed that it was D-Day - Operation Neptune to the navy. Our beachhead was 'Sword' and 'Juno' where we were attacked by a German bomber. The bomber dropped 5 bombs, 2 to port and 2 to starboard, buckling the port and starboard plates. The fifth bomb landed on a gun deck and remarkably did not explode. We spent 10 days on the beachhead.
In 1944 I joined the Hunt Class destroyer HMS Talybont (L18) and saw out the war in Europe. We then sailed to the med' for 2 1/2 years service on Palestine patrols. After the war I was called but because of the Korean war and I saw out my service until 1951 on HMS Battleaxe.
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Pte. William Ranner HMS Manchester My Grandfather served on HMS Manchester. His name was William (Bill Ranner) Private Royal Marines. His service docs show that he was interned after the sinking of the Manchester. I can only assume he made it ashore and was captured and held as a POW.
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Chaplin Donald Bruce Walker HMS Manchester Donald Walker was the R.N. Chaplin of HMS Manchester, after the ship was torpedoed he made it to the Tunisian coast and was taken POW by the Vichy French along with many of the crew.
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Stoker 2nd Class. Norman Greaves HMS Manchester (d.20 Oct 1942) Norman Greaves was 22 years old whne he was interned by the Vichy French in the Laghouat Camp in Tunisia, after surviving the torpedoing of HMS Manchester. On 20th October 1942 he attempted to escape through the perimeter wire after bribing the Arab sentry with a wristwatch, the Arab sentry took the watch then double crossed him and shot him in the back. A riot by the PoW’s was de-fused by Captain Drew R.N. demanding of the French Commandant that medical attention be given to Greaves. However, he was unconscious and never recovered. His burial service was conducted by the Reverend Donald Bruce Walker, the R.N. Chaplain of HMS Manchester
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Ldg Stoker Charles Ernest Spooner HMS Manchester My father-in-law, Charles Spooner was a stoker first class on The Manchester at the time that
she was sunk. He was then held in a POW camp by the Vichy French and
after his release with the other prisoners he was returned to England
where he was hospitalised in either Hastings or Wales. This was around
1942/3
As my Husbands parents separated he has very little knowledge about
what his Father went through during this time and as I am doing a web
page I would appreciate any information that anyone can give me such as
how many men were on the HMS MANCHESTER, how many survived and how many
days were the survivers in the water before being rescued and does anyone
have any idea what the name of the POW camp would be and what kind of
conditions would be there I understand that it was in North Africa.
|
Radar Operator George Louis Robertson HMS Manchester My Dad, George Louis Robertson served as Radar Operator on the Manchester during Operation Pedestal. He was a survivor of the sinking of the HMS Manchester. He was interned in the Laghouat POW camp but escaped with others. They made their way to the North coast of Africa and came across allied soldiers who nearly shot them because they were in rags and unrecognisable as Royal Navy seamen. However, one of the men shouted that they were British. They were eventually returned to British control and re-assigned to other ships to continue the war.
He also served on Tartar and Campania. George died in 1978 but I am researching that time of his life. If anyone served with George or served on the ships at the same time could you contact me. Thank you.
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Jack Mitchell HMS Manchester Jack Mitchell served on HMS Manchester and was on board when they took part in Operation Pedestal, the largest convoy of the war, bringing vital support to Malta, which was facing the possibility of surrender to Italy. The convoy included 13 large merchant ships, five aircraft carriers, two battleships, eight cruisers, 36 destroyers and nine submarines. Only two of these vessels actually reached Malta. In an interview in 2005 Jack said:
"Before the convoy left, Churchill sent a signal to the officer commanding to say that, should just one merchant ship arrive in Malta and all the others sunk, it would still be deemed a success. Malta would have had to surrender if no-one had got through."
The Manchester was torpedoed in the convoy on the 13th of 1942. Jack Mitchell and the rest of the crew abandoned ship and the vessel was scuttled. Jack and his crewmates were taken prisoner by the Vichy French and spent four months at the infamous Langout POW camp in Algeria. Conditions were vicious. A book was written about the camp and it said "Let us never forget the extreme privations suffered by the crew of the HMS Manchester and others in Langout."
