Hello Christoph,
I am back. Well where the mortuary was actually located may never be known. All I know is from Dad's memory it had to be one of those rounded, Moorish type doors. Thank goodness I never bought a house with that style/shaped door.
I was even confused about the Abbey this time and I am eager to get out all of the old photos and the new. That photo I sent in the earlier post does show the building on the left as stone and not stuccoed over.
I want to locate a map of Siegburg from some point during or at the end of the War. I ordered it several years ago. I can figure out, actually Steve can figure out, how best to get it to you. I do not believe the military library that I purchased it from put a copyright or anything on it.
Well now I understand that POW's had numbers and I wonder about the ones who were liberated from Waldbrol. Where are their records and who did the administration of the liberation. The men had to be taken to other hospitals from there. Like Norton went to Paris. I doubt the hospitals in Paris would have the information or if they did, that it would be sorted in a way that it could be accessed on who came from Waldbrol.
I have so much more to comment on this but briefly Mr. Norton never joined the Ex POW organization in America. When I asked Mr. Norton his POW number recently, he said he did not know he had one. I do not know when Dad joined the POW organization, but he did, and he was always looking for members who had been at Siegburg. He never found any. He never had closure on what happened to all of the boys! or the Camp! or on anyone!
Your research on the Englishman shows even he, with those horrible problems lived. Did he get out before Dad was walked to Siegburg that fateful October day in 1944 or was he too one of the boys. Did the Englishmen get taken to Waldbrol or was he one of the ones that was too ill to move and found at Siegburg.
While unlikely maybe some of those that survived are still alive today. Mr. Norton was young and in good health and maybe there were others like him because it was the Battle of the Bulge that brought so many men to Siegburg. In some of Dad's Vmails home while he does not refer to the battle by name he talks about all of the new cases coming in and the conditions outside.
Gad I wonder too many things, but where was the SS Officer (Captain) physically located that directed cases to Siegburg. Was it just his outfit or other outfits in some geographic area that sent the men to Siegburg. Was there a central point, (where numbers might have been given) and if so is there history on that outfit. How do you locate SS Officers by name.
There was the Doctor, that we now know was SS. I assume the Commandant had to be. And I have the SS Captain's name that placed Dad at Siegburg. Is there a way to find information out on the Doctor that might lead to the Commandant.
If I go to the NARA Library at St. Louis, it could take days, but I could try to locate records on those that had been buried at Siegburg. And someday, I plan to do that, but now is there still any chance that someone is still alive that was there.
I am still trying to figure out what outfit debriefed Dad. No luck so far!
Gad, day seems like it is over and I must get to Mom's - bringing lunch.
Thank you for Everything Christoph!
Jean J
