239956 Pte. Stephen Albert Betsworth British Army 5th Btn. Northamptonshire Regiment from:Farlington, Portsmouth Stephen Betsworth signed on with the British army in December 1942, following the death of friends in Farlington during a German bombing raid. Private Betsworth, serial number 14396516, was stationed with the Northamptonshire Regiment 5th Battalion 78th Division.
In June 1944, during active service, he was captured in Central Italy while in action connected with the Monte Cassino campaign.
According to the POW records, he was moved to Moosburg an der Isar, Bavaria, Germany where, listed as POW number 133317, he was held at Stalag 7 A (VII A) until the 23 Jul 1944. On the 2nd August 1944 he was billeted out to Wilhelm Mozer family household (delicatessen owner) and detailed to assist with the "demolition of bombed areas".
He used to speak of "how lucky he was, compared to some of the others, because as an British soldier he was respected and, given the circumstances, treated quite well" by the family he was billeted with.
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