Royal Armoured Co WW11
Royal Tank Regiment

Trooper Gilbert Knott

Allthough this site is primarily Royal Corps of Signals, it should be noted that what happened to Trooper Gilbert Knott could have, and did have in many cases,
parallell experiences suffered by other members of the armed forces during WW11.

Battles, capture and internment in POW camps.

Trooper Gilbert Knott was in the Royal Armoured Corps in WW2. In 1941 he did his training at Catterick before going to the Middle East. There he was posted to the 4th RTR and was captured at Tobruk in June 1942. His diary can be seen at
http://www.pegasusarchive.org/pow/frames.htm
under POW Stories: Tpr Gilbert Knott

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Training in Catterick Camp Aug 10 1941

Back of the Catterick group photograph showing the signatures.
G R Spencer, C Lees?, B Mills, unknown, J W Till
Shakespeare, N J W Moores, E Lockett, N R Rudd, J Hill ???, A H Morris, Norman Plant
R Marsh, D Mitchell, V Marshall, R Penney, Gunner A V Lineker, G Parker, H G Connor
V Walton, Cpl N W Clarke, L Pickthall, G Knott, T J Mayo
Copyright: Phil Knott.

Known history of Trooper Gilbert Knott's squad

N W Clarke Corporal, 2 stripes

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H G Connor

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G M H Knott 7941477 Gilbert Meyers Hyndman Knott
Issued POW number 253068 while at Stalag 4B.

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A V Lineker 7941480, POW number 251609, Stalag 4D

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E Lockett 7941481

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R Marsh 7941482 Robert Eric Marsh, Trooper,
Queen’s Bays: 2nd Dragoon Guards, RAC.
Died 25 November 1944, aged 24.
Forli War Cemetery, Italy.
Son of Robert Ashton Marsh and Frances Dora Marsh of Hartshill Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.

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V Marshall

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T J Mayo 7941485 Thomas Joseph Mayo, Trooper,
6th Royal Tank Regiment, RAC.
Died 27 June 1942, aged 21.
Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery, Egypt.
Son of Joseph and May G Mayo; husband of Mabel Mayo, of West Bromwich, Staffordshire.

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B Mills

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D Mitchell

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J W Moores 7941489 John William Moores, Trooper,
‘A’ squadron, 1st Royal Tank Regiment, RAC.
Died 3 October 1943 aged 22.
Naples War Cemetery, Italy.
Son of John W and Mary Moores of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. His brother James also fell.

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A H Morris A Harry Morris

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E Parker

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R Penney

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L Pickthall 7941496 Leonard Pickthall, Trooper,
50th Royal Tank Regiment, RAC.
Died 17 August 1942 aged 28.
Alamein Memorial
Son of Harold and Eliza Pickthall; husband of Edith Mary A Pickthall, of Brighton, Sussex.

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Norman Plant 1 stripe

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N R Rudd 7941500 Norman Reginald Rudd, Trooper,
50th Royal Tank Regiment, RAC.
Died 18 December 1943, aged 22.
Sangro River War Cemetery, Italy.
Son of Reginald Harry and Maisie Violet Rudd, of Tonbridge, Kent.

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N F Shakespeare 7941501 Neville Frederick Shakespeare, Trooper,
46th (The Liverpool Welsh) RTR, RAC.
Died 4 February 1944, aged 22.
Beach Head War Cemetery, Anzio.
Son of Mr. and Mrs. A Shakespeare, of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.

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G R Spencer

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J W Till 7941504, POW 86749, Stalag 8C

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V Walton 1 Stripe

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Total 21

There are 3 unknown signatures:

C? Lees?
? ?
? Hill?

Possibly:
George N Hill, 7941468

Roy Whiltock/Whittock “In my squad at Catterick” and “is a POW”.
However no signature looks like this, could he possibly have been ill or on duty?
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Cpl Stanley Spencer 2320575, of the 105th Special Wireless Section, Royal Corps of Signals, was captured at Fuka, North Africa, on the 29th June 1942.
After Italy's capitulation, he was removed to Stalag IVB (POW 260851) where he spent the remainder of the war. He died in 1999.

Lance Corporal Billy Blacklock was also Royal Signals. 2360017,
Stalag IVB (POW 260852).

Notice the consecutive POW numbers which means they were next to each other when registered in Germany.

 

 

 

Copyright Phil Knott.