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Lt. William Kaplan . United States Army Air Force 493rd Bomb Group 862nd Bomber Squadron
Cpl. Walter George Kapp . British Army Dorsetshire Regiment from London
My grandfather was Walter Kapp born in 1919. I know he was a prisoner of war held in Stalag 357 Oerbke, Lower Saxony, his POW number was 84101. He was injured, shot I believe. He named my mother Delva after the nurse that looked after him. The only other thing he told us about his time during the war was being entertained by Tommy Cooper.
F/Sgt. Bronislaw Karbowski . Royal Air Force 138 Sqdn. (d.21st April 1942)
138 Squadron flew on Special Operations duties in WWII, and lost an aircraft on 21st April 1942 over Austria. The crew were:
Wing Co W.R. Farley DFC, RAF (2nd pilot) F/O J.A. Pulton, RAFVR (airgunner) F/O R. Zygmuntowicz, PAF (pilot) Sgt C. Madracki, PAF (navigator) F/Sgt B Karbowski, PAF (rear gunner) Capt. A.H. Voellnagel, RAF Sgt L. Wilmanski, PAF (airbomber) Sgt M. Wojciechowski, PAF (wop/airgunner) All the crew were buried in Durnbach War Cemetery, Collective Grave 9.H.20-24.
Sgt. E. Karbowy . Royal Air Force 300 Sqdn.
I am trying to trace the following, who were part of a Lancaster crew posted to 300 Squadron at Faldingworth in April 1945:
Sgt. WOP/Air E. Karbowy Sgt. A/G K. Walczewski Sgt. F/E Z. Stefaniak Sgt. A/G J. Wierzbicki P/O Nav Z. Sajkiewicz
Sgt. Zdzislaw Kardasiewicz . Polish Air Force from Poland
(d.30th August 1944)
Zdzislaw Kardasiewicz was buried in the Collective Grave 961-966 in the Aalestrup Churchyard in Denmark.
Asst.Swt. Malcom Sidney Karn . Royal Navy HMS Drake from Clowance Estate, Cornwall
(d.21st Apr 1941)
Malcom Karn was killed in a bombing raid.
S/Sgt Henry Peter "Kit" Karsten . US Army 156th Infantry Regiment from Zeeland, Michigan
Henry Karsten, known as Kit served with 156th Infantry Regiment.
Cpl. Ilmar Karvonen . United States Army Co A. 2831st Engineer Combat Btn. from Liminga, Michigan
Ilmar Karvonen served in North Africa (Algeria?), Italy, France, Germany. I am looking for more information on unit and it's history.
Capt Shelton M Kasnett . United States Army Dental Corp from Washington DC
Walter William Kasper . Royal Canadian Air Force 408 Squadron
Sgt. Eugeniusz Pawee Kasprzak . Polish Air Force 138 Sqd. from Lublin, Poland
(d.17th Sep 1943)
Donald Frank Kassell . Royal Navy HS. Cap Saint Jacques from Pearl St, Starbeck, Harrogate
My father Don Kassell volunteered on his 18th birthday and was sent to HMS Royal Arthur for training. He was trained as a nurse and sent on the Hospital ship Cap Saint Jacques which sailed to South Africa, India and Ceylon amongst others.
Sgt. William Kastens . Royal Canadian Air Force w/op 419 Sqd. (d.4th Oct 1944)
Robert Katan .
My father-in-law, Robert Katan, was in Stalag 2B.
Pte. Sikiteni Katonda . British Army 2nd Btn. King's African Rifles (d.15th October 1943)
Private Katonda was buried in the Lubudi African Cemetery in the Congo, Grave 8.
Pte. Sikiteni Katonda . King's African Rifles 2nd Btn. (d.15th October 1943)
Private Katonda was buried in the Lubudi African Cemetery in the Congo, Grave 8.
Pte. Walter Martin Kattenhorn . British Army Royal Army Service Corps
Naomi Katz . Land Army
Renee Katz . Land Army from London, East End
My mother was born and brought up in the East End of London, one of a family of five sisters, one brother and a father. Her mother, my maternal grandmother, had died when they were small children. They lived lives of poverty and deprivation, many children had rickets and every large family had one or two baby siblings in the cemetery.
The sons and daughters of working class families of their generation usually stayed near their parental home and continued to live for most of their lives close to where they were born. That is until the war disrupted the pattern of life for these communities.
My mother and her two sisters (the three youngest of the family) were called up. One opted for munitions factory work, but my mother and her youngest sister chose to join the Land Army.
This was a marvellous opportunity for young women who had little opportunity to travel, especially town girls who had no experience of country life. My mother had been a dressmaker; she now found herself living in rural Cambridgeshire, working as a farmer, picking fruit and vegetables. The farms in this part of the world were small-holdings - market gardens mainly.
When she speaks of her time on the land my mum's eyes light up. She loved the work, loved the fresh air and the friendship. Twenty or so girls lived in a village called Willingham in a supervised hostel. They were allocated to local farms and, by and large, cycled to work. Not every girl was happy, but my mother speaks with affection about the farming family who owned, or more likely leased, the farm on which she worked.
She remembers picking tomatoes in greenhouses with rain pounding on the glass roof. She was a town girl who made an effortless transition to country life, susceptible to the beauties of nature and the seasons. What a change for a dressmaker who had spent her working life in slum sweatshops!
