British POWs in Siberia?

[Kyt]

The Iron Cage: Are British Prisoners of War Abandoned in Soviet Hands Still Alive in Siberia? Nigel Cawthorne

Whilst looking for something else I came across this. It's a sample of what seems to be a very interesting book. Printed copies are available or an online download for £3.25.

Authors OnLine - The Iron Cage by Nigel Cawthorne
(click View Sample)

[Brian S]

Originally Posted by Kyt

The Iron Cage: Are British Prisoners of War Abandoned in Soviet Hands Still Alive in Siberia? Nigel Cawthorne

Whilst looking for something else I came across this. It's a sample of what seems to be a very interesting book. Printed copies are available or an online download for £3.25.

Authors OnLine - The Iron Cage by Nigel Cawthorne
(click View Sample)

I believe I have a copy hidden away somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised myself if the Russians hadn't held on to some of the many thousands of P.O.W. from the Camps they Liberated in 1945.
Many came home by ship through Odessa arranged by 30 Mission who were based in Moscow.

[Kyt]

I've just acquired a tatty copy.

One statement that intrugues me:

One man, Frank Kelly, a Lewisham lad captured by the Germans at Arnhem and ‘liberated’ from Stalag 4B, had been returned in 1953 after eight years in a Soviet prison. He was immediately arrested by the British authorities for being absent without leave and his story was quickly dropped.

Does anyone have a list of POWs from Arnhem and/or Stalag 4B? Would be interesting to find out who he was.

[David Layne]

One man, Frank Kelly, a Lewisham lad captured by the Germans at Arnhem and ‘liberated’ from Stalag 4B, had been returned in 1953 after eight years in a Soviet prison. He was immediately arrested by the British authorities for being absent without leave and his story was quickly dropped.

I always view reports like this with a degree of skepticism. Surely after 55 years something would have come out, if nothing else a best selling book.

[Kyt]

Well the book is available - as posted in #1. What seems to be intriguing from what I've read so far is that the US Senate, and the Russians, has been taking this seriously for quite a long time, but the Brits still deny any knowledge.

And there is evidence that POWs remained. The author interviewed a French POW who was forced to stay after he was released from a gulag. He managed to get to the French embassy in the early 1980s but they didn't believe him. It wasn't until the early 90s that he finally managed to visit France again.

And the fact that most of the POWs, be they French, US or British (including Commonwealth) were listed as Missing meant that most families didn't chase this up. It was only after the Vietnam war ended and those families in the US started chasing up MIAs that information about possible cover ups from the Korean war and WW2 started appearing.