Chamberlain, A E

,

Private Albert (Bert) Edward Chamberlain

Family/Last name:
Chamberlain
Forename(s) and initial(s):
Albert (Bert) Edward
Place of birth:
New Zealand
Date of birth:
6/5/1907
Nationality:
New Zealand
Service number:
14242
Military Unit:
New Zealand Army (2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force), New Zealand Army Service Corps
Rank when captured:
Private
Place of capture:
Sfakia, Crete
Date of capture:
1/6/1941
POW number:
4532
Camp
Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf / Stalag 344, Stalag VIIA Moosburg, Stalag VIIB Memmingen
Working Party
E3 Arbeitskommando Blechammer
Data sources
The National Archives (UK)Other Sources (Relative's report)
View a commemorative certificate for this prisoner

Information provided by Andrew Holyoake:

My wife’s Granddad was:

Albert Edward Chamberlain
Tailor pre war
NZEF, 3rd Echelon, 14242, Driver/Private
Captured Sfakia, Crete 1/6/41
Dulag Kreta till 6/9/41
POW number 4532 issued at Kreta (V)
Tymbakion till 28/12/41
Frontstalag 183 mid Jan 1942
Stalag VIIIB from end Jan 1942

In the Cobblers and Tailors shop associated with Stalag VIIIB with Howard Holmes, Max Hacker, Jimmy Craig etc. – I’ve previously posted a photo of this on the Stalag VIIIB FB page.

Referenced in Howard Holmes’s bio (refer ‘Related Post’ below).

Bert is mentioned in “Taking life as it comes: a Medical Unit soldier’s story: a selection from the wartime letters and PoW trek diary of John Bettle”  by John Bettle with Colin Amodeo:

Page 71 “Bert Chamberlain from Westport was now at Lamsdorf, working in the camp tailor’s shop. We became good friends and Bert made me a lovely warm jacket, which a few weeks later, was to be a wonderful blessing on what would turn out to be a walk across Germany.”

Likely on Long March
Next seen Moosburg April 1945
Repatriated via Reims.
Post war back to Westport NZ, where he resumed tailoring.
Died 1973

The attached is a report of POW admissions to Stalag VIIIB from Dulag 183 on 30th January 1942. The report was forwarded to the ‘Wehrmacht Information Centre for War Casualties and Prisoners of War’. It was then forwarded to the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross). 

Report Of POW Admissions to Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf From Dulag 183 On 30.1.19

POW Camp On Crete. Albert (Bert) E Chamberlain, Sitting 2nd From The Right (arrowed)
Photo Possibly Taken At Lamsdorf. Left To Right Howard Holmes, Max Hacker, Albert (Bert) E Chamberlain
Tailors And Cobblers. Photo Possibly Taken At E3 Blechhammer. Howard Holmes (arrowed), On His Right Shoulder Is Albert (Bert) E Chamberlain. Max Hacker Is Seated Crossed Legs, Far Right.

Posts related to this prisoner

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