Just a 1939-45 Star

[deptfordboy]

Nice to see renewed interest in this thread. Rick, I don't think our man was 'blue-blooded': his parents seem to have lived up North in Southport, Lancashire, and appear to be firmly middle class.

They weren't hard up, however: in one of his letters he mentions the wedding of a relative due to take place back home and asks them to give ?25 on his behalf - that was quite a sum back then, compared to the average working man's wage of a few quid/week.

Hi Peter - I didn't know this was fallout from the Dieppe raid. Thorpe Woods states that he was shackled for a year in his letters, however!

Cheers

Gilbert

Edited November 13, 2006 by deptfordboy

[Tony]

Nice to see renewed interest in this thread. Rick, I don't think our man was 'blue-blooded': his parents seem to have lived up North in Southport, Lancashire, and appear to be firmly middle class.

They weren't hard up, however: in one of his letters he mentions the wedding of a relative due to take place back home and asks them to give ?25 on his behalf - that was quite a sum back then, compared to the average working man's wage of a few quid/week.

Hi Peter - I didn't know this was fallout from the Dieppe raid. Thorpe Woods states that he was shackled for a year in his letters, however!

Cheers

Gilbert

I somehow missed this the first time.

A great buy Gilbert, I'll have to go to a fair with you one day, by train or bus, in case there's a bar and an Indian nearby.

I didn't even know you got middle class families that far north

Tony

[peter monahan]

Gilbert

Apparently the shackling went on in a number of Oflag for up to a year. In some the POW's were actually shackled all day every day - "dawn to dusk" so to speak while in others they were cuffed for morning "Appel" then turned lose again. Apparently it depended entiorely on the camp Kommandants and their "interpretation" of the command from Berlin (read sympathy/lack of sympathy for the POWs). Don't ask me now where i read all this years ago but the details shouldn't be tough to check. An interesting sidelight on an already interesting bloke!

peter

[tedt]

Hello everyone,

I know you haven't posted on this in about 7 years. But i have just come across this by accident. Terrance (Terry) Thorpe Woods was my grand father, and i just read through this and i think it was amazing how you managed to find all this information. I really appreciated it, and It reminded me so much of grandpa Terry

Thanks

Ted Thorpe Woods

[Mervyn Mitton]

Ted - welcome to GMIC. Amazing after this long time break that you have not only found the thread - but, also your Grandfather.......... Mervyn

[tedt]

Yeah it is really interesting, my dad (Jeremy Thorpe-Woods) knows loads about my grandfathers war history. I came across this page completely by accident and i thought it was really interesting. He always used to tell me stories of his time in the war.

Thank you all

Ted

[peter monahan]

Ted

You're lucky too - to get the stories! Many vets are/were quite reluctant to open up about their experiences, for various reasons ranging from reviving the trauma to modesty, and now of course many of those tales are gone for good. Write yours down for your kids and grandkids some day. Our share them here on the GMIC!

Peter

[jemtw]

Hi all (Hi Ted)

Terry Thorpe-Woods was my Dad, the letters etc were stolen from his flat after he died, sad but these things often happen. I've had a chat to Gilbert I lay no claim (or blame), Dad would be pleased that any papers -such as they were- are in the hands of enthusiasts!

The medal isn't his, I have his strip and his commission, and a few other bits and bobs and some photos and will try to post a pick of them here to complete the story. I also have his prison camp diary which is stuffed full of memories and memorabilia, I've promised it the the Imperial War Museum but if Gilbert and I ever get our act and photocopiers together, I'm happy to share it.

So a Pocket History of Dad's military service. He was a Territorial before the war, living in Chislehurst, recruited in Bromley (as per the paperwork) and served with the Royal West Kents in the BEF. He was captured at Montreul as part of the rearguard protecting the withdrawal from Dunkirk, he had his thumb shot off but it was stitched back on by a German Field Doctor using Mustard as antiseptic. later his guards were relieved of their duty by Rommels' 7th Panzer division who were upset about the 'manhandling of British Prisoners'.

Dad was in several prisoner of war camps before Eichstadt, but I think spent most of his time there. He broke his ankle tunnelling, the football story was an alibi. He was forced to March West ahead of the Russian advance and was strafed by the Americans for his trouble (I think this is quite well known), and ended up around Belson, to be released by the Americans.

While he was in POW camp he was a key contact for British Military Intelligence, not because he was a spy but because his father was, Henry Thorpe-Woods ran IMRC -international Marine Radio Corp- and was sending radios piece by piece (and compasses etc) in Red Cross Food Parcels to his son.... these for some reason were never searched by the German guards. The radios were then reassembled in the camp, and although some were captured by guards, they never worked out where they were coming from.

Post war he was stationed in Hamburg, as a quartermaster and officer in charge of re-building, not sure which bits, but he told me that they re-built the four-seasons hotel first so that they could set-up their quarters there.

Much of this is in his diary, along with plenty of anecdotes about camp life. So gentlemen.... man the photocopiers.

[Mervyn Mitton]

jemtw - thankyou for adding this informaton - and welcome to GMIC.

I am sure many of our members will delighted with the information on how

the POW radios were smuggled into the camps. We look forward to hearing

further from you. Mervyn