There was a good social life as well. My mum was in her mid-twenties and still single and my aunt a little younger. They would cycle into Cambridge on their days off to go dancing at Dorothy's in the centre of Cambridge. (This is now a multiplex cinema). American and British troops stationed nearby outnumbered the girls, so there was no lack of attention. My mum and my aunt first tasted peanut butter and bananas at a dance on the American Service base.
The success of the Yanks did not make them popular with the British boys, who couldn't offer such luxuries. Some of the girls went on to new lives in the USA with American husbands. Imagine the shock and excitement of arriving in America after spending life in, say, domestic service in rural England, or doing factory work in urban slums.
Cycling was the best way to travel. Although there was a curfew for the girls at the hostel, I have gained the impression that they had considerable freedom, or at least managed to escape the overseeing eye of the hostel warden. But it seems that, despite the ample opportunities for fraternising with men, most of the girls abided by the social rules of the day and cycled back to the hostel after an evening out, obedient to the curfew.
Those who went into Cambridge by bus often lodged with families in town if they missed the last bus back to the village. In a war society, being invited to sleep overnight with strangers was the way things happened. The hospitality was provided out of sheer generosity of spirit, and accepted by the girls in innocence. My mum never spoke of unplanned pregnancies, though I imagine they occurred. The war spirit affected everyone. Lifts were given to any soldier and, of course, to Land Girls. Trucks carrying troops would readily stop for the girls, their bicycles hoisted on board, and friendships struck. Romance readily followed.
A prisoner of war camp was sited a few miles out of Cambridge. The Italian troops held there were sent to work on the farms and learned a little English. Their lukewarm commitment to fighting is what my mother remembers most clearly. They had surrendered readily and were biding their time in relatively benign captivity. It is perhaps a tribute to the civilised nature of British society then, that they made no complaints about their treatment. Although my mum can't personally recall any liaisons between Italian prisoners and English girls, they must have happened.
My mother married before the end of the war. Her photograph shows her dressed in a rather splendid smart, short, tailored dress, a lovely violet colour she tells me. The tailored, slightly masculine style, perhaps reflecting the war's demand that women do men's work, was rather flattering. Of course, my mum made the dress herself with whatever materials she could lay her hands on. She left the Land Army before the war ended, when she fell pregnant with my older sister.
Pte William P Katz . (d.26th January 1945)
Held as a Prisoner in Fukuoka 3b.
Pte Dave Bernard Katzeff . South African Army Transvaal Scottish from Johannesburg S.A.
My father Dave Katzeff was a POW and during his time as a prisoner he compiled a book called "The Observer' which was edited by him. The late General Smuts wrote the forward. My father returned to South Africa in June 1945
Pte. Dave Katzeff . South African Army from Pretoria
My father Dave Katzeff was a POW in Stalag 1VB Mulberg and published The Observer. I have a copy with a forward by the late General Smuts.
Pte. Louis Katzovitz . British Army 56th Reconnaissance Regiment from London
Unfortunately, my dad Lou Katzovitz died when I was in my twenties and hadn't really matured enough to be interested in his war history. Now I would love to hear from him how his war went.
He drove a small armoured vehicle (a greyhound?) whilst with the First and Eighth Army and the 56th Reconaissance Regiment and was a radio operator. I think he trained on the Isle of Wight for a short time and then went to North Africa (he mentioned Sousse and Hammamet) then Sicily and then Italy (Monte Cassino) through to Austria (Brenner Pass/Heiligenblut?) at the end of the war.
Hyman Kauffman . British Army C Company RASC from London
Hymie Kauffman was a Driver trainer with C Company, RASC.
Flt.Sgt. Frederick John Kauter DFC.. Royal Australian Air Force 12 Sqdn. from Bega, New South Wales, Australia
Frederick Kauter was born in Pambula, New South Wales on 28th August 1911. He was the third child of George Joseph Kauter and Ethel Mary Cavanagh. He joined the RAAF on 12th of September 1941 and served with 12 Squadron RAF. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on 18 November 1943 with the rank of Pilot Officer. He was discharged on 1st July 1947 with the rank of Flight Lieutenant.
F/S Frederick John Kauter. DFC . RAAF 12sqd
Sgt. William Anthony Kavanagh . Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve from Dundrum, Co. Dublin
(d.23rd September 1944)
Sergeant William Kavanagh was the aon of William and Mary Kavanagh, of Dundrum. He was 24 when he died and is buried in the Dundrum (St. Nahis) Burial Ground, Dundrum, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Sgt. Kay . Royal Air Force 150 Sqdn.
Sgt Kay served with RAF 150 Squadron from October to December 1941, flying Wellingtons (R1414, L7870, X9816, R1216). The full crew were:
Sgt Kay Sgt Quinn Sgt Young Sgt Brown F/Lt Roy P/O Robert Chandler Sgt Hutchinson.
C Kay . British Army
C Kay served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch.
Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project has lost touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
L/Sgt. Ellis "John" Kay MM.. British Army 7th Btn Royal Norfolk Regiment
Sergeant Ellis Kay (4204388) served with the 7th Battalion Royal Norfolk Regiment in WW2. He was awarded the Military medal - London Gazette entry 21st December 1944.
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