238890 Gnr. Harold Barker West Royal Artillery from:Halifax, Yorkshire My father Harold West was, I believe, captured at Dunkirk and was marched to Poland. My research suggests he was at Stalag 21A from 1940 to 1945.
I recall his stories of brutality on the march from Dunkirk to the camp.
He told me he attempted to escape twice and, on one of these occasions with a friend blundered, into a pub frequented by the Germans. After some time serving as the butt of the Germans' sense of humour they were sent back to the camp.
On the second occasion he was challenged after dark in an unknown town, narrowly escaped being shot and returned to the camp.
Harold was just 19 in May 1940. He was a physically fit young man being a swimmer and rugby player in his beloved county of Yorkshire.
Any photographs others may have of this camp may allow me to find him there. Additional Information: | Further research indicates my father's capture by the Germans was not at Dunkirk but at Calais on 26/5/40 the first day of the evacuation from Dunkirk some 25 miles north east. He was in 229 Anti Tank Battery RA one of the survivors of the fierce fighting that took place at what became known as the Siege of Calais.
He was at Stalag 21a until 1943 when the POWs were moved until their release in 1945. Does anyone know who his pals were and where they were moved to? Alan West
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