Colin Jones
Colin Jones |
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Colin Jones came from Leicester. He was a Seaman in the Royal Navy, on the Light Cruiser HMS Gloucester.. He was one of the 85 survivors of the 807 men on board when the ship was sunk by Stuka dive-bombers off the coast of Crete on 22nd May 1941.
The records of most POWs were destroyed at the end of the war but, by a strange twist of fate, Colin Jones' records survived. A soldier in Berlin at the end of the war was given the task of destroying a large number of POW records. By chance he also came from Leicester and saved Colin Jones' records, returning them to his family when he got back to the UK.
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According to the records, Colin seems to have decided to escape as often as he could. Below is a time-line of his whereabouts from 1941 until 1945.
June 30th: Marburg (probably Stalag 18D), gardening work.
7th July: Missling St. Ilgen ( Work Camp), tunnel work.
13th November: Work Camp 1/GW, Tremmersfeld.
6th December: Escaped.
8th December: Recaptured.
19th December - 9th January: 21 Days Punishment.
10th January: Work Camp 132/GW.
1st August: Stalag 18B (Wagna).
17th - 27th August: Under Arrest.
19th October: Escaped.
21st October: Recaptured.
21st October - 7th November: Under Arrest.
7th November: Work Camp 170/GW, Sterntal.
24th December: Escaped.
25th December: Recaptured.
31st December: Escaped.
15th January: Recaptured.
15th January: Stalag 18A (Wolfsberg).
29th January: Work Camp 1768/L.
3rd February: Work Camp 197/GW.
9th - 30th February: Under Arrest.
31st March: Work Camp 1029/GW.
1st July: Escaped.
8th July: Recaptured.
8th July: Landeck Prison.
24th July: Stalag 18A/Z.
14th August: Work Camp 7001/GW.
27th November: Work Camp: 2080/L.
15th January: Escaped.
20th January: Recaptured.
25th January: Landeck Prison.
7th February: Escaped.
11th February: Discipline Work Camp 173/HV (21 Days Punishment).
26th April: Work Camp 107/GW.
20th May: Work Camp 219/GW.
11th July: Work Camp 36/L.
9th September: Escaped.
18th September: Recaptured.
18th September: Landeck Prison.
22nd September: Stalag 18A.
27th September: Work Camp 238/GW.
6th November: Escaped (7 Days Punishment).
14th December: Stalag 18A (21 Days Punishment).
5th February: Work Camp 180/GW.
7th February: Stalag 18A.
12th February: Work Camp 1017/GW.
23rd February: Stalag 18A.
27th April: Stalag 18C (Markt Pongau).
Details provided by Colin's daughter, Sharon Hanney.
