At first glance this order of service for St David’s Day in 1943 (reference D1197/1) looks fairly conventional, with a number of Welsh hymns being sung, prayers in Welsh and English and the singing of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau. However, this was no ordinary St David’s Day service as it took place in one of the most notorious Prisoner of War Camps of the Second World War, Stalag VIIIB, and was attended by soldiers who were imprisoned there.
Stalag VIIIB was located in Poland, near the town of Lamsdorf (now called Lambinowice). Whilst at the camp, the Welsh soldiers imprisoned there produced their own magazine, Y Cymro, some copies of which are held at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. The top corner of the paper used for this order of service bears the stamp ‘Geprust’, showing that it had been examined and approved by the camp officials.
The order of service was sent to us by an anonymous donor who believed that one of the soldiers listed as the deputy organist for the service, A Wey, was from Canton in Cardiff. A website www.lamsdorf.com lists many of the prisoners who were at the camp, but it has no reference to soldier A Wey. However, it is believed that more than 100,000 soldiers passed through Lamsdorf and only a small number of these are recorded on the website. The other soldiers named in the order of service are the organist R A Williams and Captain Reverend H I Hopkins, who gave the address; neither of these appears on the Lamsdorf website either.
Perhaps you can help us? Do you know anything about this soldier A Wey or a Wey family living in Cardiff? If you do have any information we would be pleased to hear from you.
© 2017 Cardiff Council
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