ITALIAN

THE WAR MINISTRY (PRISONERS OF WAR OFFICE)

The camp was set up by the Italian War Ministry to house members of the Allied Forces who had been  taken prisoner in North Africa.   Although according to local sources it was handed over on 16 May, according to the War Office it did not officially open until October 1941. The documentation regarding  PG 52 can be found IN ITALIAN on website www.campifascisti.it. The important points contained in these documents have been translated and are as follows:
 - Prisoner numbers and nationalities
  - Requests for labour
 - Transfer of prisoners from PG 87 at Benevento to PG 52

a) Prisoner numbers and nationalities
The chart below was compiled from the monthly returns released by the War Ministry (Prisoners of War Office).  It will be noted that there are some  variations with the numbers given by the International Red Cross Committee held in British documentation and shown below.

b) Requests for Labour
Telegram dated 16 07 42
Request from POW Office (MOD) to Commander of XV Army Corps for POWs to constitute  a labour force

The Commanding officer is required to send a nucleus of 200 South African POWs to a work camp (unnamed) .
When selecting the men the following points should be borne in mind:
 - They must be well disciplined volunteers who are used to working in agriculture and terracing, omitting those whose conduct is poor
 - All must be physically suited and not suffering from any chronic illness and this fact should be written in their file
 - All must have  uniform and footwear in perfect condition and must be supplied with all the items on he attached   list, including a water bottle, toothbrush, toilet kit, overalls and shoe laces
 - Non commissioned officers should not be included
 - They must be accompanied by an interpreter coming from the men present in the camp whose name must be submitted to this office.

Telegram dated 10 02 43
from POW Office (War Ministry) to the Genoa office.
Request for 75 white South African labourers to be sent from PG 52 to Turin to build a new shooting range for Francesco Accati e Co. It is specifically requested that no non-commissioned officers be sent.

c)  Transfer of prisoners from PG 87
Telegram dated 26 October 1942
From XV Army Corps (PG 52 was under their charge)  to POW office (War Ministry)
493 prisoners have arrived at PG 52 from PG 87 Benevento instead of 494.  7343998 John Wilson reported to have escaped at Benevento. (He was however registered as being in PG 52 in File  WO 392/21 'Prisoners of War held in Italy' so he must have been recaptured and sent on there later.  Author's note)

 CAMP ARCHIVES

At the time of the Armistice the camp's adjutant,  Ten. Filippo Zavatteri removed the prisoner card index system and the camp diary and kept them safely until in 2008, following his death, his son Fabio donated them to the Archives and Museum of the Telecommunication School, which is based inside the Giordano Leone Barracks, Caperana, Chiavari. Also conserved are some items donated by the internees to the adjutant 'as a sign of appreciation for the way the camp was organised and the serene manner in which its day to day running was conducted'. (Giorgio 'Getto'  Viarengo in “Documenti per una storia del fascismo nel circondario di Chiavari”

Exhibits from the camp including the Card Index System

Prisoner of War index card

BRITISH

THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES LONDON

Most of the documentary information on Camp PG 52 is held here though a few individual accounts are to be found in the Imperial War Museum.  There are two main types of file:

1. International Red Cross/Protecting Power Reports

These are held in folder WO 361/1890 with a copy in WO 224/119.
a)  The part of these reports which refers to numbers of prisoners, nationality, branch of service, sickness and arrest/detention has been compiled into a chart and is reproduced below :

b)  Entries were made about the transfer of soldiers to work camps:

21 October 1942
The strength of the camp has declined since our preceding visit. This limitation is due to two consecutive transfers of prisoners to a camp for land work (camp no. 107)

20 January 1943
As mentioned in our previous report, 700 prisoners of war were transferred to the work Camp No. 107 which has been visited in the meantime twice and reported on.

