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Pte. Edwin Arthur Oram . British Army 4th Battalion Royal Norfolk Regiment from Dagenham, Essex Ted Oram was my father. He never spoke about the horrors he had seen and been involved with. Although I do remember him having nightmares. In the latter part of his life he had dementia and this is when he would talk a little about what had happened in the camps. Prior to his dementia he suffered a number of small strokes. Scans showed some older damage. When asked if he had ever suffered head injuries, he recalled being struck in the eye with a rifle butt by a Japanese solider. We were told this was the injury they could see after all those years.
He died in 2000, never wanting to go back to the Death Railway, which held too many memories for him. On his return to the UK after the war the first job he was given believe it or not was on the Railway! A lovely gentle man forever in my thoughts of whom I am very proud to say was my father.
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ER Oram . British Army 9th Btn. A Sqd. Royal Tank Regiment ER Oram served with the 9th Btn. A Sqd. Royal Tank Regiment British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project has lost touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Ord.Sea. John Oram . Royal Navy
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T Oram . British Army East Kent Regiment T Oram served with the East Kent Regiment British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project has lost touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Sgt William John Oram . Royal Air Force WOP/AG 427 Squadron from Stratford, London (d.22nd January 1943) Billy Oram gave his date of birth as 1 year earlier than his real birth date in order to be accepted for service with the RAF. He served as a Wireless Operator 427 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force. He was a very keen southpaw boxer and he won several Inter Services Boxing Cups. He did at one time spar with Freddie Mills who later became a national Light Heavyweight Champion.
I was only 9 years old when he was killed in action so I am very unsure of my facts about Billy.
85 aircraft made a mine laying raid near the Frisian Islands but 6 aircraft including his, did not return and therefore there was no burial. He is commemorated on Panel 160 of the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede.
He was in Wellington Bomber Mark lll serial number X3873 ZL-R and flew from RAF Croft and was one of the most northern airfields.
His crew mates were,
- Flight lieutenant DA Shead - Pilot
- Sgt. GR Hoyt - Observer
- Pilot Officer - M Patrick - Bomb Aimee
- Sgt. WJ Oram - Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
- Sgt. JL Sparling - Air Gunner
He was awarded three medals. The Aircrew Europe Star. The War Medal and The 1939-1945 Star.
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Jack Orange . Home Guard Feltwell Btn.
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GD Orbell . British Army Royal Armoured Corps GD Orbell served with the Royal Armoured Corps British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project has lost touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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AC1. Edwin Orchard . Royal Air Force 101 Squadron from West Morden, Dorset It would appear that Eddy Orchard tried to join up six mounths early, as his record shows he was signed up in December 1941 but was released until July 1942.
He has two neptune certificates so I assume that he crossed the equator twice. I would love to hear about him some more. Sadly, he has passed over now, but as his son-in-law I found him to be a quiet man. He leaves three daughters and is sadly missed.
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Spr. George William Orchard . British Army 287 Field Company Royal Engineers from Eltham, London (d.25th Aug 1943) George Orchard was my uncle, and enlisted in the Royal Engineers on 16th Jaunary 1941 as a Sapper.
After initial training in July 1941 he was posted to the 8th Field Squadron and in August the 287 Field Company.
He was posted to Singapore on 28th October 1941, towards the end of the Malayan campaign, and it was rumored that there's was the last convoy to reach Singapore before its fall, arriving in January 1942.
Other records show the 287th fought in Johore and lost 21 other ranks killed in action or died of wounds, eight taken prisoner and imprisoned in Pudu Jail, Kuala Lumpur and at least one missing in action.
During the subsequent fighting on Singapore island, the 287th incurred another 5 casualties.
Singapore surrended on 15th February 1942, although some members of the armed forces managed to escape the chaos, just before this. Indeed George's Sergeant, made it home, to tell his parents that he had been unable to persuade George to leave with him, as he intended to "stay and fight".
Following surrender, George and numerous other POW's were marched many miles with little food and water to work on the infamous "Burma Railway".
