Canadians as POWs in the Second World War on Findmypast

As many of us know, researching those that served Canadian and survived the Second War can be a bit of a challenge since many of the records are still safeguarded by privacy rules. So it is always a good day when one stumbles upon another online collection to peruse during these strange times of COVID-19 restrictions.

On Findmypast there is the "Prisoners Of War 1715-1945" record set that has 3,586,738 individual records in the set. That may seem like a lot but you need to keep in mind that those records are from The National Archives (TNA) in Kew, England (a few few other collections) and cover over 200 years of conflict that the United Kingdom, and other allies, has been involved in. The documents come from a number of agencies such as the Foreign Office (FO), Colonial Office (CO), War Office (WO), Admiralty (ADM) and Air Force (AIR). Wars covered include the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815), Crimean War (1853-1856), Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), First World War (1914-1918), and the Second World War (1939-1945). Many of the records are digitized but some are transcription only.

However, I'm more interested in locating any records from the Second World War of Canadians found in that record set. The first step is to narrow down the years. For that I selected 1942 as the year, minus or plus 5 years¹.

Screen capture of the advanced search screen for the Prisoners of War 1715-1945 record set on Findmypast with 1942 -/+ 5 years filter.

That left me with 512,918 results to filter through. Keep in mind that there will be duplicates where the same person is mentioned in multiple documents. 

At this point I could type in the surname of someone that I know was a prisoner of war to see if a record in the set exists for them. However, in the research into my own family lines I haven't come across anyone that may have been a prisoner of war during the Second World War...the War of Independence undertaken by what became the United States of America, yes, but not the Second World War. Instead I decided to see what I could find for records that might have a mention of Canadians. For that I went to the Advance search page and typed "Canadian" (without the quotes) in the "Additional keywords" field. That gave me 2,295 results.

So just what do I see when I browse through the records?

There are are great many from the "Prisoners of war, Far East" subset of records from The National Archives. The description page at Findmypast states that one may find records from:

• Japanese index cards of Allied prisoners – includes name, nationality, place of capture, parents’ names, rank, unit and more.
• Lists of prisoners created by liberating armies during 1945.
• Regimental nominal rolls – includes name, rank, regiment and date.
• War diaries and testimonies of prisoners.
• Lists of those who died while imprisoned.
• Photographs of prison camps – includes over 45 photographs of prisoners in Japanese camps (WO 341/2045).
• Correspondence between the International Red Cross and the governments of belligerent nations.
• Lists of recommendations for honours and awards for service while imprisoned.

Here is an example of a card from The National Archives "WO 345 Japanese Index Cards of Allied POWs 1942-1947" collection and has been made available on Findmypast for a Parkman Huston, born 8 Sep 1896 in Canada².

"Prisoners Of War 1715-1945," database and images, Findmypast (www.findmypast.com : accessed 30 Sep 2020), Parkman Huston, born 1896, year 1941; citng The National Archives (Kew), WO 345/27, Japanese Index Cards of Allied Prisoners of War and Internees, Second World War, 1942-1945.

An abstract of this card can also be found in the Ancestry "UK, Allied Prisoners of War, 1939-1945" collection. However, if you are using Ancestry you will also need to have a Fold3 subscription since that is where the image has been placed in their "UK, Allied Prisoners of War, 1939-1945" collection.

Sometimes you will come across entries in the Findmypast database without an image. One example is the entry for F/O H. T. Huston of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) 405th Squadron.

Screen capture from the Findmypast "Prisoners Of War 1715-1945" record set for F/O H T Huston of RCAF 405 Squadron, 1941.

Here Findmypast tells you that the information came from The National Archives WO 208/3316 report 1591. To find the file on The National Archives site you need to do a Discovery search combining the Archive reference of WO 208/3316 and the Report Number 1591 so that your search query is "WO 208/3316/1591".

Screen capture of The National Archives at Kew catalogue description of WO/208/3316/1591, Flying Officer H T Huston, service number J 13071, RCAF.

In this case the search results show that the record has not been digitized and one will have to visit The National Archives at Kew to see it. However, it did give a valuable piece of information that Findmypast didn't record...his service number "J 13071". With his name and service number you might be able to find him in the Operations Record Books for RCAF 405th Squadron.

Other times you might get lucky like I did with W/O G E Grandy of RCAF 407th Squadron where his details are recorded in WO 208/3324/2659. Normally you would have to pay or be connected to the TNA WiFi network to access the record. However, with COVID-19 restrictions in place The National Archives have generously opened up their digitized downloads to anyone with a free account on their site.

Extract from The National Archives at Kew of WO 208/3324/2659, Escape/Evasion Report for flight crew of Wellington Mk 14 from R.A.F. Wick piloted by F/O G. A Biddle, crashed 26 Set 1944.

