248486 Tpr. Thomas William Davison British Army East Yorkshire Regiment from:Hessle, East Yorkshire Tom Davison, my Father, was captured by German Paratroopers on the Greek Island of Kos while manning a Bofors AA Gun near the airfield. The officer in charge of the AA Unit, on seeing the Paras dropping across the island, had taken men with him in an endeavour to prevent the paras forming up. Unfortunately, they were too late and on the way back he was in time to see Tom and gun crew being marched away. Considering that they had been firing at the aircraft and paras just moments before, it is remarkable that the prisoners were treated with such correctness.
Dad was shipped to Italy and handed to the Italians who stole everything he had, including his coat on arrival. When the Italians surrendered, the German Army reclaimed him and shipped him to Germany and Stalag VIB, about 40 miles North of Dresden (which he saw burn).
Dad had great respect for the regular German Army units and soldiers who were very fine troops. He was never mis-treated during captivity and during the whole period he was in IVB, his Red Cross parcels were never interfered with, whilst outside the Camp the local civilians were starving. It was not easy inside the Camp either and the Russians got no help whatsoever and were in a very bad way. I know that he made friends with one who he tried to get scraps to, but never heard from him again once they were freed.
He had served at Dunkirk and in North Africa before ending up on Kos. He died aged 92. I still have his prisoners tags, letters and bric-a-brac, and most of all memories of a very fine, physically tough and honest man.
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