1393795 – William George Julian Greaves – Grenada – Sergeant – 142 Squadron

Prisoner of War

First Name:                William George Julian
Surname:                    Greaves
DOB:                            17/09/1917
Birthplace:                  Grenada, West Indies
Date of Capture:        15/01/1943
Rank:                           Sergeant
POW Camp:               Stalag Luft 1 Barth
Service Number:       1393795
POW Number:            1311
Theatre Of Capture:  France
Service:                        Royal Air Force
Archive Reference:    WO 416/150/303

Comet Line was a Belgian and French organisation that helped allied airmen who were shot down to return to Great Britain. Their website gives a very detailed account of what happened to Sgt. Greaves in the French language. With various photo’s and documents.
See:  https://www.cometeline.org/ficheC008.html

A very brief summary of the report Sgt. Greaves gave after his liberation of October 19, 1945: He was bomb-aimer on Wellington Mk III, BK536, QT-C of 142 Squadron. On November 20, 1942 they flew from Newmarket UK on a mission to bomb Turin in Germany. Returning they ran out of fuel and all crew were ordered to jump from the plane. Sgt. Greaves was found by the Comet Line organisation about 30 km east of Paris. He was arrested on Januari 15, 1943 while trying to cross the Pyrenees to Spain, in the company of Andrée de Jongh, the 26 year old female leader of the organisation, and two other airmen. After being held at various locations in France he was imprisoned in Stalag Luft I (Aug – Nov 1943), Stalag Luft IV (Nov 1943 – Jul 1944) and Stalag Luft VI (Jul 1944 – Jan 1945). He was liberated by Americans on May 2nd 1945 during a march to a labour camp.

[Courtesy AD]

1393795 – William George T. Greaves, Sgt from Grenada.

He could be the W G Greaves mentioned in RAF Commands website as: , POW in L6, POW# 1311

[Courtesy Jerome Lee, CMHA]

[Trinidad Guardian 18 January 1944 – Courtesy Jerome Lee, CMHA]