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Pte. James Burton
British Army 2nd Btn. Lancashire Fusiliers
from:Prestwich, Manchester
(d.24th Mar 1944)
James Burton was wounded in the ill fated Dunkirk evacuation of 1940, captured and hospitalised in Belgium. Following recovery from his injuries, he was transported by trains to Germany where he was a prisoner in several camps before being housed in Stalag VIIIB in annexed Poland. Whilst there he was often forced to work outside of the camp on construction projects and following much unrest and repeated warnings to prisoners, he attempted escape and was shot dead on the 1944-03-24.
Initially he was buried at the camp but after the war he was laid to rest in the Commonwealth Cemetery in Krakow.
Before the war Jim was a in a vigilante group who used to seek out fascists within his local community. These fascists were known as Blackshirts and were led in the UK by Oswald Mosley and were sympathetic to Hitler and his beliefs. Jim was part of a local group of men who ensured Jewish citizens and others were not bullied and beaten on the streets. His big frame, athleticism, ability to look after himself and sense of justice made him a very popular figure in Prestwich, despite his tender years, he was only nineteen when war broke out.
A true hero.