After Jack was freed from the camp following the North Africa landings, he returned to sea on aircraft carriers.
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Sgt. Richard Frederick Marshall-Hardy 202 Squadron      My father, Richard Marshall-Hardy served as a wireless operator air gunner with 202 Squadron based in Malta and Gibraltar from March 1939.
Based initially at Kalafrana, Malta, he flew in Saro England 2 flying-boats mostly on anti-submarine missions between Malta and Gibraltar.
On 14th of September 1940 he was shot down by two Vichy French Curtiss fighters 40 miles off Casablanca. After 5 hours in the sea holding onto one of the wing floats he was picked up by a Vichy French submarine and taken to Casablanca.
From there via Mediouna, Medea and Aumale internment camps he was transferred to Laghouat PoW Camp.
Following his release from Laghouat in 1942 he spent 3 months in hospital in Morecambe before being shipped to Canada to learn to fly. After qualifying he became an instructor.
On his return from Canada after the war he flew on the Berlin airlift and remained in the RAF until April 1962 having reached the rank of Squadron Leader.
My father died age 86 in 2005.
I am presently writing about his wartime and post-war experiences as he told them to me (he never wrote them down) and welcome information from others whose fathers followed the same path.
All the wartime photos were taken by my father.
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A.B. William "Dusty" Miller HMS Manchester William Miller was an Asdic Operator. He served aboard HMS Manchester for the duration of it's wartime service. He had just come up on deck for a cigarette break when the torpedo hit. As a very strong swimmer he volunteered to go in the rafts and spent 5 hours in the water clinging to a raft.
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Able Sea. Albert William "Bim or Dolly" Gray HMS Manchester Unfortunately, my father-in-law, Albert Gray, passed away a few years ago, so I can only state that he was on board HMS Manchester when it was torpedoed by an e boat in the Med on the way to Malta, and he ended up swimming to the North African coast, where he was arrested by the Vichy French, and taken to Laghouat Prison where he spent some time, before, I believe, he was liberated by the Americans.
He returned to the UK on a troop ship, only to be assigned to another ship after just two weeks leave!
My mother-in-law told us that he never received any of the letters or food parcels that she sent him, presumably taken and consumed by the Vichy French.
What horrible people they must have been!!
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James Douglas Goulden HMS Havock Doug Goulden is my father.I didn't know he was aboard HMS Havock until going through some old papers left by an aunt saying he was on it and spent time in an internment camp in Algeria.
|
Able Sea. Thomas "Ron" Hall Gunner HMS Manchester Thomas (Ron) Hall was born in South Shields, Co. Durham on 11 April 1917, the family home being in Hebburn-on-Tyne. Although christened Thomas, he was always known as Ron by his RN friends and his wife's family - no-one knows why! At the age of 16 he joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Sailor. After training at the shore base HMS Ganges, he was sent for gunnery training at HMS Excellent, Portsmouth.
At the outbreak of war, he was serving on HMS Glasgow, but was transferred to HMS Barham, where he was wounded in May 1941. Barham had been assisting with the withdrawal of Allied forces from Crete, during which time she was subjected to almost constant German attacks. The gun turret in which Thomas was serving was hit, and he was the only one to emerge from the wreckage.
Posted ashore in Alexandria on 2nd July for rehabilitation, his next ship would be the Cruiser HMS Carlisle. On 9th April 1942, Thomas joined HMS Manchester, which had been assigned the role of escort to convoy WS-21S - better known as Operation Pedestal - the convoy which would save Malta from starvation and surrender. On 13th August, whilst rounding Cape Bon, Manchester was crippled by Italian torpedoes and was later scuttled off Kelibia Roads, Tunisia. Thomas survived and was taken prisoner and interned by the Vichy French at Laghouat in Algeria.
With the landing of British and American troops in Morocco and Algeria as part of Operation Torch on 8th November 1942, Thomas and his shipmates were able to return to England in December. After 8 months ashore, Thomas was assigned to the Destroyer HMS Janus, which provided artillery support for the Allied landings at Anzio on 22nd January 1944 under Operation Shingle. Janus was sunk the next day by a German air attack. Thomas was again saved, but the experience of being sunk for a third time would have a lasting effect on his nerves.
