Corporal Thomas Pragnell
Name: 4342476, Cpl. Pragnell, Thomas.
Unit: 2nd Parachute Battalion.
Date of Birth: 19th September 1914.
Date of Enlistment: 20th September 1932.
Captured: 3rd December 1942.
Escaped: 12th September 1943.
Peacetime Profession: Regular Soldier.
Private Address: 41, Palmers Terrace, Willington Quay, Newcastle-on-Tyne.
1. Capture.
At Tunis on 3 Dec 1942 at 1145 hrs. Dropped by plane to attack Emergency Aerodrome.
2. Camps in which imprisoned.
Camp 66, Capua: 5 Dec 1942 to 18 Feb 1943.
Camp 70, Monte Urano: 20 Feb to 12 Sep 1943.
3. Attempted Escapes.
Attempted to escape from Camp 66, Capua on 21 Jan 1943 by filing bars and going through a sewerage pipe. During this attempt sixteen P/W were caught in the sewer and were machine-gunned. Three P/W were bayonetted. Source was free 7 days. He was sentenced to 30 days bread and water. With him were:-
Pte. Crozier, J.W., 2 Parachute Bn. (Report No: S/P.G./MISC/INT/73)
" Conduit
" Butler, and about 28 others.
4. Escape.
From Camp 70, Monte Urano on 12 Sep 1943. They went out on bathing party and swam to other side of river and got away.
Source was with Pte. Crozier, J.W., 2 Parachute Bn. (Report No: S/P.G./MISC/INT/73).
From Monte Urano they went to Grand Sasso, Sulmona, Termoli and met Buffs there on 14 Oct 1943.
They obtained civilian clothes and were treated well by peasants.
INTERVIEWED: 4 Jan 1944.
Private J. W. Crozier
Name: 4620032, Pte. Crozier, J.W.
Unit: 2nd Parachute Battalion.
Date of Birth: 4th March 1916.
Date of Enlistment: 19th March 1940.
Captured: 3rd December 1942.
Escaped: 10th or 11th September 1943.
Peacetime Profession: Manager Butcher.
Private Address: 59, Davies Crescent, Langley Parker, Durham.
1. Capture.
3 miles from Tunis on 3 Dec 1942. Their job was to smash up three aerodromes and get into Tunis. They smashed up the aerodromes but ran into a German patrol. Source was taken prisoner in company with Sgt. Maj. Friell.
2. Camps in which imprisoned.
They were flown straight to Sicily and then sent to
Camp 66, Capua: Dec 1942 to Feb 1943.
Camp 70, Monte Urano: Feb to 10 or 11 Sep 1943.
3. Attempted Escapes.
In January Source managed to escape from Camp 66, Capua with Cpl. T. Pragnell, Parachute Regt. (Report No: S/P.G./MISC/INT/172), and his story in this connection is the same as his. They were re-captured north of Rome and taken back to Camp 66, Capua, being subsequently transferred to Camp 70, Monte Urano.
4. Escape.
From Camp 70, Monte Urano on 10 or 11 Sep 1943. Source again got away with Cpl. T. Pragnell and his subsequent story is the same as his.
They joined British Forces at Termoli some weeks later.
INTERVIEWED: 4 Jan 1944.
My thanks to John Howes for these reports.