Historical Quarterly Report 1st Bn Manchester Regiment 1948

[rafboy]

Welcome Colin, great photos of your dad. I tried to turn the motorbike one for you but it still re posts sideways, I will try it as a separate post shortly. An amazing experience your father had and a very lucky man to excape.
My dad was there at the same time 3525679 Sgt Arthur Phillips, I joined my parents in Wuppertal in 1947 and went to berlin as well. I beleive my father was the Pay Sgt at that time so would have known your dad. I was aged 7 to 9 whilst there and once crossed the Russian border for about 2 minutes in a very remote area not too far from the flat we were living in, done as a dare by a friend. My memory of that time is not brilliant now, I think the Battalion came back from Berlin in 1950, they went to Malaya in 1951, did your parents go with them?  My mother and me joined my father in Penang in February 1952. My father had been a Japanese POW and did not want to go to Malaya with the Battalion and transferd to the Pay Corps, the Army being what it was sent him to Malaya with the Manchesters as their Pay Sgt.
There are several photos from Germany and Malaya in the photo section of the Forum.

[rafboy]

Hope this works, I have change the file name and re sized it to 75% of the original.
Success, It would not turn original size even with a file name change.
You may like to add your photos to the Germany section of http://themanchesters.org/forum/index.php?topic=628.0
Cliff

[colin parry]

when they went to Malaya my dad was in the hands of the Russians,he escaped in October 1951

[mack]

hiya colin welcome to the forum

according to the russians,your dad along with ron thomas of cheriton st,longsight manchester age 21 and bandsman james royle of inverness rd,dukinfield age 18 and bandsman giddins age 20 all from the manchester regt,had sought political asylum in east germany.

there were articles in.
the dundee courier 29-3-51
liverpool echo 28-3-51 and 24-5-51

i believe the russians,why would four intelligent soldiers pass up the opportunity of living in luxury in a dog kennel and living off a bowl of rope soup in siberia for the rest of their lives

mack

[colin parry]

hello Mack I like the way you put that,the Russians still today like to tell the odd lie or two.I do not know what happened to the other soldiers with my dad and Ron Thomas,i hope they got out.

[mack]

hiya colin
pte donald,william giddins deliberately crossed into the soviet zone so as to get into trouble,he wanted to get married but his regiment was leaving germany,and this was a way to delay his departure,poor james royle his pal went along with him,they were returned to the allied zone and given 49 days detention

colin
donald was still alive up to about 9yrs ago,i have a last known address for him in camberley

ps he eventually married his girl herta rosemann the following year at aldershot

mack

[colin parry]

wow,i will have to look into this more.Thank you

[colin parry]

Donald Giddins is alive and well,i spoke to him and his wife Herta both very nice people.Donald Giddins was in the Manchester regiment band then he was in the Kings regiment and I think he said then the REME, in all for 30 years.He said he was not with my dad when they got captured but they were in a prison together at the start.Donald Giddins and James Royles were released shortly after.He told me he had been told he could not get married so for him he done it so he could get married.He said he did know my dad and he saw my dad after he escaped from Cottbus.He told me he still plays the saxophone today.
James Royles sadly died on 22 December 2009.