He was invalided out of the Royal Navy in November 1945, and died in 1973, aged 55.
|
Ray "Taff" Davies HMS Manchester My first ship was the destroyer HMS Cossack (LO3)and I was aboard when she was sunk by a German U-Boat in the North Atlantic in 1941. I was one of 58 survivors out of a ship's complement of 240. I spent 6 hours in the water and was able to help rescue a young Lieutenant who went on to become Rear Admiral Anthony Davies. Rear Admiral Anthony Davies eventually became the President of the Swindon Branch of the RNA and stayed in contact with me and my family until he passed
away a few years ago. We were eventually rescued by HMS Legion, which was under the command of Commander Jessel.
My next ship was the cruiser HMS Manchester that was sunk whilst escorting a Malta convoy in August 1942. We were in the water for 12 hours and eventually picked up by an Italian E-Boat and taken to Tunis. We were then tranferred by train to Algiers and truck to Laghouat POW camp, which was 320 miles into the Sahara desert. I spent 5 months in Laghouat and was then repatriated to Algiers where I took passage aboard the troopship Arundel Castle back to Rosyth in Scotland. I then travelled back to RNB Portsmouth before taking 2 weeks leave.
I then joined the light cruiser HMS Emerald and sailed for the Far East in January 1943 and patrolled the Indian Ocean for about 18 months before being recalled post haste back to the UK. We went straight back to Rosyth, we were not allowed any leave and once back at sea the ship's company was informed that it was D-Day - Operation Neptune to the navy. Our beachhead was 'Sword' and 'Juno' where we were attacked by a German bomber. The bomber dropped 5 bombs, 2 to port and 2 to starboard, buckling the port and starboard plates. The fifth bomb landed on a gun deck and remarkably did not explode. We spent 10 days on the beachhead.
In 1944 I joined the Hunt Class destroyer HMS Talybont (L18) and saw out the war in Europe. We then sailed to the med' for 2 1/2 years service on Palestine patrols. After the war I was called but because of the Korean war and I saw out my service until 1951 on HMS Battleaxe.
|
Pte. William Ranner HMS Manchester My Grandfather served on HMS Manchester. His name was William (Bill Ranner) Private Royal Marines. His service docs show that he was interned after the sinking of the Manchester. I can only assume he made it ashore and was captured and held as a POW.
|
Chaplin Donald Bruce Walker HMS Manchester Donald Walker was the R.N. Chaplin of HMS Manchester, after the ship was torpedoed he made it to the Tunisian coast and was taken POW by the Vichy French along with many of the crew.
|
Stoker 2nd Class. Norman Greaves HMS Manchester (d.20 Oct 1942) Norman Greaves was 22 years old whne he was interned by the Vichy French in the Laghouat Camp in Tunisia, after surviving the torpedoing of HMS Manchester. On 20th October 1942 he attempted to escape through the perimeter wire after bribing the Arab sentry with a wristwatch, the Arab sentry took the watch then double crossed him and shot him in the back. A riot by the PoW’s was de-fused by Captain Drew R.N. demanding of the French Commandant that medical attention be given to Greaves. However, he was unconscious and never recovered. His burial service was conducted by the Reverend Donald Bruce Walker, the R.N. Chaplain of HMS Manchester
|
Ldg Stoker Charles Ernest Spooner HMS Manchester My father-in-law, Charles Spooner was a stoker first class on The Manchester at the time that
she was sunk. He was then held in a POW camp by the Vichy French and
after his release with the other prisoners he was returned to England
where he was hospitalised in either Hastings or Wales. This was around
1942/3
As my Husbands parents separated he has very little knowledge about
what his Father went through during this time and as I am doing a web
page I would appreciate any information that anyone can give me such as
how many men were on the HMS MANCHESTER, how many survived and how many
days were the survivers in the water before being rescued and does anyone
have any idea what the name of the POW camp would be and what kind of
conditions would be there I understand that it was in North Africa.
|
Radar Operator George Louis Robertson HMS Manchester My Dad, George Louis Robertson served as Radar Operator on the Manchester during Operation Pedestal. He was a survivor of the sinking of the HMS Manchester. He was interned in the Laghouat POW camp but escaped with others. They made their way to the North coast of Africa and came across allied soldiers who nearly shot them because they were in rags and unrecognisable as Royal Navy seamen. However, one of the men shouted that they were British. They were eventually returned to British control and re-assigned to other ships to continue the war.
