Below is a list of 24 British servicemen who escaped from Camp 59 in September 1943. Of these names, 22 are new to this site. I felt great satisfaction in adding them to the master Prisoner List page last night.

All of these escapees traveled south from the camp and safely reached the Allied lines.

The list is courtesy of British researcher Brian Sims. Brian’s father, T/221204 Dvr W. H. Sims, died at sea as a POW in November 1942. Brian’s accessing of records about the sinking of the S.S. Scillin by a British submarine as it carried POWs from Libya to Italy launched his over his over 20 years of research into POW records at the UK National Archives.

The two names that are not new to this site are H. Schofield and Howard F. Jones (H. F. Jones below).

Giuseppe Millozzi, in Allied Prisoners of War in the Region of the Marche and Prison Camp at Servigliano has written that H. Schofield was among the first to escape through the hole in the camp’s west wall, with fellow SAS soldier J. G. Whitlow on September 14, 1943.

Captain J. H. D. Millar, the British officer who was responsible for the evacuation of Camp 59 on September 14, 1943, said in his memoir that he left the camp with Howard F. Jones that night.

Although the records show that most of the men left camp the night of September 14, the record for F. T. Lockett indicates he left a day later, whereas the records of W. G. Newall and B. Guy indicate they left on September 12.

When I questioned whether the three men actually left on these earlier and later dates, Brian said it’s possible the dates could be wrong. “It was a time of great stress so little slip ups could occur,” he wrote.

“There is evidence that at least two sets of Reports made by Escapers through the Lines cannot be found, and that not 100% of Escapers into Switzerland made Reports. This is referred to by MI9 in comments made on a couple of Reports I have read.

“Many POW who were on the loose after the Armistice in Italy were killed by either the Italian Fascists or Germans. The War Crimes Files contain many accounts.”

Many thanks to Brian for sharing the list and allowing me to post it on this site.

F. T. Lockett
Service Number—5050489
Sergeant
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 15, 1943

A. A. Willis
Service Number—5774137
Sergeant
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

L. Rowbottom
Service Number—1065671
Sergeant
3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

H. Schofield
Service Number—2368486
Signalman
Special Air Service
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

H. F. Jones
Service Number—7518016
Corporal
16th Parachute Field Ambulance
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

G. W. Jaques
Service Number—883615
Gunner
Special Air Service
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

R. E. M. Gollop
Service Number—7586544
Sergeant
2nd Battalion, Hampshire Regiment
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

T. H. Knight
Service Number—5493563
Sergeant
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

H. Tugwell
Service Number—614025
Sergeant
1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

J. W. T. Duffield
Flight Sergeant
Royal Air Force
Service Number—568313
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

E. R. H. Silverman
Service Number—7015022
Sergeant
London Irish Rifles
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

C. Cowley
Service Number—5495088
2nd Battalion, Hampshire Regiment
Sergeant
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

F. R. Jackson
Service Number—7888771
Trooper
7th Battalion, Royal Tank Regiment
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

W. G. Newall
Service Number—6137771
Lance-Sergeant
1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 12, 1943

J. Georgiou
Service Number—1712593
Gunner
49th Battalion, Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

G. Aitken
Service Number—2980168
Lance-Sergeant
93rd Battalion, Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

W. Burns
Service Number—3196639
Sergeant
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

R. H. Collins
Service Number—5342465
Lance-Sergeant
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

S. C. Dowland
Service Number—2614655
Corporal
1st Special Air Service Regiment
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

J. M. Greenshields
Platoon Acting Sergeant
Service Number—860452
Royal Horse Artillery
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

B. Guy
Service Number—902822
Flight Sergeant
39th Squadron, Royal Air Force
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 12, 1943

P. A. Hawksley-Hill
Service Number—115227
Sergeant Pilot
185th Squadron, Royal Air Force
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

G. Mackenzie
Service Number—2748467
Sergeant
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943

J. F. Meyler
Service Number—4886262
Sergeant
5th Battalion, Royal Tank Regiment
Escaped from Camp 59 on September 14, 1943