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United StatesDoes your book mention any of these guys Andy ?
ANZAC POW Free Men in Europe - B. PG57 - Udine/Gruppignano
Australia 
POW escapes from ship through hole made by torpedo
From page 114 of Six O'Clock Diamond by Gus Officer. Couldn't find a thread to add this to so here it is. Officer met this chap while at Campo PG 57 at Gruppignano north of Trieste.
Anyone come across these chaps before or can tie them to a ship? The only date mentioned is 'July'.I also met Rob Hearn and Dick Osborn, pilot and observer respectively, from a RAF Middle East Wellington squadron. They had been shot down in July (1943) had almost made it walking back but water had run right out. As they could find none, they had no choice so they had turned north to the coast road and given themselves up - the whole crew. Dick had a large, ugly scar on his back. The ship from Africa to Italy had collected a torpedo, killing the two crewmates he was sitting between but sparing him. He had managed to crawl through the hole made by the torpedo in the ship's side at the price of an ugly deep cut from the jagged edges. However, he was still alive and that was something for which to be profoundly thankful.
Does your book mention any of these guys Andy ?
ANZAC POW Free Men in Europe - B. PG57 - Udine/Gruppignano
Australia The site owner Bill Rudd lives near me in Melbourne and does a wonderful job with this site.Originally Posted by liverpool annie
Australia Hi Andy,
I am advised by a friend of mine that If the survivors were taken back to Tripoli before they went on to Italy, then the ship was probably the Tembien.
One of his contacts who served with the Welch Regiment escaped in that Manner.
Cheers
Australia Sorry for the late reply, Annie. No, didn't come across any of those.
Australia Thanks, Geoff. I think she's a bit too early though - 1942 vs. 1943.
http://ww2chat.com/forums/war-sea/46...lied-pows.html
Can I ask a question ? .... when is Melbourne Cup Day ?
George John ‘Gus’ Officer was born in Warrnambool on 2nd September 1920. After his father died when he was fourteen, he left school and got a job with the Bank of Australasia. When war broke out in 1939, he volunteered for the Air Force and was posted to the Middle East, taking part in the Alamein campaign against Rommel and his Afrika Korps in 1942. After the war he became an accountant, setting up his own practice in Horsham in 1952. He died in Melbourne on his eighty-sixth birthday
This young man from Warrnambool in Western Victoria joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1941. After training on Tiger Moths and Wirraways in Australia, he was sent to the Middle East where he flew Hurricanes on Operational Training Units. Eventually he was posted to 450 Squadron RAAF ‘the Desert Harassers’ flying Kittyhawks against the Messerschmidt 109s of the Luftwaffe and the Macchi 202s of the Italian Air Force. Shot down on Melbourne Cup Day 1942 by Lieutnant Fritz Geisshardt and narrowly escaping with his life from a burning Kittyhawk by parachute, Gus was captured by the enemy and spent the rest of the war as a prisoner in Italy and Germany until his liberation by the Russians in April 1945.
Friedrich "Fritz" Geisshardt (22 January 1919 – 5 April 1943)
"Fritz" Geisshardt was credited with 102 victories in 642 combat missions. He achieved 63 of his victories over the Eastern front. In his total are at least seventeen Spitfires.
Aces of the Luftwaffe - Friedrich Geisshardt
Australia Hi Annie,
First Tuesday in November in general however during the war years 1942-1944 it was the first Saturday which would make it November 7th.
Horse Racing was only allowed on Saturday during 1942-1944.
Cheers
Geoff
Australia You are wondering if who is in the photo, Annie?
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