Casualties from the prisoners labours, malnutrition and brutality of their guards has been well documented. George survived until the 25th August 1943. His records show he died of acute enteritis.
George is commemorated at Chungkai War Cemetary, Thailand.
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WO. Peter Orchard. . British Army Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers After active service in Palestine emergency 1936 -39, I was in Malta until 1942, when I was posted to the 8th. Army in the Western Desert , after skirmishes with Rommel we moved to Tobruk.
The Army was besieged in Tobruk. We were surrendered into the hands of the Germans. They ordered us to proceed to the POW compound, some 5 miles away. The Germans said we could walk there or go in our own trucks which we had not had time to destroy. We said OK, having made holes in the sumps of the trucks; they just got us there before the engines seized up solid!
The next POW camp at Benghazi was under control of the Italians , water was a problem ,they produced it in 44 gallon drums that had been used for diesel fuel and had not been properly cleaned out. Result massive diarrhoea in some 2000 prisoners.
We were soon taken by boat to Italy, first in Brindisi southern Italy. Then to a camp north of Rome near Ancona. Italy capitulated; Mussolini was killed and the guards smashed their rifles against the nearest post, tore off their uniforms and shouted `the war is finished I am going home to `multi Vino, multi pasta, and multi `Nikki-nick!`.
A company of Germans soon arrived and we were on a train through the Brenner Pass to Germany to Stalag “V. POW camp, that was a former concentration Camp for the Jews. We had to strip and tie our cloths in a bundle or bag if we had one, these were put in the Cyanide gas chamber, and we went naked into the showers. Our cloths came out stinking of the cyanide Gas, we had to shake them for some minuets before dressing.
My weight had dropped to 7 stone ;at last the Red Cross Parcels arrived to supplement our POW food of a couple of slices of black rye bread, potatoes and turnips, with occasional goat meat in the daily stew. The potatoes were boiled in their skins, we took it in turns to have the skins to make a `biscuit`baked on the top of fire stove each hut had for heating.
A corporal of the Australian Army Tom Ward was captured with the resistance in North Italy and was being taken to Berlin for trial as a spy, which meant the death penalty. He was kept in the `cooler`out side of the main camp and was to be bathed and de-loused, before going to Berlin, in the camps big Shower Block (where we had a monthly shower). The key to the gate from the camp to the showers was trusted to a Sgt. Of the South African Army, who spoke German. He locked up at night handed the key to the guard house, and drew it the next day for prisoners assembled from each hut in turn to shower. The Camp held more than 10,000. prisoners of all nationalities! So the shower house was very large and in constant daily use.
On the day Tom was to be showered and deloused the key was not issued by the Germans, but the escape committee knew this in advance. So the night before it was arranged that the padlock only looked secured before the key was handed in.
All was set for the escape into the POW camp proper.
The POW camp was for senior Non Commissioned Officers, Sergeants and Warrant Officers. So there were some good brains at work on the escape committee
In the morning set for Tom Ward’s delousing and shower, he striped naked and put his cloths in the Gas chamber, now he was the only person in the very large shower room, with the guards on the far tide of the shower room. Outside the gate from the main camp was a rigged party of prisoners supposedly ready to take a shower. The pad-lock was unhitched and into shower room rushed naked prisoners from the main camp. The guards were taken by surprise and shouted `rouse rouse `-get out -they did *with Tom Ward, who was quickly dressed with battle dress supplied by the escape committee ; now they were all including Tom, back in the main camp. The Germans were livid when they realised what had happened, and all hell was let loose!.
It did not take long for a company of SS to arrive ordering the whole camp out for an inspection count and identification of all Prisoners. Tom Ward was in our hut, the question was where to hide him. Above the ceiling the slanting roof had sacks of straw in the gap between the outside walls the ceiling and sloping roof, Tom got inside one of these. The whole camp was kept outside for some 16 hours and we were checked against the records kept by the Germans. The search included guards from the SS going up above the ceilings and bayoneting the sacks. By the time they got to our hut, which was about the last they were obviously getting tired, and the bayoneting missed Tom Ward.
