Help with Research
(This information is valid for all German POW camps)
Please note: we have no information about former POWs apart from what is already on this website but we are pleased to offer this information to help you research the man or woman you are interested in, in the hope that you will share the results of your enquiries to help us make this a truly comprehensive home for the commemoration of all WWII Allied POWs.
[email protected]
It is not always easy to find out information about individuals who were prisoners of war. You might find out the information you are looking for by exploring this website, but if not, the sources below might help you (scroll down towards the bottom for additional links for UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada).
Facebook Groups
Here you can ask for help or exchange information with others who have an interest in Prisoners of War:
Lamsdorf Facebook Group (for Stalag VIIIB/344)
Stalag Facebook Group (for other German POW camps)
Groupe français Facebook ICI
POWs Italy Facebook Group (for Italian POW camps)
International Committee of the Red Cross
If you are seeking information about a person who was held as a prisoner of war or civilian internee in connection with a conflict in the twentieth century, the ICRC’s Archives may be able to furnish you with information in its possession. It can take a long time to get a reply.
http://www.icrc.org/eng/contact-archives
International Tracing Service
to request information about civilian victims of the Nazi regime (concentration camp internees, prisoners of war assigned to forced labour, other forced labourers, displaced persons):
Grosse Allee 5–9, 34454 Bad Arolsen, Germany
www.its-arolsen.org/en/homepage/index.html
The Polish Central Prisoner of War Museum
at Lambinowice (Lamsdorf) has a good website, with some of it in English:
www.cmjw.pl/en/
The Museum’s contact details are:
Centralne Muzeum Jeñców Wojennych w Lambinowicach-Opoluul.
Muzealna 4, 48-316 Lambinowice
Contact: [email protected]
John Jay
John Jay, author of Facing Fearful Odds – My Father’s Story of Captivity, Escape and Resistance, 1940-45 has produced a very useful document detailing his own researches, which is likely to be very useful to anyone wondering how to get started.
Russian State Military Archive and the State Archive of the Russian Federation
The Soviet Army took many records and documents from Stalag 344 Lamsdorf when they arrived there in 1945. More details about this can be found in John Jay’s document mentioned above.
Royal Air Force research
This site is an excellent research tool for anything to do with the Royal Air Force:
http://www.rafcommands.com/
The above site also includes a link to this list:
Air Force POWs 1939 – 1945
This list was compiled by Ross McNeill from the AIR20/2336 Records file held at the Public Record Office, Kew, London. The PoW names are in alphabetical order and include RAF/RAAF/RCAF/RNZAF/SAAF and Occupied Countries aircrew. Camps and names are generally correct for March/April 1944 with some entries being correct up to February 1945.
It lists Lamsdorf as Stalag 344, though don’t forget that up until late 1943 it was Stalag VIIIB (8B). Teschen is shown as 8B.
Click on this link, then click on ‘Air Force POWs’:
www.rafcommands.com/old-site/air-force-pows/
The Long March
For research about the Long March of 1945, click HERE.
Ancestry.com
A lot of POW records have been put on-line by Ancestry.com and of course you have to pay to view them.
www.ancestry.com
Others
Here are some sites with useful POW research links:
www.ukmfh.org.uk/category/pow
www.family-tree.co.uk/tag/prisoners
You might find these sites useful too:
The Wartime Memories Project
www.wartimememories.co.uk/pow/stalag8b.html
BBC WW2 People’s War Archive
www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/categories/c1204/index.shtml
The Pegasus Archive
www.pegasusarchive.org/pow
Additional sites for UK POWs
UK Ministry of Defence
to request personal data and service records:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records
Forces War Records
is a paid-for online research service for military records of British Armed Forces personnel:
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/search/
The National Archives (UK)
The National Archives website has a brief guide to researching records of British prisoners of war during the Second World War. Records of British prisoners of war for this period are varied and can be complicated. They are also incomplete. Those records which do exist are mostly available at The National Archives.
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/britishpowsecondworldwar.htm
NEWS
UK National Archives Announces the Opening of Prisoner of War Archives
18th January, 2018
The (UK) National Archives announced they are opening their prisoner of war (WW II) archives. These documents were transferred to the National Archives in December 2014. There are approximately 190,000 records of persons captured in German-occupied territory during World War II, primarily Allied service men (including Canadians, South Africans, Australians, New Zealanders, British and Allied civilians and some nurses. There are also cards for American, Norwegian, Chinese, Arab and Cypriot origins.
The new collection (WO 416) also includes several thousand records of deceased allied airmen whose bodies were found near their downed aircrafts. While these airmen were never prisoners of war, these records act as records of death.
The records are cards—some persons have up to 15 cards, but most have only one or two. It is not catalogued by name of individual for privacy reasons as some may still be living. The National Archives has started to catalogue the entire series and they have opened the records for those who were born more than 100 years ago or if they have proof of death.
You can see details here: National Archives POW Collection
You can browse the archive here: Browse National Archive POW Collection
British Army POWs of the Germans (all camps, not just Stalag VIIIB/344 Lamsdorf)
This list was possibly compiled in 1944 (as it shows Lamsdorf as 344 – 8b is Teschen).
This is a very big file and might take a long time to download: British Army POWs (this file is currently unavailable through the site. Get in touch for more information).
The National Army Museum
has a useful guide to researching POW names:
www.nam.ac.uk
Additional site for Australia
The Australian War Memorial
www.awm.gov.au/research/family
The Australian War Memorial website has some very useful information and links to help researches.
One of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs key roles is acknowledging and commemorating the service and sacrifice of all those who served Australia and its allies in wars, conflicts and peace operations through commemorations, memorials, war graves and research. As one part of this commemoration, DVA has published four nominal rolls. These nominal rolls list members of Australia’s defence forces who served during World War Two, Korean War, Vietnam War and First Gulf War. https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au
Additional sites for Canada
Library and Archives Canada
www.collectionscanada.ca
Library and Archives Canada holds an extensive collection of records of the Canadian men and women who have served their country in the armed forces.
Veterans Affairs Canada
www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/virtualmem
A virtual war memorial and database.
Canadian Battlefield Tours
Gary McKay at Canadian Battlefield Tours is very knowledgeable about Canadian servicemen in WW2 and has good sources of information, so you could try emailing him on [email protected]
Additional Site for New Zealand
New Zealand Defence Force Records Archive
http://www.nzdf.mil.nz/personnel-records/nzdf-archives/
Please Note: The names and details of past and serving members of the NZ Defence Forces are not available for searching online. If you want a copy of your own service record or that of a relative please go to www.nzdf.mil.nz/personnel-records/nzdf-archives/, download and send back the completed Military Service File Copy application form.