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Allied Servicemen of Detachment W
This page posted 24 Mar 2016 - amended 21 June 2024
Allied servicemen who escaped or evaded from the Germans in northern Occupied France at the beginning of the war, generally made their way to the relative safety of southern Unoccupied France. However, in most cases, they were then interned by the Vichy French authorities who established a series of internment camps, firstly at Fort Saint-Jean in Marseille, then Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort (Gard) then Fort de la Rivere (Alpes-Maritime) and finally Camp du Chambaran (Isere). Soon after their arrival at Saint Hippolyte in January 1941, the French decided to give the internees a name - they called them "Detachement W".
There were many escapes from these camps but in December 1942, following the German takeover of southern France the previous month, those internees who had not succeeded in escaping (listed below) were transferred to Italy and ultimately to Germany as prisoners-of-war.
The full story of these Allied internees is told in the 2004 book "Detachment W" by Derek Richardson and most of the information on this page is taken from there.
 
Adams S Spr Royal Engineers
Allan A J Pte Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Allcock C Dvr Royal Engineers
Anderson T Pte Gordon Highlanders
Anderson T Cpl Royal Army Service Corps
Anderson A Pte Seaforth Highlanders
Andrews W G Cpl Gordon Highlanders
Angus J W Fus Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
Ash W Pte Essex Regiment
Ash T Pte King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
Ashford C J H Pte Queen's Royal Regiment
Asquith L Pte King's Own Scottish Borderers
Atherton J Pte East Lancashire Regiment
Avery S Pte Royal Sussex Regiment
Bamon William A Rflmn King's Royal Rifle Company
Bartholomew G A Dvr Royal Engineers
Beale W F Pte East Surrey Regiment
Beattie L D Sgmn Royal Corps of Signals
Bicheno B Gnr Royal Artillery
Birkett Nichol T Sgt 44 Sqn Lancaster L7548 LIB/1306
Bluett G A E Pte Royal Army Service Corps
Bourne R Pte Royal Army Medical Corps
Brookes J J Pte The Buffs
Brown E D Pte Royal Army Service Corps
Brown R L Gnr Royal Horse Artillery
Brown H A Pte Loyal Regiment
Brown L D Pte East Surrey Regiment
Burns G Pte Royal Army Service Corps
Burrell H J E Sgt 12 Sqn Wellington W5421
Burton H J Pte Ox and Bucks Light Infantry
Campbell D Pte Highland Light Infantry
Campbell A T Pte Seaforth Highlanders
Carson J Pte Seaforth Highlanders
Chambers H A Gnr Royal Horse Artillery
Chandler H Gdsmn Welsh Guards
Clarke T Pte Loyal Regiment
Cobb Ambrose Sgt 44 Sqn Lancaster L7548 LIB/1203
Coffin K J Sgmn Royal Corps of Signals
Connell W M Pte Royal Army Service Corps
Cook G C Pte Seaforth Highlanders
Cook L Pte Lincolnshire Regiment
Court A E L/Cpl Queen's Royal Regiment
Cowie J Pte Seaforth Highlanders
Cox J E Pte Royal Norfolk Regiment
Cox F Gnr Royal Artillery
Cox W Pte East Surrey Regiment
Crichton T M Pte Seaforth Highlanders
Csete W H Bdr Royal Artillery
Daniel W Pte Lothians and Border Yeomanry
Davidson W J R Pte Gordon Highlanders
Davies H L L/Bdr Royal Artillery
Dedman A D C Sgt 44 Sqn Lancaster L7548
Devine Richard Gnr Royal Artillery LIB/905
Dickinsn G Sgt Royal Army Service Corps
Dodds J W Fus Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
Downing E F L/Cpl King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
Dowty B A Sgt 44 Sqn Lancaster L7548 LIB/1211
Driscoll W Pte Royal Sussex Regiment
Dunning G Cpl Lincolnshire Regiment
Edgar H Pte Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