21 April 1943
Apart from 7 internees originating from New Zealand, the other New Zealanders have been removed to Camp no. 57 (Grupignano) where New Zealanders are confined.  The Commandant, Col. Taddei...informed us of the establishment of three new working camps:

- 170 South African internees detached for work to an independent new working camp bearing the number 113, ( Avio)  were just leaving for the railway station to reach their new destination. I had a look at this group and spoke with several of these South Africans. They carried their personal effects; were well equipped and wore good shoes and English Uniforms. In reply to my question whether they liked to go to the new camp, they said that they were glad to get some work to do (agricultural) but otherwise they were sorry to leave Camp no. 52 where they were well cared for.

 - Another batch of fifty South African internees are employed in the working camp Rivarolo which is under the administration of Camp no. 52.

 - The third working camp 'Broni' to which 90 South African prisoners of war have been detached for agricultural work, to be placed under the jurisdiction of Camp no. 5 (Gavi); it will be visited by us in the near future.

07 Sept 1943
The labour camp 'Rivarolo'... has been closed and the prisoners of war who worked there have returned to the base-camp No. 52.

3.  The movement of servicemen between camps was referred to:

7 September 1943
 - The strength of the camp has remained about equal to that which we found when the camp was visited previously on the 21st April, 1943.
  - In June approximately 465 prisoners of war arrived here from Camp No. 65; at the same time, about 450 prisoners were detailed to the labour detachments of Camp No. 5.
- 59 prisoners of war were sent on July 8, 1943, to Camp No. 53. (THE DESTINATON CAMP IS INCORRECT. THEY WERE SENT TO PG 73 FOSSOLI ACCORDING TO ONE OF THE PRISONERS INVOLVED - KENNETH PERCIVAL WATERHOUSE. Author's note.)
- Four sailors were transferred to Camp No.53.

2.  Liberation Reports

Compiled upon their liberation by Allied forces in Germany and Austria in 1945 these reports give the names and dates of the camps in which men were held. The movements of five soldiers and a submariner who at one time were held in PG 52 can be read on the ARMISTICE   page of this website.

3.  War Crimes Investigations

These are  held in folders   TS 26/417          WO 311/317          WO 311/1209          WO 311/1243
Extracts can be found in the CAMP REPORTS and WAR CRIMES  pages of this website

THE COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION

Other important documentation is contained in the Concentration Forms which record the transfer of servicemen to small local cemeteries to larger ones.
The men who died in the camp or in the hospital in Chiavari were all buried in Cicagna Civil Cemetery, just a few kilometres from Coreglia Ligure,  before being transferred to Milan War Cemetery. 
Information about these temporary burials came from website Caserma di Caperana – the Signals Academy at Caperana, Chiavari  and also from  WO 361/1890.  According to the Commission the following servicemen were taken from Cicagna to Milan:

Name                                              Number                Rank                                              Unit                                                                      Regiment Description                              Date of Death

 It is interesting to note that one of these servicemen, S/Sgt. Victor J. White, died after the Armistice of 8 September. He may have been the man referred to by Bombardier Myburgh on the ARMISTICE page of this website as having been shot whilst escaping when on his way to Chiavari Station but this would need to be verified.

THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS COMMITTEE

On 22 July 1943 a trainload of 332 prisoners of left  PG 73 Fossoli for Stalags in  Germany.  After a period in Stalag 4B Muhlberg most ended up at Stalag 334 Lamsdorf.
Of these 332 prisoners, one hundred are recorded in National Archives File WO 392/21 (Imperial Prisoners of War held in Italy) as having been  previously  held in PG 52 Pian di Coreglia, to which another four can be added who were registered in another camp. The names of all 332 can be found on www.campifasciti.it under Documents in the PG 52 Pian di Coreglia page.
The chart below shows the names of prisoners registered in PG 52 which has been extrapolated from the  International Red Cross sheet:-

