Smith, R

,

Lance Corporal Ronald Smith

Family/Last name:
Smith
Forename(s) and initial(s):
Ronald
Nationality:
British
Military Unit:
British Army, 12th Royal Lancers
Rank when captured:
Lance Corporal
Place of capture:
ADJADABIA, LIBYA
Date of capture:
28/12/1941
Camp
PG 66 Capua, PG 59 Servigliano
Working Party
PG 146/19 Vigevano
Data sources
Other Sources (Relative's report)
View a commemorative certificate for this prisoner

Information provided by David Lambert:

Lance corporal RONALD SMITH – 12TH ROYAL LANCERS
I am trying to help my sister in law trace something of her late father’s time in Italian Prisoner of war camps.
Ron was captured by Germans in Libya and the Italians . He escaped after the Armistice and stayed at a farm owned by the MANCINI family. He worked on the farm for 2 1/2 months and they helped him and 3 others to take a train to LIUONO. An Italian soldier on the train gave them the name of a parish priest at VOLDOMINO who then put them in contact with the GARIBALDI FAMILY with whom they lodged for 4 days. On 26TH NOVEMBER RON AND HIS 3 companions were taken by a guide to the SWISS BORDER at FORNASETTE. They were able to cross it and were interned for the rest of the war. .

• POW Camp(s):
LIBYAN TRANSIT CAMPS until 2nd FEBRUARY 1942 WHEN HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO ITALY
CAPUA CAMP 66 FROM 2nd FEBRUARY 1942 until 9th MARCH 1942.  SERVIGLIANO CAMP 59 FROM 9TH MARCH 1942 UNTIL 3rd APRIL 1943. MORTARA (PAVIA) -WORK CAMP AT VIVEGANO CAMP 146/19 FROM 3rd APRIL 1943 UNTIL 9th SEPTEMBER from WHERE HE ESCAPED AFTER THE ARMISTICE.

• Surname: SMITH
• Forename(s):RONALD
• Nationality: BRITISH
• Service (eg Navy, Army, Air Force etc): ARMY
• Ship/Regiment/Squadron etc: 12TH ROYAL LANCERS
• When captured: 28th DECEMBER 1941
• Where captured: ADJADABIA LIBYA

I would be interested to know if anyone else was imprisoned by the Italians in the same camps and indeed who escaped with Ron . Also what happened to the brave Italians who assisted Ron and his compatriots?
The data is taken from his interview with MI9 held by the TNA -record series WO 208.

 

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