Prisoner of War Badge

POW identity disc of Pte. Aldous, 2nd Battalion. Steel rectangle perforated by three long slots across the middle on each side of which is impressed: Stalag XXI B Nr. 10248. an abbreviation for "Kriegs gefangenen Stammlager" itself an abbreviation for - "Mannschaftstamm und Straflager". In English, "Prisoner of War other ranks" collection and punishment camp.

Stalag XX1 B was in Districrt XXI of the camp system with headquarters at Posen, now Poznan in Poland. Camp 21 B was opened in December 1940 near Schubin (now Szubin), 50 milometres east of Breslau in Upper Silesia between the rivers Elbe and Oder. The perforations enable the disc of any prisoner who died to be snapped, half taken for recording purposes and half to remain on the body.

"Nr. 10248" is the number, Nummer, issued to Pte. Aldous on his arrival. After capture defending the canal line on the retreat to Dunkirk, survivors of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment were marched to Belgium and taken by barge and then train through Germany. This 690 mile (1100 km) journey lasted weeks during which the soldiers were exhausted, starved and crowded onto the transport. Survivors of the 7th Battalion, captured at St. Valery en Caux endured a similar ordeal, travelling 780 miles (1250 km). As an 'Other rank', Aldous and his comrades faced five year's captivity during which they had to work as directed in farms, quarries, mines and factories. Liberation in 1945 only came after another forced march westwards, away from the advancing Russians.