Cecil George (known as George) Abel

From: Mary Walker:

(Cecil) George Abel

My father was in Stalag VIIIB and took part in the Long March. He was captured 24th January 1942 in the North African desert at Saunnu. I have his POW record from the ICRC and also his Army Service Record. He was with the RASC attached to the 8th Army. My father was in three camps in Italy before eventually being imprisoned in Lamsdorf VIIIB via Stalag IVB:
1st 66 PM.  2nd 65 PM.  3rd 53 PM

I don’t know if you are aware of a film entitled ” Satan At His Best” by Maurice Hatten. In 1992, “The Independent” (Sunday magazine) newspaper had an article about British POW’s attached to Auschwitz. Maurice Hatten made a documentary film about their experiences entitled ” Satan at His Best”. I was lucky enough to be invited to the viewing at the National Film Theatre on the anniversary of VE Day. I have copies of the Independent article. I also have a treasured video copy of the film. I really must entrust someone to copy it to DVD for me. You can imagine how shocked I was to see a photograph of my dad in the paper (he had died about three years previously.) I got in touch with a gentleman called Alf Battams who was in the photograph and film. It was through him I got to see the film. We kept in touch, but he has since died.

Reply to Mary Walker from Sam Marshall:
I have been looking into my grandfather’s war record on my father’s behalf as he struggles with emailing. My father has on several occasions attempted to contact people who he believes may know information about his father (my grandfather) with no success, so it is nice to finely hear back from someone, especially a relative of someone who it would appear was so close to his father/my grandfather.
My dad was never really able to find much out about his father’s history from his own father as he unfortunately passed away about 40 years ago when my father was only 10 and a half, although we do now have his war diaries and a few letters that he sent/received while he was a POW. In his diary it mentions George Abel (your father) and even comments about his birthday on the 25th of January (the day after they were captured), mentioning that they celebrated in the back of a truck with the German driver (who spoke English). He also comments how they slept in the back of the truck and how uncomfortable it was.
According to the diary they were in the RASC, D section, 1st support group company and were captured on the 24th of January 1942. In the diary it mentions that 15 of them were captured and the names are listed. It is also noted that your father was living at 85 Chaterton Road, Bromley, Kent. I have several other snippets of information, ie my grandfather J.W. Marshall took part on the long march (in 1945) and the diary even lists a number of places where they stopped.