Private Sydney Ellwood Jones
National Archives catalogue reference - WO 208/3328
Name: A.23133 Pte. Jones, Sydney Ellwood.
Unit: Essex Scottish, 2nd Canadian Division.
Captured: Dieppe, 19th August 1942.
Liberated: Obermassfeld, 2nd April 1943.
Left: Le Havre, 12th April 1945.
Arrived: U.K., 12th April 1945.
Date of Birth: 12th October 1918.
Date of Enlistment: 2nd July 1941.
Peacetime Profession: Broom-maker..
Private Address: 1004 South 12th St., Birmingham, Ala., U.S.A.
1. CAPTURE.
I was captured during the DIEPPE raid on 19 Aug 42.
2. CAMPS IN WHICH IMPRISONED.
Hospital, KLOSTERHEIDE. - 25 Aug - 30 Sep 42.
Stalag 865 (ARNSTADT), MOLSDORF. - Oct 42 - Apr 43.
Working Commando 137, UNTERBREITZBACH. - May 43.
Hospital, HILDBURGHAUSEN. - Jun 43.
Stalag 865, MOLSDORF. - Jul 43 (one week).
Working Commando 1039, KRAJA. - Jul 43 - Oct 43.
Working Commando, BAD SULZA. - Nov 43.
Stalag 865, MOLSDORF. - Dec 43.
Working Commando 101 (Punishment Camp, MANSBACH. - Jan 44.
Working Commando 1249, OBERMASSFELD. - Feb 44.
Zweiglager IXC, MUHLHAUSEN. - Feb - Sep 44.
Working Commando 137, UNTERBREITZBACH. - Sep 44.
Reserve Lazarette, OBERMASSFELD. - 2 Weeks.
Zweiglager IXC, MUHLHAUSEN. - Oct 44.
Working Commando 1038, KRAJA. - 1 Day.
Zweiglager XXC, MUHLHAUSEN. - Nov 44.
Working Commando 191 nr. VAGHA. - Dec 44 - Feb 45.
Reserve Lazarette, OBERMASSFELD. - Feb - Apr 45.
3. ATTEMPTED ESCAPES.
(a) Whilst I was at the Working Commando 1039 in KRAJA (GERMANY, 1:250,000, Sheet M.52, C 92) I made an escape. I was working for one day at a salt mine. I had some Red Cross food accumulated and was able to trade a civilian shirt and shoes and cap from a German civilian for cigarettes. I had dyed my uniform pants blue with the help of indelible pencil shavings which I had boiled. I also had a make-shift compass and was able to obtain tracings of a map which was in the Camp.
Just before quitting time I went to the latrine and changed my clothing and simply walked out of the camp. Several of us had escaped the same day but we all had different plants and went away separately.
The same night I caught a goods train from a railway siding nearby going towards KASSEL (Sheet L.52, C 20). I got off about 10 kms. East of KASSEL during daytime and walked through KASSEL. My intention was to go West and eventually got into BELGIUM.
While in KASSEL I was approached several times by civilians who wanted me to go to work as there had been a bombing raid the day before and the whole town was in an uproar. However, I was able to get through the town unmolested.
I walked across country for about two days and eventually caught a ride with a Frenchman on a truck. I told the Frenchman that I was an escaped P/W. He drove me across country in a wide circle and when he stopped I noticed that I was back in SOLLSTEDT (Sheet M.52, C 91) from where I had started. I was at once recognized and recaptured.
I received 14 days punishment which consisted of two to three hours extra work each day.
(b) During Nov 43 I was transferred to BAD SULZA (J 69) to a stone factory. During the second week there I attempted another escape with Pte. BARNES of the Essex Scottish Regt.
We both had civilian clothing which he had bought from a German civilian with cigarettes. We also had collected a considerable amount of food, but had no maps. Our intention was to follow a power line in a westerly direction towards FRANCE.
In the early morning hours when the P/W were called for work we marched out through the gate with them. During the whole day we were about 5 kms. from the camp and then walked through the whole night. At about 0900 hrs the following morning we were spotted by members of the Hitler Jugend organisation and recaptured.
We were taken to a Polish P/W Camp at STERNBERG (Sheet M.54, T 69) where we were held about two days, after which time we were returned to Stalag 865 in MOLSDORF (Sheet M.51, J 26). Here we received 21 days solitary confinement.