Prisoners of War Records

Supporting guides

• How Do I Find a Capture Record?
  Find a capture record from the service record, the unit diary for the action dates, and casualty lists, then check prisoner records for the same name, number and unit. Capture is a dated event, so the date is what links the sources.
• What Do Prisoner Camp Records Show?
  Camp records show the camp, the prisoner number, movements between camps, and sometimes work and health details. They describe captivity, not the whole service, so read them as one period within a longer timeline.
• What Is a Liberation Questionnaire?
  A liberation questionnaire is a form completed after release, recording capture, camps, movements and treatment. It is a personal account given after the event, so check its dates and places against camp records where possible.
• What Can Red Cross Records Add?
  Red Cross records can add capture notification, camp lists and correspondence that official service papers may not carry. They are a parallel trail, so match them by name, number and unit before merging them into a timeline.
• Missing or Captured: How Do Records Distinguish Them?
  Records distinguish missing from captured by stages: a person first appears as missing, then as a confirmed prisoner when capture is reported. Do not treat an early missing entry as final, and do not treat a later prisoner entry as proof of the capture date.
• How Do I Research an Escape?
  Research an escape from the liberation questionnaire, camp records and unit or formation papers for the dates, in that order. Escape accounts are personal narratives, so check dates and places against the camp record before repeating them.
• How Do I Research a Death in Captivity?
  Research a death in captivity from the casualty record, camp records and commemoration entry together. Each source covers a different part of the story, and the death is only settled when they agree on person, date and place.
• How Do Prisoner Letters Fit the Record?
  Prisoner letters and cards are personal sources that can confirm a camp and a date, but they were written under censorship and delay. Use them as dated personal evidence, not as a full account of captivity.
• Why Are There Gaps in Prisoner Records?
  Gaps come from lost camp papers, transfers between camps, and records kept by different authorities. A gap in captivity records is normal, and the liberation questionnaire may be the only source that bridges it.
• In What Order Should I Research Captivity?
  Work in this order: service record, unit diary for the capture dates, prisoner and camp records, then liberation questionnaire. That order keeps captivity attached to the right person and the right action.