What I received as a downloadable PDF was a three page document of the statement provided by the flight crew of the events from 26 Sep 1944 after they took off from R.A.F. Wick in their Wellington Mk 14 aircraft to when they finally returned to Scalloway, Shetland Islands on 12 Oct 1944 all the while evading capture by the German forces occupying Norway. The last page had a genealogical bonus since it listed their date of birth, post in the crew (wireless operator/air gunner in the case of W/O Grandy), peacetime profession, and their address back home. The tale of what happened to this crew, although told in the usual military clinical detachment, took my breath away as I read it.

There are even lists concerning prisoners in various P.O.W. camps in Germany.

"Prisoners Of War 1715-1945," database and images, Findmypast (www.findmypast.com : accessed 30 Sep 2020), Daniel Almon, S/Sgt, R-65355, arrivals from Stalag 2.D., 6 Apr 1944; citing The National Archives (Kew), AIR 40/276, Stalag 357 rolls Jan 1944-Mar 1945.

Of course, these records are not just for Canadians and you will find entries for other Allied nations including the UK, Australia, and even Americans.

Could you go to The National Archives site and search there for free? Yes you can but the value add of Findmypast is that they have name indexed the records so you don't have to know to look in the 6 Apr 1944 arrivals from Stalag 2.D to Lager K for your relative. Even if you do come across a record on TNA it might just point you to Findmypast to view the image.

If you are looking for more information as to what The National Archives (Kew) holds in respect to Prisoner of War files from the Second World War make sure you read their "British and Commonwealth prisoners of the Second World War and the Korean War" research guide.

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1. Why minus or plus five years? Findmypast only provides the option to filter the year by minus or plus 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 40 years. Three years would be perfect and two years is not enough so five years it is.

2. There are a number of records for him found on the various genealogy sites including at least one document with a pre-Second World War picture.

Second World War RCAF Operations Record Books

In my post "Researching Canadian Soldiers Who Died in the Second World War" I discussed how we can use the various online resources to learn more about those that made the ultimate sacrifice for Canada. However, I really only talked about the War Diaries of the Canadian Army to learn more about what was happening in the unit that the individual was in. In this post I'm going to look at the Second World War Operations Record Books for the Royal Canadian Air Force.

As with any research into the Canadian military I always head over to the Library and Archives Canada Military Heritage landing page. Since I'm looking for information about the Second World War I click on "Second World War: 1939-1945" to bring up the topic page. Reading through that page we see that there is a Research Guide for "War Diaries, Ship Logs and Operations Record Books "

However, the research guidance there is a little sparse:

Second World War (1939-1945) and Korean Conflict (1950-1953)

References to the Operations Record Books (RG24-E-7) can be identified by using the Advanced Archives Search.

• In the pull down menu, select Finding Aid Number, and enter: 24-104a
• Enter a keyword, for example, the unit name or number or date: "Royal Air Force Bomber"
• Some volumes are available on microfilm.
• Some of the microfilm reels have been digitized on our partner site Héritage.

Since I find learning is often best done by doing, let's look at an example. I'm going to look for the Operations Records Books for No. 426 Squadron. Why that unit? It was the squadron that my 1st cousin twice removed, David Douglas Dakin (J86386), served in when he was posted there in March 1944.

You might be wondering how I know that little tidbit. It might have come from his service file but he passed away in 2012 and his file is now embargoed for 20 years with limited information available to immediate family members only¹. So that option was not available for me. However, I was lucky enough to come across his name when I searched the RCAF Association "Search Awards". There I found a very lengthy write up of his service in the RCAF including being awarded with the Distinguished Flying Cross. The other place I found him was in the Last Post database of the Legion Magazine.

But back to searching for the RCAF Operations Records Books.

The first step is to go to the Library and Archives Canada Collection Search page. That is not the search box on the right side of the Library and Archives Canada home page but it is found under the "Search the Collection" tab. Going there will bring up a page similar to this:

Screen capture of Library and Archives Canada Collection Search page looking for "24-104a 426 squadron"

Here I've already filled in the key details that the Research Guide told me to use:

• Finding Aid Number: 24-104a
• Squadron: 426 

I also added the word "squadron" to my search otherwise over 9,000 results were returned and the vast majority had nothing to do with the unit I was looking for. That search returned only 19 results:

Screen capture of Library and Archives Canada Collection Search results page looking for "24-104a 426 squadron"

The first result was actually the one I was looking for so I clicked on the link to display the following page:

Screen capture of Library and Archives Canada page concerning No. 426 (B) Squadron for Oct 42-Feb 45.

However, what is initially shown doesn't help me find the Operations Record Books. That is hidden under the Record Information - Details bar. If that is clicked we now see this extra information.

