Camps involved in War Criminal suspect screening and interrogation:

• London District Cage
  • 6-7 Kensington Palace Gardens London W8
  • 5 interviewing rooms
  • 2 work rooms
• Camp 9 - Kempton Park
  • 3 interviewing rooms
  • 1 large work room
  • 120 POW capacity
• Camp 186 - Colchester
  • 1 interviewing room
  • 30 POW capacity
• Camp 2218 - Vilvorde nr Brussels for LofC PW
• 2221 PW Camp Heembeek nr Brussels civilians and suspects in 'Q' compound

German PoW Camps

This link is to a very good website. It is a German website, but it lists all the German PoW camps (Stalags, Oflags, etc.) by number, nearest town, and Military District:

http://www.moosburg.org/info/stalag/laglist.html

Giuseppe Passalalpi

In March 2005, I received an email from an Italian, Silvio Passalalpi. Silvio wrote to me because he is trying to find out some information about the PoW camps which his father, Giuseppe Passalalpi, had been held in as a PoW in Great Britain during WWII.

Silvio provided his father's transfer document:

Using the document, you can see that Giuseppe Passalalpi was a member of the 20th Brescia Infantry Regiment of the 27th Brescia Infantry Division. This division was attached to the Italian X Corps at the Battle of El Alamein, during which it was effectively destroyed by the British 8th Army. The division was commanded by Generale di Divisione Brunetto Brunetti, who was likewise captured by the British.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Map depicting the Battle of El Alamein.
Note the positions held by the Italian 27th Brescia Infantry Division to the southwest of Generalmajor Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke’s Fallschirmjäger-Brigade 1 and to the north of the Italian 185th Folgore Parachute Division. When the Axis armoured and motorized divisions retreated to the west, the non-motorized Italian divisions, including the Brescia, were left stranded in the deep desert. With no real options (or water) left, they were forced to surrender. Ramcke, however, led the remnants of his brigade out of the desert on foot!

The transfer document also shows the path travelled across the British PoW camps:

• 15 July 1942 - Captured at El Alamein
• Transferred to Camp 306 - Fayid/Bitter Lake (Egypt)

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Postcard written by Giuseppe Passalalpi from Camp 306, July 15 1942

Camp 306 is believed to be in Egypt. The reason for this is not only because the card is inscribed "Italian Prisoners of War Camp 306 Egypt," but also because of the date the card was sent. Giuseppe Passalalpi was captured on July 15 1942, so at that time, he was still in Egypt around El Alamein. Later on, he was transferred to South Africa, but the location is unknown.

• Later held at camp in Zonderwater (South Africa); the camp's name was "Premier Mine" because of the large diamond mine in the area.
• 22 May 1944 - Transferred to Great Britain
• 7 July 1944 - Arrived in Camp 17 (Lodgemoor) - PoW Number: A452986
• 29 July 1944 - Camp 50 (Garswood Park, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire)

CLICK ON ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE

Rare Photos of Camp 50 (Garswood Park, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire)

• 29 November 1944 - Camp 81 (Pingley Farm, Brigg, Lindsey, Lincolnshire)
• 28 February 1945 - Camp 779 (Location unknown)
• Circa 31 March 1945 - 2 June 1946 - Camp 184 (Llanmartin, Magor, Newport, South Wales)
• 3 June 1946 - Repatriated

If anybody knows where Camp 779 was located, I would be grateful to hear from you.