He also served on Tartar and Campania. George died in 1978 but I am researching that time of his life. If anyone served with George or served on the ships at the same time could you contact me. Thank you.
|
Jack Mitchell HMS Manchester Jack Mitchell served on HMS Manchester and was on board when they took part in Operation Pedestal, the largest convoy of the war, bringing vital support to Malta, which was facing the possibility of surrender to Italy. The convoy included 13 large merchant ships, five aircraft carriers, two battleships, eight cruisers, 36 destroyers and nine submarines. Only two of these vessels actually reached Malta. In an interview in 2005 Jack said:
"Before the convoy left, Churchill sent a signal to the officer commanding to say that, should just one merchant ship arrive in Malta and all the others sunk, it would still be deemed a success. Malta would have had to surrender if no-one had got through."
The Manchester was torpedoed in the convoy on the 13th of 1942. Jack Mitchell and the rest of the crew abandoned ship and the vessel was scuttled. Jack and his crewmates were taken prisoner by the Vichy French and spent four months at the infamous Langout POW camp in Algeria. Conditions were vicious. A book was written about the camp and it said "Let us never forget the extreme privations suffered by the crew of the HMS Manchester and others in Langout."
After Jack was freed from the camp following the North Africa landings, he returned to sea on aircraft carriers.
|
Sgt. Richard Frederick Marshall-Hardy 202 Squadron My father, Richard Marshall-Hardy served as a wireless operator air gunner with 202 Squadron based in Malta and Gibraltar from March 1939.
Based initially at Kalafrana, Malta, he flew in Saro England 2 flying-boats mostly on anti-submarine missions between Malta and Gibraltar.
On 14th of September 1940 he was shot down by two Vichy French Curtiss fighters 40 miles off Casablanca. After 5 hours in the sea holding onto one of the wing floats he was picked up by a Vichy French submarine and taken to Casablanca.
From there via Mediouna, Medea and Aumale internment camps he was transferred to Laghouat PoW Camp.
Following his release from Laghouat in 1942 he spent 3 months in hospital in Morecambe before being shipped to Canada to learn to fly. After qualifying he became an instructor.
On his return from Canada after the war he flew on the Berlin airlift and remained in the RAF until April 1962 having reached the rank of Squadron Leader.
My father died age 86 in 2005.
I am presently writing about his wartime and post-war experiences as he told them to me (he never wrote them down) and welcome information from others whose fathers followed the same path.
All the wartime photos were taken by my father.
|
A.B. William "Dusty" Miller HMS Manchester William Miller was an Asdic Operator. He served aboard HMS Manchester for the duration of it's wartime service. He had just come up on deck for a cigarette break when the torpedo hit. As a very strong swimmer he volunteered to go in the rafts and spent 5 hours in the water clinging to a raft.
|
Able Sea. Albert William "Bim or Dolly" Gray HMS Manchester Unfortunately, my father-in-law, Albert Gray, passed away a few years ago, so I can only state that he was on board HMS Manchester when it was torpedoed by an e boat in the Med on the way to Malta, and he ended up swimming to the North African coast, where he was arrested by the Vichy French, and taken to Laghouat Prison where he spent some time, before, I believe, he was liberated by the Americans.
He returned to the UK on a troop ship, only to be assigned to another ship after just two weeks leave!
My mother-in-law told us that he never received any of the letters or food parcels that she sent him, presumably taken and consumed by the Vichy French.
What horrible people they must have been!!
|
James Douglas Goulden HMS Havock Doug Goulden is my father.I didn't know he was aboard HMS Havock until going through some old papers left by an aunt saying he was on it and spent time in an internment camp in Algeria.
|
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