Edwards R Pte Loyal Regiment
Ellis V R Dvr Royal Army Service Corps
Elsmore S F Fus Lancashire Fusiliers
Elwell Cyril Gnr Royal Artillery
Ester J P/O 350 Sqn Spitfire AB980
Evans F Gnr Royal Artillery
Farnsworth L Dvr Royal Army Service Corps
Farquhar T R L/Cpl Gordon Highlanders LIB/480
Fawcett G Gdsmn Grenadier Guards
Ferguson T H Pte Royal Army Service Corps
Foster C E L/Cpl Lincolnshire Regiment
Fower A Sgt Royal Artillery
Fraser J Pte Royal Army Medical Corps
Funnell R A Spr Royal Engineers
Furby W R Pte South Lancashire Regiment
Ghulam Mustafa Pte Royal Indian Army Service Corps
Gibb W P Pte Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Gibbons D J Pte Seaforth Highlanders
Gorton Sydney V F/Lt Bullseye Wellington (see note) LIB/1704
Gray R Sgmn Royal Corps of Signals
Gunn W G Pte Seaforth Highlanders
Gunstone A E Pte The Buffs
Hackwell C Pte Australian Army Service Corps
Hagen E F/O 332 Sqn Spitfire BL960
Hardie N B L/Cpl Gordon Highlanders
Hargreaves W Pte Loyal Regiment
Hargrove A E L/Sgt Sherwood Foresters
Harper W Pte South Staffordshire Regiment
Hart RCAF L W J Sgt 51 Sqn Whitley Z6803
Haszard H H F/Lt 7 Sqn Stirling R9324
Hattemore G Pte Gordon Highlanders
Hawes E J Spr Royal Engineers
Hayes T Gnr Royal Artillery
Hendrick A Pte Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
Hibbert J Pte Royal Scots Regiment
Hillyard Frederick C Cpl Royal Army Pay Corps LIB/577
Hind J Pte Duke of Wellington's Regiment
Holden W E Gnr Royal Artillery
Holding F Pte Royal Army Medical Corps
Holly G W Spr Royal Engineers
Houston R E L/Cpl Welsh Guards
Hunter R D M Pte Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Hurles J Rfmn Cameronians
Innes J M Dvr Royal Army Service Corps
Irwin F G Gnr Royal Artillery
Jameson Charles Pte Seaforth Highlanders
Johns L Spr Royal Engineers
Kahn Mugal Pte Royal Indian Army Service Corps
Kahn Sirdar Sgt Royal Indian Army Service Corps
Kelly T J Pte Gordon Highlanders LIB/255
Kember R Pte East Surrey Regiment
Kennedy J Spr Royal Engineers
Khan Muzaffar Pte Royal Indian Army Service Corps
Khan Kala Pte Royal Indian Army Service Corps
King D W O'D P/O 12 Sqn Wellington Z8533
Kirkbride John Pte King's Own Royal Rifles
Krahn R W L/Cpl Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment
Larkins A J L/Cpl Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment
Lawson E V P/O 103 Sqn Wellington X9794
Legg S W Spr Royal Engineers
Lesley W Pte Seaforth Highlanders LIB/1169
Leys J W Pte Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
L'Hermite J E F Pte Royal Army Service Corps
Lindley W Rfmn Cameronians
Lindley J Pte Loyal Regiment
Linton J W Pte Royal Army Ordnance Corps
Loundes S H Tpr East Yorkshire Yeomanry
Luckhurst J N Pte Green Howards
Ludlow F Gnr Royal Artillery
Lynch Joseph B Pte Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
MacCombie J A Pte Royal Scots Regiment
MacMillan G Pte Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Manser A L Cpl The Buffs LIB/372
Marr G Pte Gordon Highlanders
Marr J L/Cpl Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
Marsden E Pte East Lancashire Regiment
Martin H Fus Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
Mason W J Cpl Royal Army Ordnance Corps
Mason L W L/Cpl Royal Norfolk Regiment
Matthews A J Pte Royal Army Medical Corps
McCabe J Pte Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
McLarnon John W Sgt 12 Sqn Wellington W5421 LIB/628
McMullen Walter Pte Royal Army Service Corps
McRae A Pte Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Menzies A Pte Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Miles J W Pte Queen's Royal Regiment