This was not to be the end of the searching, we learnt that notices were put up in the surrounding village, offering a reward for his capture, They just did not know where he was and were determined to get him. Two weeks later a Battalion of SS arrived in Armoured Cars, we were ordered out for further checks and the SS. took the place apart. This time we knew they were deadly serious, so Tom Ward got down inside the night latrine, a sewage pit, and stood in the sewage for hours, it was just ghastly, I just don’t know how he stuck it, He got through it with terrible uric acid burns, which took weeks to heal. He finally took over identification of a South African Sargent who had hung himself. The Prisoner records were kept in the German main office by POWs working as clerks, they arranged the switch, even Tom Wards fingerprints.Tom Ward passed subsequent German identity checks, they never twigged it. He remained in the camp until we were freed by the Russian advance.
In January 1944 I had the misfortune of contracting Cerebral-spinal Meningitis. They had to put me in a straight jacket , because the pressure on the nervous system caused me to thrash about uncontrollable. In the hospital I was treated by a French POW doctor.
That night a Red Cross supply of drugs came in from Switzerland, the Doctor said he very nearly did not give me the Sulphonamide drug that eventual cured me because he thought I was `too far gone to save` .I recovered enough for a German medical board who recommended me for POW exchange category `B`, an exchange that never took place; in any case I did make a slow recovery during the next 15 months up to the time the Russian advance caused the Germans to abandon our POW camp.
While recuperating in the hospital an American soldier with a serious gun shot wound on the side of his head came into the camp hospital. He was from Texas USA and the Doctor could not understand what he said, so I found myself interpreting broad Texan accent into English! That night before another consignment of Red Cross Drugs came in the Doctor told me he did not think the American Sgt.would live the night out. Early next morning the excited Doctor took me to see the American sitting up smiling. `Its almost a miracle` said Doctor, I just gave him three shots of Penicillin a new drug just out and look at him now! He fully recovered and came back into the main camp with me.
I learnt some years later the discovery was worked on by Mrs. Suzian Tritton M.P.S. F.R.I.C. my very good friend and wine making mentor who was an assistant to Dr.Flemming who made Penicillin, but more about her later.
Stalag lV was an ex concentration camp. On the exercise field to the north there was a series of humps, our senior representative a WO1 asked the Germans if we could flatten it to make a playing field for games. This was firmly refused by the commandant. It was later learnt the field was a burial ground. The humps were the top of a series to lime pit trenches where it was said were the bodies of Jews who died in a collier epidemic, when the camp was a Jewish concentration Camp.
Two years after the British arrived in the camp a reading of the Camps Electric meter showed a 1000% increase in electric consumption! A big raid took place to find out why?.
This led to tables between the British Sector Huts full of confiscated equipment of all kinds. from electric suites in the RAF. Huts, to numerous Brew kettles to make Tea and coffee from Red Cross Parcels. These were mainly two metal plates, separated by a piece of wood, placed in a brew can, the wires were connected to nails and another piece of wood for a plug. When plugged in the whole thing was alive and very lethal if touched. We had striped the wiring from the outside lavatories that were disconnected anyhow, we wired the mains up to secret sockets behind two tiny holes in the wooded walls of the hut.
One thing the Germans never did find was the Radio set in our hut. It was under the seat of a stool our hut commander would sit on as he was allowed to stay in the hut, when a search took place. We had a large home made Map of the War zone, and pinned up little flags to show the Allies and Russian advance from the news we got. The German Sgt Major would come to find out the war situation. He would say `no no, that’s not correct`, knowing full well it would come on the German news sometimes a week later. He was comparatively friendly and we would have a laugh at his expense. In the end he would come in almost every Day.
