Lovelocks who were Prisoners of War

Prison camp illustration   
We have many opportunities, be it annual Remembrance Days or on significant anniversaries, to think about the brave men who were killed in action during both World Wars. But we rarely stop to consider those who suffered as Prisoners of War. And when we talk to relatives of a Lovelock who has left us we often hear 'he never spoke about the war'. This must be particularly true of POWs, who suffered and witnessed appalling conditions. But now, thanks to the increasing availability of War Office and Red Cross records, we are able to tell some of their stories for them.   
Prison camp illustration

Below are details relating to eight Lovelocks from the Great War and four from World War II. The stories of five of these men were told in the 12th Issue of the 'Lovelock Lines Newsletter' and are repeated here for completeness.

All of the research has been carried out by Sue Lovelock.

From the First World War:


Sydney Lovelock, service number 8671, was born in 1888 in Stratfield Mortimer near Reading in Berkshire, and joined the Lincolnshire Regiment before the Great War. Indeed he was serving in Aden at the time of the 1911 Census. At the outbreak of hostilities, his regiment was mobilised at Aulnoye-Aymieres in northern France and went immediately to Mons. Sydney was captured on 24 August 1914 following that infamous battle. His name did not appear on the Casualty Lists until 19 September as there was always a few weeks' lag in reporting, and at that time the War Office could only say he was missing. It was not until 19 February 1915 they confirmed that he was in fact a Prisoner of War. We know from other records that he was in a camp in Czersk (modern Poland) and was transferred to Chemnitz in Saxony in February 1918. He was released from the POW camp in Germany after the war ended, arriving in England on 14 January 1919. Sydney can be found in our Aldermaston Tree.

Arthur Lovelock, service number 63353, was born in 1884 and was originally a carpenter from Reading at the time he enlisted in the Royal Engineers 92 Company. He was sent to France, and in 1917 the London Gazette reported that he had been awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the field when fighting near Ypres. But in the spring of 1918 he was listed as missing, having been captured on 22 March. Casualty List 5671 dated 16 September 1918 confirmed that he was a Prisoner of War. He was apparently held at a camp in Merseburg in the east of Germany, but fortunately we know from Casualty List 5775 issued on 18 January 1919 that he had been released from Germany and was by then back in England. Arthur was a member of the Tangley Tree.

David John Lovelock, service numbers 22619 and M/404121, served in the 2nd Kings Royal Rifle Corps and later in the Army Service Corps. In August 1917 his wife, living in Blackfriars, London, received the news that he was missing in action. He had been captured on 10 July 1917 at Nieuwpoort in Belgium. By the end of September the Casualty List reported that he was a POW in German hands. He was held for a while in a prison camp hospital (called a 'lazarette') as he had been injured in the left shoulder. However, at that time there was a Red Cross initiative to move to Switzerland those POWS who had been badly wounded and were not likely to serve again. David seems to have benefitted from that, as by the time of the Casualty List dated 24 June 1918 he had returned to England from Switzerland. David belongs to our Hungerford-Shalbourne tree.

Arthur J Lovelock, service number G/2517, hailed from Bromley-By-Bow, apparently being born on 15 November 1883. He joined A company of the Middlesex Regiment as a Private in 1914 but was a Lance Corporal when he was first reported missing. He was captured on 3 May 1917 at Cherisy in the Pas-de-Calais and held for a while at Lille. Casualty List 5330 dated 6 Aug 1917 said 'he was previously reported wounded and missing (though this record has not been traced), and is now known to be a POW in German hands'. The Tree to which Arthur belonged has not been identified.

Charles James Lovelock, service number 6742 or 275188 was born in 1896 and, hailing from Balham, joined the 2/3 Battalion, London Regiment. He was wounded in his right arm, and captured on 26 October 1917 at Passchendaele. Casualty List 5445 issued 18 December 1917 said he was 'previously reported missing, now reported POW in German hands', Rank Private. List 5752 dated 19 December 1918 reports that having been released from a POW camp in Germany he has now arrived in England. In 1923 he married, finally settling in Devon, and dying in 1981. Charles was a member of the Froyle (Hampshire) Tree.

William Lovelock, service number G/8695 was a Private in the 9th Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment. The Casualty List issued on 27 October 1915 reported that he was missing. Given the date, and the movements of his regiment/battalion, this is likely to have happened following the Battle of Loos. The Casualty List dated 14 February 1916 stated that he was 'previously reported missing, now reported wounded and a POW in German hands'. The Casualty List issued on 4 January 1919 stated that he had been released from a POW camp in Germany and had arrived in England. William has not been positively identified but his next of kin lived at Catford in South East London. He could perhaps be the William aged 19 living with his brother and sisters in Forest Hill in the 1911 Census.

Frederick Arthur John Lovelock, service number 204071, was born on 18 January 1898 in Marlborough, Wiltshire. Serving as a Private in the 6th Wiltshire Regiment he was wounded and captured at Cambrai. He was held initially in a camp on the Western Front. Served from 1 September 1915 to 30 April 1919 (aged 22 at date of discharge). War Office Daily List 5691 dated 9 October 1918 says that the German government reported him as being a POW. His next of kin was reported to be living in Marlborough. Daily List 5774 dated 17 January 1919 reports that he has been released and has arrived in England. He later settled in Newport, Monmouthshire, and died in 1970. He was a member of the Wroughton-Tidcombe Tree.

