Private William Stewart
National Archives catalogue reference - WO 208/3324/149
Name: 2928922 Pte. Stewart, William.
Unit: Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, 4th (Indian) Division.
Left: Naples, July 1944.
Arrived: 8th August 1944.
Date of Birth: 28th March 1919.
Army Service: Since 11th November 1936.
Peacetime Profession: Regular Army.
Private Address: 10 Ness Square, Inverness.
1. Capture:
I was captured and slightly wounded at HELL FIRE PASS, on 15 Jun 41.
2. Camp in which imprisoned:
Transit Camp, BENGHAZI After capture, Jun 41.
Transit Camp, BRINDISI Till Nov 41.
Campo 59, SERVIGLIANO Nov 41 - Jan 43.
Campo 53, MACERATA Jan - Jun 43.
Military Prison at GAETA, near NAPLES Jun - 11 Sep 43.
3. Attempted Escape:
During Aug 42 we made a tunnel at Campo 59. It ran from under the concrete floor of our hut, and emerged beyond the stone wall which surrounded the camp. The party consisted of Cpl. HUNTER, Durham Light Infantry; Gnr. TAYLOR, Royal Horse Artillery; Sgt. NEIL, Scots Guards; myself and about forty others. The tunnel was completed in 13 days, the party working day and night. Eleven men got away, but were subsequently caught, and the tunnel was discovered.
4. Journey from GAETA PRISON:
The beds in this camp were infested with bugs, and I smashed some of them up. I got into trouble for destroying Italian Government property, and after I had been moved to Campo 51 (MACERATA) in Jan 43, I and another culprit (Pte. CASSIDY, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) were given 14 days' in the guard room. In Jun 43 we were both sent to ROME for Court-Martial, where we each received one year's imprisonment.
We were sent to a military prison at GAETA, near NAPLES, and had served about three months of our sentence when the Armistice was declared. All the guards left the prison. The Commandant tried to stop the prisoners, but they all walked out. Pte. CASSIDY and I left on 11 Sep 43, and decided to go to ROME. Outside the prison we met a Greek who had been in this prison for deserting from the Italian Army. He lived in VENICE originally, and for eight years in AFRICA before that. His wife had moved to ROME, so he guided us there. The journey took four days, we got to the city on 15 Sep 43.
We lived with the Greek and his wife for nine months. During this time another escaper (Pte. HOGAN, of our regiment) turned up, and the family kept him for five months. They then passed him to some friends. He returned to ENGLAND before I did. We got in touch with a priest who used to visit us twice a week, bringing money and cigarettes. We had civilian clothes, but did not go out. Several times the police came to the neighbourhood, and we had to climb down from the balcony and hide in a cellar beneath the garage under the flats.
In Jun 44 the Allied Forces arrived, and we went to the Headquarters and declared ourselves. We were sent to NAPLES to embark for U.K. Pte. CASSIDY sailed, but I missed the boat because I had gone back to ROME to see my friends there. I eventually left NAPLES in Jul 44 and landed in LIVERPOOL on 8 Aug 44.