	Number	Rank	Unit	Name
1	2329053	DVR	R. SIGS	AINSBURY FRANK	9	7912408	TPR	RAC	HIBBERT SYDNEY
2	6846429	CPL	N.DF	ASHWOOD FREDERICK C.	30	4974100	PTE	FOR'STERS	JENNINGS BERTRAM
3	9578366	GNR	RA	AKHURST PERCY	1	44622	CPL	RASC	JONES WILFRED
4	875920	GNR	RA	BARNES GEORGE	2	242072	DVR	RASC	KINGSNORTH HERBERT
5	4393997	CPL	GN HOW	BICKERTON LEONARD W.	3	355565	PTE	UDF	KINCAID ROBERT
6	78980353	CPL	RAC	BLOOMFIELD DANIEL	4	104317	L/BDR	SAA	KRUGER PIETER E.J.
7	4749239	PTE	GN HOW	BOASE LAURENCE	5	55175	CPL	RASC	LEVY ARTHUR
8	2574985	CPL	R SIGS	BOUNDEN HARRY J.	6	3406	CPL	UDF	LISHMAN CLIVE
9	5830015	PTE	GN HOW	BOWERS LESLIE N.	7	3911114	PTE	SWB	LLOYD HUBERT
10	7615281	L/CPL	REME	BROWN ALBERT	8	4127029	DVR	CHES	LYNCHY BERT
1	123079	PTE	RASC	CALVERT KENNETH J.	9	5109780	DVR	RASC	MALLINS HAROLD
2	1531245	GNR	RA	CRONK CLIFFORD	40	109326	L/BDR	SAA	MATCHETT MILLER
3	3448943	SGM	R SIGS	DANIELS JOHN H.	1	79363	PTE	UDF	MAYNE HERBERT S.P.
4	962485	GNR	RA	DIMES HENRY A.	2	31081	CPL	UDF	McCRACKEN LAWRENCE W.
5	7906736	TPR	RAC	DRISCOLL WILLIAM J.	3	1646995	GNR	RA	McDONALD DAVID
6	36638	CPL	UDF	DUNDAS JOHN	4	2331693	CPL	R SIGS	MINSHULL JOHN G.
7	2078689	DVR	RE	FIELDING FREDERICK W.	5	251552	L/CPL	UDF	MITTEN CLAUDE R.
8	111282	GNR	SAA	FOOTMAN CLARENCE L.	6	7621677	CFN	REME	MUNFORD PETER
9	824028	GNR	RA	FOWLER RICHARD	7	43893	L/CPL	RASC	NASH JOHN
20	105ì85419	GNR	RA	FRAMPTON WALTER S.	8	985234	GNR	RA	NEWTON GEORGE
1	116638	PTE	UDF	FRANCIS WALTER R.	9	4393900	PTE	GN HOW	OWEN JOHN
2	4390836	PTE	GN HOW	GARDINER GEORGE H.	50	235192	L/CPL	UDF	PARNELL NORMAN
3	235788	CPL	UDF	GARLICK HYMAN	1	2278179	PTE	UDF	PIENAAR GERHARDUS M.
4	28271	CPL	UDF	GASCOIGNE EDWARD W.	2	4913521	PTE	FOR'STERS	REEVES EDWARD
5	73564	GNR	SAA	GREYLING KENNETH S.	3	26049	PTE	UDF	REITZ GERALD J.L.
6	43047	L/CPL	UDF	HANSEN OSWALD H.	4	916986	GNR	RA	RENNIE ALEXANDER C.
7	6214071	GNR	RA	HANTON WALTER C.	5	4390629	PTE	GN HOW	RHODES THOMAS W.
8	6855498	L/CPL	KRRC	HERUD HAROLD S.	6	2070669	SPR	RE	ROBINSON MATHEW O.

