大象传媒

Home and away

Reg Davies joined the Territorial Army in the 1930s then went onto become a soldier and bandsman in the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry. He married before the advent of WW2 , by then he had fathered two sons. Subsequently, he was captured at Hazebrook, France, on the 28th of May 1940, at 6 pm (his group had been engaged in delaying the enemy advance on Dunkirk. See copy of newspaper photo. Reg was imprisoned at Stalag XXA from the 29th of July 1940 until 3rd of March 1942, at BAB (not sure what that was) for six months then at Stalag VIIIB from 23rd September 1942 until the 15th of October 1943.
His wife, uncertain of her husband鈥檚 health or whereabouts, was busy looking after two young boys and working at a tailor鈥檚 shop. She worked altering uniforms to fit the various British and foreign military personnel stationed in the neighbourhood (the boys were oft engaged in picking up pins from the floor of the tailor鈥檚 workroom).
Meanwhile, The Bucks Free Press, (date not certain of) reported under the heading Bucks Roll of Honour:
鈥淢rs Davies, of 鈥楳arie Villa鈥�, Wycombe End, Beacosnsfield, has received news that her husband, Corporal Reginald G Davies, Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry, who had been reported missing, is a prisoner of war and is well. Mrs Davies received three letters together, one was written in May and another in June.鈥�
Reg finshed the war as a medical orderly in the RAMC, and wore a red Tudor style rose as insignia on the left arm of his uniform to show that he had been a POW.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.