Royal Engineers

[Ishbella]

Hi My Dad Alexander Lawson was in the Royal Engineers & his rank was SPR. in addition he was POW #53 in Urbisaglia Macerata ( also listed as Sforza Costa) Italy. He joined up in Kirkcaldy on June 26,1939. How would I go about obtaining the information he wrote upon his return to the U.K Any help would be appreciated Isabella Lawson

[christanel]

Welcome to the British-Genealogy forums Isabella. I think you may have come to us from Forces War Records so reading this will explain the connection.

Have you got your father's service records? If not they are still held by the MoD and can be applied for at a cost of 30 pounds and you will need a copy of his death certifcate. This 'sticky' explains and gives the link where you can download the application forms.
Did your father tell you he gave information about his experiences to the relevant authority or was it a more 'casual' recording of his story for family and others to read?
Christina

[timbo58]

If by 'information he wrote on return' you mean the Mi-IX (Mi9) interrogation reports then these are under reference WO344 at Kews national archives.
Not all men returning completed one however, there are approxiamately 140,000 at Kew.

These are separate and almost all information within them specific to the POW incarceration -this will not be included in the service records set.

https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk...of-war-1939-45

[Ishbella]

Hi It was my understanding that my father upon arriving back in U.K was asked by the military to write a detailed account. He was hidden by the Italian partisans for over 2 years. He had to give evidence regarding 2 Australians had been shot in the next village. In fact the people that helped him have remained our friends and we had the opportunity to go there to see where he hid & meet the people that helped him.

[timbo58]

Thats wonderful!
I read a wonderful book by Eric Newby a few years back 'love & war in the Appenines' which was a really interesting story from a great writer about his experiences along the same lines.
It certainly sounds feasible that the Mi9 report is the one he would have been asked for. Mi9 was (and still is) the department of military intelligence that deals with escape & evasion so it was gathering all of the information particularly from evaders & escapers.

If it exists within wo344 it'll be in this box file:
WO 344/387/2