57	219814	DVR	RASC	ROBINSON WILLIAM B.	9	1477263	GNR	RA	THOMSETT EDWARD
8	2587701	SGM	R SIGS	ROLLS IVOR H.	80	984811	GNR	RA	TURNBULL JAMES W.
9	2372467	SGM	R SIGS	SARGINSON WILLIAM	1	7887085	TPR	RAC	UNDERWOOD HENRY E.
60	826239	GNR	RA	SAYERS JOSEPH R.	2	1470239	GNR	RA	URVOY ADOLPHUS
1	2346215	DVR	R SIGS	SHERRINGTON FREDERICK C.	3	179208	DVR	RASC	VICKERY DOUGLAS S.
2	2695989	GDSM	SG	SHIPLEY HERBERT	4	19968	SPR	SAE	WATERHOUSE KENNETH P.
3	15213	TPR	UDF	SIECKER CORNELIUS J.	5	4394453	PTE	GN HOW	WATERS GEORGE
4	157472	DVR	RASC	SIMPSON JAMES	6	7908158	TPR	RAC	WAUGH JOHN
5	894698	GNR	RA	SIMPSON ROERT F.	7	6303781	PTE	R.SUSS	WEBBER EDWARD F.
6	263542	DVR	RASC	SPENCER RICHARD	8	2111690	SPR	RE	WEIR ROLAND A.
7	1569540	GNR	RA	SQUIRES GEORGE L.	9	5056565	PTE	RAOC	WELTON REGINALD
8	T/205307	PTE	RASC	STAITE JACK	90	398361	TPR	RAC	WHITTAKER GEORGE
9	890806	L/BDR	RA	STIRLING EDWARD	1	3521162	GNR	RA	WILKINSON ARTHUR
70	76972	PTE	UDF	STONE JOHANNES G.	2	2011957	CPL	RE	WILLIAMS ANEURIN
1	7912333	TPR	RAC	STRUDWICK WILLIAM W.	3	237701	DVR	RASC	WILLIAMS JAMES H.
2	191585	L/CPL	UDF	STRYDOM J.	4	251577	SGMN	SA SIGS	WILSON EDMUND D.
3	270152	CPL	RASC	TAYLOR JOHN	5	T/173618	PTE	RASC	WILSON ROBERT
4	1568491	CPL	RA	TAYLOR WILLIAM H.	6	34563361	DVR	RASC	WINSTANLEY JOHN
5	43345347	PTE	E YORKS	TAYLOR ERNEST	7	173618	PTE	RASC	WORTHINGTON GEORGE
6	226104	DVR	RASC	THOMAS JOSEPH	8	913545	GNR	RA	YATES GEORGE E.
7	4912421	CPL	PC	THOMPSON ERNEST W.	9	203525	DVR	RE	YATES JOHN R.
8	224687	DVR	RASC	THOMPSON LEONARD	100	25367	L/CPL	UDF	YOUNG M.S.
	Rank	Unit	Name						Registered in Camp
1	T/164260	DVR	RASC	HUGHES JOHN L.					87
2	17420	PTE	NZEF	RUSHBRIDGE THOMAS R					57
3	4391120	PTE.	GN HOW	SALTER HARRY E.					66
4	325014	TPR	RAC	WATSON ERIC					66

Abbreviations used in the above chart
CFN Craftsman                                   CPL Corporal                                        DVR Driver                                           GDSM Guardsman
GNR Gunner                                        L/BDR Lance Bombardier                 L/CPL Lance Corporal                       PTE Private
SGM Signalman                                  SPR Sapper                                          TPR Trooper                                       

CHES Cheshire Regiment                FOR'STERS Sherwood Foresters      GN HOW   Green Howards               KRRC King's Royal Rifle Corps 
N.DF Northumberland Fusiliers      PC Pioneer Corps                               RA  Royal Artillery                               RAC Royal Armoured Corps
RAOC Royal Army Ordnance Corps                                                              RASC Royal Army Service Corps
RE Royal Engineers                           REME Royal Electrical /Mechanical Engineers                                              R SIGS Royal Corps of Signals
R.SUSS Royal Sussex Regiment      SAA South African Artillery                SAE South African Engineers           SG Scots Guards
 SWB South Wales Borderers         UDF Union Defence Force, South Africa

©  Janet Kinrade Dethick January 2018