The Liberation of Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp
Welcome this new archive relating and dedicated to the men and women service personnel and the part they played at the Liberation and subsequent Humanitarian Effort of the Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp in 1945: The Liberation of Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp. UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who submitted a name/details to coincide with the anniversary of the liberation of Bergen Belsen – we’ll go through all your submissions, moderate and add them on. If you have a photo or any more details please email us. Thank you.
We are now inviting any relatives of service personnel who may have been at the camp to get in touch. Any regiment, service, nationality, volunteer or any snippet of information – we would like to hear from you. We do not believe there are any records of the diverse group of men and women, many completely untrained, who were involved with the camp, after it’s liberation.
My father, George W. Knowlton, served with The American Field Service in WW2. He was in North Africa and participated in the liberation of Bergen Belsen.
(More details to follow...)
Submitted by: Joy Knowlton
Mustard, John
75 Anti-tank regiment, Royal Artillery
(Please send us some details via email!)
Submitted by: John Mustard (jnr)
Gillett, Alexander Sinclair
Apparently, my grandfather trained in the REME but transferred to the 4th Royal Tank Regiment, fought on Gold Beach, Normandy, then the Battle of Falaise Gap, through to the Battle of the Bulge, then Operation Plunder in the Rhine and then Belsen.
Submitted by: Gemma Taylor
Doward, Harold
My name is Harry White and I am attempting to find photos of my great grandfather Harold Doward who served in The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of the Scottish Regiment and was involved in the liberation of Belsen in April 1945. Any information would be much appreciated
Submitted by: Harry White
Amiss, James
my father told us about after the liberation of Belsen he was there for a while he said they took local people living near by to help bury some of the victims said he helped them off the lorry one woman in a fur coat I saw this photo the museum in Washington and it was just as he described and I am positive it was my dad he was in the pioneer corps name James Amiss have looked for photo can’t find it .
Submitted by: Evelyn Dean
Crowley, Cornelius
I had an Uncle who was in the Paras and was one of the first Catholic chaplains who was part of the liberation of the camp. I have a photo of him in uniform.
His name was Fr Cornelius Crowley,a Passionist priest.
He never mentioned anything about his experiences and I only heard about him being in Belsen after his death.
He was in Norway too and took part in a parachute jumps in Norway....
As a result of these ,he arranged for a German POW ' for a dog ,a German shepherd,be sent back to us in Ireland. So,we grew up with that dog,named Hasso. .
Submitted by: Lucy McCarthy
Denton, William (Capt)
Captain William Denton, Royal Engineers, Personal No. 287521, Army No. 4749563
More details to follow...
Submitted by: Michael Denton
Court, Maurice
Possibly Courts, from Wisbech in Cambridgeshire
Details to follow...
Medical Students: St Bartholomew’s Hospital David Cordley Bradford 1922–2002 Became a general practitioner and founded the first purpose built surgery Read more
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This site will progress and I’d encourage anyone with any info to get in touch. My granddad, Reg Price served with the 113th Durham Light Infantry*, as part of 369 Battery. As a signwriter, he produced this sign…
The Sign at the Liberation of Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp
And this was kept in the family for years – so for the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Belsen in 2020, subsequent VE Day and VJ Day, I thought it’s about time I’d try to find out more about Reg – his comrades (many of which are names, simply written on the back of photos), what they did together and for a way to remember them all, properly.
To coinicide with the anniversary, I was able to be filmed both on national and local BBC TV to tell Reg’s Story. Whilst this was totally out of my comfort zone and I dreaded every moment – I decided I needed to do something to start this all off. BBC Midlands Today aired 7th May and a VE Day Antiques Roadshow Special aired Sunday 10th May.
The main photo, shown here was coloured for the 75th Anniversary and we’ll tell you all about it shortly – and what happened next!
*Just 113th Durham Light Infantry? No we are interested in all Service and Medical personnel who took part during the humanitarian effort at Belsen Concentration Camp. Their roles and names are largely forgotten, as many were too horrified to ever speak of what they had to do, so this archive seeks to form a tribute to ALL those that were there, to find out more and to remember them. If you have a relative, or any info, on the relief effort at Belsen, we’d love you to please get in touch. Email us: liberator@belsen.co.uk – Thank you
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The Liberation of Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp
Any 113th Durham Light Infantry friends or family are encouraged to get in touch via 113th@belsen.co.uk
** In 1938 the old 5th Battalion DLI changed its role to Searchlights and then in 1940 to Anti-Aircraft. This 113th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment went to Normandy in June 1944 and joined the advance into Germany in early 1945. Official designation – Brigade: 100 AA • Division: 30 Corps. • Unit: 113 LAA Regt. RA (DLI) TA.