Screen capture of Library and Archives Canada page concerning No. 426 (B) Squadron for Oct 42-Feb 45, Record Information Details.

We learn that the Operations Record Book for No. 426 (B) Squadron is available on microfilm reel C-12298. Remember that in the Research Guide that some of the microfilms have been digitized and put on the Héritage site. So how about popping over there in the hopes that the microfilm we want has been digitized.

Screen capture of Canadian Héritage search screen looking for C-12298.

You can see that I've already typed in the microfilm number and I've used quotes around the microfilm number. The quotes are important since without them you will often get all kinds of extraneous results.

Screen capture of Canadian Héritage search results screen when looking for microfilm C-12298.

As you can see the first result is the one we are looking for. So I clicked on the link.

This is where it gets a bit challenging. There may be multiple Operations Record Books for different squadrons on the microfilm. In the case of C-12298, No. 425 Squadron was at the start and it wasn't until I got to image 1453 where No. 426 (Bomber) Squadron's book began.

Screen capture of Canadian Héritage page for No. 426 (Bomber) Squadron Operations Record Book.

So what will you find in these books?

Just like the War Diaries for the Canadian Army there are the standard entries of what was happening in the unit.

Canada, "Royal Canadian Air Force Operations Record Books, 1936-1965," No. 426 (Bomber) Squadron, image 1877; digital images, Canadian Research Knowledge Network,  Héritage (https://heritage.canadiana.ca/ : accessed 15 Sep 2020); citing Library and Archives Canada, RG24-E-7. Volume/box number: 22686, Reel C-12298.

This is the first page for March 1944 for No. 426 Squadron. Here we learn of a crew reassignment, that on the 2nd the weather was a "beautiful clear day", and on the 5th an air accident occurred with details of what happened and who was in the aircraft.

Canada, "Royal Canadian Air Force Operations Record Books, 1936-1965," No. 426 (Bomber) Squadron, image 1879; digital images, Canadian Research Knowledge Network,  Héritage (https://heritage.canadiana.ca/ : accessed 15 Sep 2020); citing Library and Archives Canada, RG24-E-7. Volume/box number: 22686, Reel C-12298.

Here we learn that on the 15th of March, 1944 air operations took place with 16 aircraft involved. Regrettably two aircraft never made it back home so the names of the crew are listed along with their service numbers and function in the airplane.

Canada, "Royal Canadian Air Force Operations Record Books, 1936-1965," No. 426 (Bomber) Squadron, image 1883; digital images, Canadian Research Knowledge Network,  Héritage (https://heritage.canadiana.ca/ : accessed 15 Sep 2020); citing Library and Archives Canada, RG24-E-7. Volume/box number: 22686, Reel C-12298.

You might also come across a page, like above, where it details who is coming into or leaving the squadron. This is where Flight Sergeant D. D. Dakin first appears with the squadron as a pilot. 

Sometimes the records continue onto the next microfilm. That was the case with No. 426 Squadron, the Operations Record Book continued on microfilm C-12298. There I found F/S Dakin in a Lancaster bombing Frankfurt on 18 Mar 1944 leaving at 19h01 and arriving back to the airbase at 00h59.

Canada, "Royal Canadian Air Force Operations Record Books, 1936-1965," No. 426 (Bomber) Squadron, image 10; digital images, Canadian Research Knowledge Network,  Héritage (https://heritage.canadiana.ca/ : accessed 15 Sep 2020); citing Library and Archives Canada, RG24-E-7. Volume/box number: 22686, Reel C-12299.

You might even come across an incident report describing an unusual event like the "collision with friendly aircraft over target area" below.

Canada, "Royal Canadian Air Force Operations Record Books, 1936-1965," No. 426 (Bomber) Squadron, image 54; digital images, Canadian Research Knowledge Network,  Héritage (https://heritage.canadiana.ca/ : accessed 15 Sep 2020); citing Library and Archives Canada, RG24-E-7. Volume/box number: 22686, Reel C-12299.

Through these records you can often follow the career of a crew member. Events such as when they promoted or commissioned can be discovered along with the details about the various sorties they flew. When the squadron was moved to another base you might even come across entries where the non-flying personnel are mentioned and how they were to get to the new location.

Keep in mind that these are the Operation Record Books for Canadian squadrons. For the Royal Air Force Operations Record Books you need to go to TheGenealogist or pay an in person visit to The National Archives in England. In doing so you just might find a Canadian who enlisted with the RCAF serving with the RAF.

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1. If you have a living family member that served Canada in the Second World War then I strongly recommend that they order a copy of their service file. Instructions for doing so can be found at Restricted records held by Library and Archives Canada (service files after 1919).