Miller John Sgt 44 Sqn Lancaster L7548 LIB/1897
Miller T Pte Highland Light Infantry
Monk W T Gnr Royal Artillery
Montsarrat RCAF P Sgt
Moore H F Y Dvr Royal Artillery
Moriarty J P Pte Border Regiment
Mort Cyril R Sgt 174 Sqn Hurricane BE421 LIB/1727
Mossley H Sgt 103 Sqn Wellington X9794
Mott Arnold John P/O 161 SD Lysander
Munro W Pte Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Naysmith Alex R W Pte Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Offord A Pte Loyal Regiment
Osborne Richard C Pte Seaforth Highlanders
O'Shea Jack Pte Seaforth Highlanders
Parent R Pte Essex Scottish
Partridge W S C Sgt 103 Sqn Wellington X9794
Peakes W Cpl Royal Regiment of Canada
Pool Harold Cfn Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers LIB/1772
Porteous R D Sgt 12 Sqn Wellington W5421
Ramsey A Pte Black Watch
Rastrick A J A Pte The Buffs
Reid R Y Pte Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Richardson G Sgt Bullseye Wellington (see note)
Rickmann F W Pte Royal Army Medical Corps
Rixon F A Gnr Royal Artillery
Robbins W K Pte King's Own Scottish Borderers
Robertson R Pte Gordon Highlanders
Rump A Gnr Royal Horse Artillery
Saunderson J F/Sgt 44 Sqn Lancaster L7548 LIB/1314
Scott RCAF E J Sgt 156 Sqn Wellington BJ883 LIB/161
Shar Qasim Pte Royal Indian Army Service Corps
Shenton John Dvr Royal Army Service Corps LIB/508
Shepherd H J Gnr Royal Artillery
Shields J Pte Gordon Highlanders
Shipton N N Pte Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Shirley G A Gnr Royal Artillery
Smith W E Gnr Royal Artillery
Sneddon J Pte Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Squires R W Pte Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment
Stamper H Cpl Border Regiment
Stevens W A Pte Queen's Royal Regiment
Stollery A E Bdsmn Suffolk Regiment
Stratford T E Sgt Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment
Street C E L/Cpl Royal Army Ordnance Corps
Street Edwin H Pte Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment
Sykes E Gnr Royal Artillery
Syme John C Pte Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Tandridge C J Gnr Royal Artillery
Tanner C E Pte The Buffs
Taylor William H Gnr Royal Artillery LIB/1771
Taylor D G Sgnmn Royal Corps of Signals
Taylor J Pte Ox and Bucks Light Infantry
Thomas W Pte Royal Corps of Signals
Tuer R J Pte Essex Scottish
Tullidge H T Pte Lincolnshire Regiment
Turner A Cpl Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Underwood J Dvr Royal Corps of Signals
Uttley J L/Cpl Duke of Wellington's Regiment
Walker A D Pte Black Watch
Walker P L/Cpl Duke of Wellington's Regiment
Walker R L/Cpl Gloucester Regiment
Watson J C Gnr Royal Artillery LIB/1187
Wawerski Tadenaz F/O 300 Sqn Wellington Z1276
Weaver D G L/Cpl Royal Engineers
Welch George L/Cpl Seaforth Highlanders
Wellings E Sgt Bullseye Wellington (see note)
West G R Pte Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Westhorpe E C Tpr Royal Tank Regiment
Westwell A Pte Loyal Regiment
White F O Spr Royal Engineers
White R F Spr Royal Engineers
Wickings F W Pte Dorset Regiment
Williams Charles L Sgt 103 Sqn Wellington X9794
Wise A L/Cpl Durham Light Infantry
Woodburn F Pte Border Regiment
Wright H Cpl Royal Welsh Fusiliers
Wright J Pte King's Own Royal Rifles
Wright L Pte West Yorkshire Regiment
Young G Pte Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
 
Bullseye is the RAF name given to a night navigation exercise - I have been unable to identify the aircraft
I have also been unable to find any further details of 38415 Sgt P Montsarrat RCAF