The Camps News letter was also compiled from news we got from our Radio Which was made from bits and pieces bought from guards with cigarettes and some times coffee from Red Cross Parcels. The bulk of these parcels came from Canada, mainly because the Canadian Red cross would escort the parcels and cigarettes to Germany. From UK Some 60% of the parcels, especially cigarettes were pillaged first in the UK ports, then across Spain Switzerland and of course Germany. I only got some 15% of the cigarettes Dad & Mum sent me. The distribution depended on how many parcels were available, at the very best it was one food parcels between two of us, They were only available about half the time.
The end of the War in Europe for us in the POW camp came with the advance of the Russians in 1945. The Germans were fleeing to the other side of the River Elbe, and wanted us to join them. Our `Man of confidence `a Warrant class 1(he was voted to the position and in fact from REME. an ASM, (Armament Sgt.Majors, who were generally better educated than RSM`s,Regemental Sgt. Majors, who were very good in fighting infantry and Guards regiments;) refused the German offer to take us, some 10,000 of us, across to the Other side of the River Elbe.
The Russian liberation consisted of an Officer on horse back , riding into the Russian compound. `You are liberated in the great name of the USSR` he then said those who are fit can draw a rifle from the horse drawn trucks, and join the front. A prisoner shouted that man is a German dressed as a prisoner; the office drew his pistol and shot him dead on the spot.
He continued `The rest are at liberty to go (walk!) home, We did later find some dead on the road side in their attempt to go home to Russia (the Russians sector was quite separate from the European sector of the POW camp, Because they were not protected by the Geneva convention; in fact the Germans starved very many of them to death. They had to pull carts with tanks on them, used to empty the sewage from the night latrines at the end of each hut, they also had to pump this sewage out on their rounds of the camp, using hand pumps. The sewage was taken to the fields to fertilise the turnips etc.used to feed POWs!. Russian officers said soldiers were expendable.
The Camp was liberated on the 14 April 1945. My friend Eric Skinner D.F.C.,a WO.1 air gunner of the RAF he and I went walk about to the near by villages where we `liberated two bikes!` the houses were mostly empty , just a few very old people who had been left behind the fleeing population. We entered a Villa that had been pillaged by Russian Soldiers, they had just used their rifle butt smashing lovely furniture in wanton destruction.
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Cpl. James Edward Francis Ord . British Army Royal Armoured Corp 4th Hussars (d.4 September 1942) James Ord married Gwedonline Pollock in January 1940 in St Albans before being despatched with the 4th Hussars and Royal Armoured Corp to France with the BEF and evacuated following the Siege of Calais.
After returning to the UK James was sent to the Middle East along with the 1st Armoured Brigade and then Greece where James was captured following the Battle of Corinth Canal.
James was transferred to Stalag 18a POW Camp near Wolfsberg, Austria. He developed pneumonia and died 4th September 1941 in Stalag 18 and was buried in Klagenfurt Cemetery.
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Pte. Percy Ord . Army Durham Light Infantry My father in law Pte Percy Ord served with the Durham Light Infantry, he was was
taken prisoner of war in Tunisa in Feb or March 1942, and then trasferred to
Italy, then later to Stalag 1VB in Germany. His p.o.w. no. was 263142 His
home town was Guisborough, Yorks. He was held prisoner until the end of
the war. I would be very gratefull to hear from anyone who may have
known him or have any information regarding him.
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Sgt James OReilly. . RAF 166Sqd. (d.9th Oct 1943) Nav. James OReilly was killed on 9th Oct 1943 in Lancaster ED993 of 166 Sqn
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C. R. Ormand . Royal Canadian Air Force 419 Sqd. (d.13th Jun 1944)
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J Ormanroyd . British Army Royal Armoured Corps J Ormanroyd served with the Royal Armoured Corps British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project has lost touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Spr. Thomas Orme . British Army 663 Artisan Works Company Royal Engineers (d.17th Jun 1940) Thomas Orme of 663 Artisan Works Company, Royal Engineers lost his life in the sinking of the Lancastria.
