Rifleman George Coulson
Name: 6896935 Rifleman George Coulson.
Unit: 2nd Battalion The King's Royal Rifle Corps.
Captured: Agedabia, 24th January 1942.
Left: Naples, 4th March 1944.
Arrived: Liverpool, 17th March 1944.
Date of Birth: 12th May 1922.
Army Service: Territorial Army since 3rd March 1939.
Peacetime Profession: Clerk.
Private Address: 75, Rose Street, Gateshead, Durham.
(All map references are to series ITALY, 1:250,000).
1, CAPTURE.
I was captured with the rest of my battalion by a German panzer division on 24 Jan 42 at AGEDABIA.
2, TORPEDOED IN MEDITERRANEAN.
I left TRIPOLI on 13 Feb in a ship called the 'ARIARSIL' together with 500 other prisoners, bound for ITALY. Just off the coast of MOROCCO we were torpedoed about 2300 hrs, when the Italian crew left the ship and took to the boats.
We were left locked in the hold, but we managed to break out and a large number of the prisoners immediately jumped into the water. Many of us, however, remained aboard until 0200 hrs, when the ship seemed to be breaking up. I then jumped into the water and clung to an oil barrel.
I was in the water about eight hours and was finally picked up by an Italian cruiser which had been sent to rescue us. In all, about 250 men were saved.
3. CAMPS IN WHICH IMPRISONED.
Campo 98 (SICILY) 15 Feb - 30 Mar 42.
Campo 65 (GRAVINA) 1 Apr - 27 Jun 43.
Campo 53 (MACERATA) 30 Jun - 15 Sep 43.
4. ATTEMPTED ESCAPES.
From Camp 65. I escaped from a working party with Cpl. BENN K.R.R.C. at the end of Mar 43. We waited till it was dark, when we left the stables in which we were housed just before we were locked in for the night. We made our way South, hoping to obtain help from friendly Italians, but were picked up by the carabineri the next morning. We were taken back to the farm on which we worked and were tied to a cart wheel for three hours as punishment. After that, the whole party was sent back to GRAVINA.
5. JOURNEY FROM CAMPO 53.
About 9 Sep 43 we heard that the armistice had been signed, but we were forbidden to leave the camp on the orders of the S.B.O. and the Camp Commandant, who told us that the British troops would be arriving in a few days' time.
On 15 Sep, however, the Italians sentries were withdrawn, and about 3,000 men walked out of the camp. I went in a party of six, with Cpl. BALL, S.W.B. and four others, whose names I cannot remember.
We walked until 0300 hrs the next day, when we slept in a vineyard. We then decided to split up, and I continued South with BALL. I had with me a map I had made in the camp containing the names of the large towns, main roads and rivers we would have to cross on our journey and this proved of invaluable help to us.
We kept along the foot of the GRANSASSO mountain ridge (Sheet 29) and made our way to LETTOMANOPELLO ((R)C 0303) which we reached about the middle of Oct, via BISENTI ((R)B 8336), PENNE ((R)B 92), CATIGNANO ((R)B 9615) and TORRE ((R)B 90).
At LETTOMANOPELLO we found shelter with a farmer who was willing for us to remain with him until our troops arrived. While I was here, I met L/Sgt. FRASER, Scots Guards, and planned to reach our lines with him. Cpl. BALL chose to remain behind.
We left at the end of Nov dressed in civilian clothes provided by the farmer. We were arrested at GUARDIAGRELE ((R)H 1896) the next day by two German soldiers and taken to CHIETI ((R)C 11) where we were placed in the old prisoner of war camp 21.
A few days later we escaped over a 14 foot wall by means of a ladder I had made from sections of the wooden beds in the camp, and returned to the farmer at LETTOMANOPELLO. I stayed with the farmer who had sheltered me previously, while FRASER found shelter elsewhere.
While we were here we made a point of finding out as much information as we could about gun emplacements, ammunition dumps etc.
On 2 Mar FRASER and I set out again. On the way we were stopped by German soldiers, who asked for our papers, but we managed to bluff them into thinking that we were Italians, and were allowed to go on.
The next morning we reached the British lines near CASOLI ((R)H 2490) and were picked up by M.Ps of the Airborne troops. We were sent to NAPLES where we were interrogated at No.2 P.W.T.C.
We left NAPLES on the Highland Chieftain on 4 Mar and arrived in LIVERPOOL on 17 Mar 44.