Hosford, J F

, ,

Lance Bombardier James Frederick (Jim) Hosford

Family/Last name:
Hosford
Forename(s) and initial(s):
James Frederick (Jim)
Place of birth:
London
Date of birth:
29/7/1919
Service number:
1517441
Military Unit:
British Army, Royal Artillery, 88th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (RA)
Rank when captured:
Lance Bombardier
Place of capture:
Tobruk
Date of capture:
6/1942
POW number:
29280
Camp
PG 66 Capua, Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf / Stalag 344
Data sources
The National Archives (UK)Other Sources (Relative's report)
View a commemorative certificate for this prisoner

I have just come across your website and would like to add my father to the “Names List”. His name was L Bdr Jim Hosford No 282/88 Heavy 1517441 AA Royal Artillery. He was captured at Tobruk North Africa in June 1942 and after a brief spell in an Italian POW camp he ended up in Stalag VIIIB/344 Lambsdorf working down a coal mine.

As I hear is usual my father never mentioned his time in the war and it was only at his funeral in 1988 that his brother presented me with a package of papers and photos that gave a glimpse into this horrendous period of his life. In some way it explains his behaviour during my childhood which ended up with my parents divorcing. These days I suppose it is recognised as post traumatic stress disorder.

I attach a couple of items that may be of interest. One is a group photo at Stalag VIIIB, my father is in the back row third from left. The other is a letter he wrote in 1945 to his brother who was in the Royal Navy, still down in Japan, giving a somewhat glib account of his capture and being on the “Death March”. Some of the comments would today be deemed not PC so I leave it to you as to whether you put it on the website. *

Colin Hosford

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