Benjamin Lovelock, service number 205109, served as a Rifleman (Private) with the 9th Kings Royal Rifle Corps, B Company. He was wounded in a gas attack and captured on 21 March 1918 at the Battle of St Quentin in northern France. It was the first day of the German Spring Offensive known as Operation Michael, which ultimately failed. Benjamin was reported missing in Casualty List 5573 dated 23 May 1918 (NLS 1918_WList43). His next of kin James Lovelock lived at 5 Pridham Road West, Thornton Heath, Surrey. Benjamin had been previously held at Front Laz[arette?] (i.e. hospital camp) in Berlin. Casualty List 5762 dated 3 January 1919 said he had been released from a POW camp in Germany and had arrived in England. Benjamin was born in 1899, died in 1973, and was a member of the Farnham Tree.

From the Second World War:


Norman Harold Lovelock, service number 1091313, joined up in 1940 as a Gunner in the Royal Artillery 172 Field Regiment and later fought in North Africa. He had been promoted to Acting Lance Bombardier by the time he was reported as missing during action at Sidi Nsir on 27 Feb 1943. He was wounded during the fighting and later suffered from dysentery. (The London Gazette of 23 September 1943 reported that he had been mentioned in dispatches for his gallantry.) On 1 May 1943 the Casualty List confirmed that he had been taken prisoner, and a further document reveals that he was initially taken to southern Italy by his captors, being held in Camp No 66 at Capua. In June he was moved to a prison camp at Macerata where he remained for 3 months before being taken to Mooseburg near Munich, thence to Stalag 17a, commonly called Bruck, before finally ending up at Stalag 17b at Gneixendorf, near Krems in present-day Austria. During his time there, he helped to fill German railway wagon oil boxes with sand, grit or stones, thereby causing fires and resulting in trucks jumping off the rails. When he was in charge of a working party he would organise a “go-slow” on the activities they were required to undertake. But in early May 1945 he and a fellow prisoner escaped, having been given details of the positions of SS troops by Serbian POWs and Polish civilians, and made their way to Rohrbach where they met up with U.S. soldiers. Casualty List 1812 reported in July 1945 that he was no longer a POW. Following demobilisation early in 1946 he returned to civilian life as a painter. Norman was a member of the Wallingford Line.

Robert Cornwall Lovelock, service number 1796156, was a Gunner in the Royal Artillery (35th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment 144 Battery). He came from Cwmavon near Port Talbot in South Wales. According to a regimental history, he would have sailed from Greenock to Durban in November 1941, and from there to Singapore, arriving in mid-January 1942. He took part in an abortive attack on Malaya but the British troops were beaten back by the Japanese and many were taken prisoner. At first, Robert probably remained incarcerated in Singapore, but later he was moved to Malaya. Like so many of his fellow prisoners, he suffered unimaginable deprivation and died of ulcers on 16 November 1943, at the age of just 22. He is buried in Thanbyuzayat Cemetery in present-day Myanmar. Robert’s all too brief life is documented as part of the Lyneham Line.

William Wolfe Lovelock, service number 1446570, from Maidstone in Kent, joined the Royal Artillery as a Gunner in 1939 and served in 3 Battery of 1 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment. After service in the Middle East the regiment moved in September 1943 to the Dodecanese Islands of Greece. He was reported missing in action in the Aegean theatre of war on 16 November 1943 (Casualty List 1330 issued on 31 December 1943 WO417/70). It seems likely that he was captured following the Allied surrender at the Battle of Leros. Having been transported to mainland Greece and thence to Austria, William was initially held at Stalag 17a at Kaisersteinbruch (sometimes known as Bruck an der Leitha). In February 1944 Casualty List 1364 confirms that he was known to be a POW (WO417/71). According to information he provided immediately after the end of the war, he was then moved to Flaxbury camp where he remained until July. During this time, he undertook some sabotage work cutting cables (work for which he was well qualified, having been employed in cable laying before he enlisted). Then he was transferred to Stalag 17b at Gneixendorf in Austria, the camp later made famous by director Billy Wilder in the film ‘Stalag 17’. His POW No was 156076. Finally, Casualty List 1783 issued on 15 June 1945 confirmed that he had been released following the end of the war in Europe (WO417/93.1). William was born 28 February 1921, son of William and Rose (nee Wolfe), and was a member of the Tonbridge (Kent) tree.

Albert Edward Charles Lovelock, service number 1875345, born 1916, was a Lance Corporal in the 1st Light Armoured Division, 1 Field Troop Royal Engineers. Casualty List 277, issued on 9 August 1940, reported him missing in France (WO417/16). In fact he had been captured on 12 June during the attempt to evacuate British troops from France, resulting in the surrender at Saint-Valery-en-Caux in Normandy, but it took 6-8 weeks for such events to be reported. Casualty List 346 revealed that he was a POW (WO417/20). He was held in Stalag 20b in Marienburg, Poland, POW number 14711. Casualty List 1821 issued on 30 July 1945 said he was no longer a POW (WO417/95-1). Following his return to England he married and settled in Kent, where he died in 1976. He was a member of the Ropley, Crondall and Dogmersfield Tree.