‘The drawing is of Bill’s wife, Sally, copied from a small black and white photograph Bill had with him, Looking at the signature it appears to be Eastern European? But I believe would be someone who was also in 4B.
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‘Bill also told the story of a POW from Seaham who tended to rile the Germans. He was warned by the other POWs to calm down. One night Germans came and told him he was being transferred to another camp: next morning his body was on the barbed wire, shot trying to escape. I cannot remember his name, but Bill went to see his parents when he returned.’
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The story of the South Notts Hussars’ heroic last stand at Knightsbridge in June 1942 is told in the excellent Peter Hart book, To The Last Round (Pen and Sword, 1996).
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James Ryder, is listed in my consecutive POW numbers listing. Looking at his much lower POW number, 226061, he must have arrived in Stalag 4B several months before Gnr McQuilliam, in 9/43.
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It’s likely that several of the 23 escaped PG 54 POWs sheltered by the Italian family in Moreconi will have POW numbers very close to Gnr McQuilliam’s number..
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The Stalag 4B id tag 267101 is still attached to its original string in the image at right and to Gnr McQuilliam’s British Army id tags, which would have his Army number, 790917, stamped on the other side. For more on Army Numbers see this page of the site.
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It’s very likely that the mystery artist who drew the portrait of Gnr McQuilliam’s wife in 1944, sketched many more such drawings. Can anyone decipher the signature, which is enlarged below?
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