Hackett, A

, , ,

Gunner Alfred Hackett

Family/Last name:
Hackett
Forename(s) and initial(s):
Alfred
Military Unit:
British Army, Royal Artillery, 4th Indian Division, 31st Field Regiment Royal Artillery
Rank when captured:
Gunner
Place of capture:
Alem Hamza (Point 204 Cyrenaica) Libya
Date of capture:
15/12/1941
Camp
PG 66 Capua, PG 59 Servigliano, PG 29 Veano
Medical Facility
Ospedale Militare Caserta
Data sources
Other Sources (Relative's report)
View a commemorative certificate for this prisoner

Information provided by Nigel Hackett:

My father Alfred Hackett was a gunner in the 31st Field Regiment Royal Artillery, part of the 4th Indian Division. He was wounded and captured at the battle of Alem Hamza (point 204 Cyrenicia) on 15th December 1941 by panzer tanks of the Africa Corps towards the end of Operation Crusader.

From a German field dressing station he was taken by boat initially to Caserta Military hospital in Italy and then to PG66 Capua and PG59 Servigliano POW camps.

In June 1942 he was moved to PG29 at Veano.

Following the Italian Armistice he left PG29 on on 10th September 1943 his own and walked 300 miles south in 30 days towards the allied lines with the help of Italian farmers and two Italian Soldiers who were trying to get home after the Armistice . In early October 1943 he was found by British paratroopers under the command of Lt Ernest (Jimmy) James . They had been dropped behind the lines during Operation SIMCOL in the north of Abruzzo and evacuated Alfred at night by Italian fishing boat 100 miles around the front line to Termoli with about 25 other escaping POW.

As a matter of interest my research at the Paradata Archives at Duxford has led me to discovering the names of all the POWs Lt James helped escape in Italy in 1943 along with the names of his troop. I am now trying to find out what happened to them and the names and details of other POW at PG29 and plan to visit the Archives at Kew later this month.

Lt James himself had a very interesting story as he dropped at Arnhem in 1944 during Operation Market Garden . He was captured and then escaped on the Dutch/German border eventually getting back to British lines after several months having been helped by Dutch families .

I am a member of the Escape Lines Memorial Society (ELMS) and which hold the records of hundreds of POW who escaped .and Evaders. You might be aware that a hut at Eden Camp Museum Malton is dedicated to the escape lines and details of many POW are displayed there. ELMS was set up to help the helpers and their families and arranges many events including freedom trails and reunions. As there are fewer veterans and there helpers the emphasis has now moved to education of young people about the experiences of escapers and evaders and their helpers .

 

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