Baldwin & Sons
Auction 75 26 September 2012
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MILITARY MEDALS. A Collection of Prisoner of War Groups and Medals. An emotive WWII Norwegian Campaign 'POW' Escaper's Group of 3 awarded to Company Sergeant Major Alan Bell, RAOC, late King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI), who initially escaped Stalag XXB at Marienburg before recapture nearly 150 miles away near Warsaw, only to eventually escape successfully, 1939-1945 Star, War Medal, 1939-1945, Army Long Service & Good Conduct Medal, G VI R, Regular Army (4692403 W.O. Cl. 2., A.E.Bell. R.A.O.C.); the first two medals unnamed as issued, the latter officially impressed, pair court mounted on card for display. Unevenly toned, good very fine. (3)
Alan Edwin Bell was born 1 July 1918 at Sheffield, Yorkshire. His father was a silver finisher, who himself has served in the Great War with the Hallamshires, and as something of a drifter, Alan for a time followed in his father's footsteps in this trade whilst studying part-time at Sheffield University. In 1936 he was expelled from his studies at Sheffield for being caught at a party in the Ladies's Section of the University, and then for a period of time he became a member of Moseley's 'Black Shirts – he was himself present at a riot between Black Shirts and police at Sheffield City Hall.
After a short and relatively successful period working in business, Alan Bell enlisted for service with the KOYLIs in July 1939 at Pontefract, Yorkshire, shortly before the outbreak of WWII, attaining the rank of Corporal. He served with the KOYLIs in Norway, landing at Namsos 17 April 1940, where moving south towards Kvam they met a force of German crack troops, and were taken prisoner at Namdalseidet. They were initially moved to Trondheim for a period, then taken by ship to Denmark, and finally sent in cattle trucks to Stalag XXA in Thorn, Poland. Whilst there, he and other POWs were taken by train to work at Sellestrau on the Baltic Coast, and there suffered great hardship, and additionally in 1943 Corporal Bell was sentenced to 6 months in the military prison at Graudenz for purchasing Black Market flour to furnish cakes for a New Year's party.
Having lost a great deal of weight, he returned to 'ordinary' POW life at Stalag XX-B at Fallingbostel in West Germany. As a local paper from 1969 records in some detail, in late 1944 Corporal Bell and an associate were then very nearly shot for manufacturing linen-stuffed counterfeit cigarettes and swapping them for food with the camp guards. Additionally, during his time here as a POW, Corporal Bell wrote to the Mayor of Sheffield, asking for a pen pal to help pass the time. Whilst he heard nothing for some time, he was suddenly inundated by letters and photographs from young ladies and gents, and even the odd carton of cigarettes! This apparently created a wave of letters to town mayors, which was soon stamped out by the prison guards.
Perhaps having reached his lowest, he and two French prisoners effected their escape from Stalag 357 by swimming naked (with possessions tied up in a groundsheet) through the length of the camp latrine trench to the nearby river. He was to learn later that the two French prisoners had escaped also, but that at the end of the war some 14 bodies of unsuccessful escapers were found in that same foul stretch of trench. Not long after this attempt at escape, in early 1945 he managed to break away from his marching column of prisoners, who were being relocated to a new camp, and finally reached allied forces. After his return to England, where he was soon married, he remained with the Army, being transferred to the RAOC with whom he served until 23 August 1961 – all in all a total of 22 years. Tragically, despite a peaceful retirement, he chose to end his own life 30 October 1986.
Sold with a folder of superb research, much written by a personal friend and fellow POW, personal letters, pictures, newspaper clippings and a ration card from Graudenz Prison, dated 1943.
Estimate: £400-500
Alan Edwin Bell was born 1 July 1918 at Sheffield, Yorkshire. His father was a silver finisher, who himself has served in the Great War with the Hallamshires, and as something of a drifter, Alan for a time followed in his father's footsteps in this trade whilst studying part-time at Sheffield University. In 1936 he was expelled from his studies at Sheffield for being caught at a party in the Ladies's Section of the University, and then for a period of time he became a member of Moseley's 'Black Shirts – he was himself present at a riot between Black Shirts and police at Sheffield City Hall.
After a short and relatively successful period working in business, Alan Bell enlisted for service with the KOYLIs in July 1939 at Pontefract, Yorkshire, shortly before the outbreak of WWII, attaining the rank of Corporal. He served with the KOYLIs in Norway, landing at Namsos 17 April 1940, where moving south towards Kvam they met a force of German crack troops, and were taken prisoner at Namdalseidet. They were initially moved to Trondheim for a period, then taken by ship to Denmark, and finally sent in cattle trucks to Stalag XXA in Thorn, Poland. Whilst there, he and other POWs were taken by train to work at Sellestrau on the Baltic Coast, and there suffered great hardship, and additionally in 1943 Corporal Bell was sentenced to 6 months in the military prison at Graudenz for purchasing Black Market flour to furnish cakes for a New Year's party.
Having lost a great deal of weight, he returned to 'ordinary' POW life at Stalag XX-B at Fallingbostel in West Germany. As a local paper from 1969 records in some detail, in late 1944 Corporal Bell and an associate were then very nearly shot for manufacturing linen-stuffed counterfeit cigarettes and swapping them for food with the camp guards. Additionally, during his time here as a POW, Corporal Bell wrote to the Mayor of Sheffield, asking for a pen pal to help pass the time. Whilst he heard nothing for some time, he was suddenly inundated by letters and photographs from young ladies and gents, and even the odd carton of cigarettes! This apparently created a wave of letters to town mayors, which was soon stamped out by the prison guards.
Perhaps having reached his lowest, he and two French prisoners effected their escape from Stalag 357 by swimming naked (with possessions tied up in a groundsheet) through the length of the camp latrine trench to the nearby river. He was to learn later that the two French prisoners had escaped also, but that at the end of the war some 14 bodies of unsuccessful escapers were found in that same foul stretch of trench. Not long after this attempt at escape, in early 1945 he managed to break away from his marching column of prisoners, who were being relocated to a new camp, and finally reached allied forces. After his return to England, where he was soon married, he remained with the Army, being transferred to the RAOC with whom he served until 23 August 1961 – all in all a total of 22 years. Tragically, despite a peaceful retirement, he chose to end his own life 30 October 1986.
Sold with a folder of superb research, much written by a personal friend and fellow POW, personal letters, pictures, newspaper clippings and a ration card from Graudenz Prison, dated 1943.
Estimate: £400-500