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F Ormerod . British Army Reconnaissance Corps F Ormerod served with the Reconnaissance Corps British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project has lost touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Cpl. George Ellis Ormerod . British Army Kings Royal Rifle Corps from Rickmansworth (d.7th Sep 1944) George Ormerod was my mother's uncle. He was captured at St Valery being one of the units left behind after Dunkirk. At some point he was imprisoned at Bad Sulza where he received a head injury and eventually developed 'prison fever'.
Different stories emerged, both official and unofficial, regarding his death. We have the letters from Major J Sherman who spent time with him (Sherman I believe was the Cadbury's doctor prior to the war and he returned to the company after the war), other letters which my mother and his girlfriend wrote to him.
I understand that as well as working in the salt mines he also used to do work in the surrounding villages as he was a draftsman and electrician. He was also good at languages. He was a regular in the Army prior to WW2 and had only left 8 months before being called up again.
I notice that in A. Robert Prowse book the name Corporal Ormerod is mentioned on p50 of Remember? (a few of the many) Killed during daring bid for freedom (s), I presume that (s) means shot! A very telling but short paragraph in the book also describes what my grandfather was told by someone who was in the camp. We have never had confirmation of this - only the Red Cross report and obviously War Office communication which completely contradict the book and unofficial version.
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J Ormerod . British Army 148th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps J Ormerod served with the 148th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project has lost touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Midshpmn. John Ormerod . Royal Naval Reserve HMS Forfar My father, had written below the photo: John Ormerod who was picked up after 15 hours on a raft by a destroyer. He was in a bad shape and was given artificial respiration for 6 hours before he regained conciousness. Lives in Bradford, Navigator's "Tanky".
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Lt. R. H. Ormerod . British Army 51st Medium Regiment Royal Artillery I found this signed photo amongst my late father's belongings. My grandmother and grandfather owned the Officer's Key Club in Bedford during the war.
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T Ormerod . British Army East Lancashire Regiment T Ormerod served with the East Lancashire Regiment British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project has lost touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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RC Ormesher . British Army RC Ormesher served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project has lost touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Lt Edward John Ormsby . Royal Navy HMS Prunella (d.21st Jun 1940)
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OS. John William Ormsby . Royal Navy HMS Ambuscade from Woodfalls, Salisbury John Ormsby was my father and he told his four children that he signed up for the Royal Navy after being shot at by a German plane while ploughing a field at his place of work in Woodfalls just outside Salisbury. He had been at grammar school in Salisbury but made to leave school before the leaving age as his parents needed and expected him to earn a living. He did not want to join the army after hearing about his father's experiences in WW1 in the Tank Corp so signed up with the RN.
After training at HMS Nelson, John was assigned to the destroyer HMS Ambuscade (D38). He told us of the terrible cold they all endured and how ice would form on your beard as they were deployed on the Arctic convoys. Tea was served in buckets and they smoked Players cigarettes. Always cold and often wet, the tea was a lifeline.
As children we had no central heating in our home because Dad was never cold.
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Spr. James Ormston . British Army Royal Engineers (d.22nd Feb 1943) James Ormston died aged 33, he was born in Jarrow in 1909, son of James and Elizabeth Ormston (nee Gallant) of Jarrow. He was the husband of Rachel Elizabeth Ormston (nee Smith) of Primrose Jarrow.
James is buried in Jarrow Cemetery and is commemorated on the WW2 Roll of Honour Plaque in the entrance of Jarrow Town Hall.
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Fslr. John Ormston . British Army 4th Btn. Northumberland Fusiliers (d.20/21st June 1940) My grandfather, John Ormston, was aged 32 when he died. He was born in Morpeth in 1908 and lived in Newcastle upon Tyne. He died in June 1940 and is buried in France. I have no photos of him. He left a wife Annie and three children.
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Ass cook John Henry Ormston . Royal Navy HMS Glendower from North Shields John Ormston served with the Royal Navy aboard HMS Glendower in WW2
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DCL Orpwood . British Army DCL Orpwood served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project has lost touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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