The Liberation of Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp

Welcome this new archive relating and dedicated to the men and women service personnel and the part they played at the Liberation and subsequent Humanitarian Effort of the Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp in 1945: The Liberation of Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp.
UPDATE:
Thank you to everyone who submitted a name/details to coincide with the anniversary of the liberation of Bergen Belsen – we’ll go through all your submissions, moderate and add them on. If you have a photo or any more details please email us. Thank you.

We are now inviting any relatives of service personnel who may have been at the camp to get in touch. Any regiment, service, nationality, volunteer or any snippet of information – we would like to hear from you. We do not believe there are any records of the diverse group of men and women, many completely untrained, who were involved with the camp, after it’s liberation.

Those That Served

Bergen Belsen Memorial

Despite the annual britishness tweets of the liberation of Belsen, there is no memorial at the site for all the Read more

George Albert Buckfield

I am writing to ask if I would please be able to add my dad, George Albert Buckfield to the Read more

63rd ATR - C Troop

Group photo of 63rd Anti Tank Regt. C Troop. Eric Rawlings can be seen middle row centre (8th from left) Read more

Arnold Peter Meiklejohn

Arnold Peter Meiklejohn (1909 – 14 June 1961), known as Peter Meiklejohn, was an English physician and academic, specializing in Read more

Harry Morgan RAMC

Harry Morgan, seen here with wife Margaret (nee Walker). Joined RAMC in WW2 and entered Belsen in April 1945. Liberation Read more

Alan Willoughby, AFS

Alan served in WWII as an ambulance driver for the British army all across Europe by way of the American Read more

Sally Wideroff - JDC Relief Worker

Sally Wideroff (born Sally Bendremer), a JDC (JOINT DISTRIBUTION COMMITTEE) relief worker, spent thirteen months in the British Zone of Read more

Derrick A Sington - 14 Amplifier Unit

On 15 April at the request of GSO, 11 Armoured Division, 14 Amplifier Unit joined 23 Hussars and accompanied them Read more

Molly Silva Jones - British Red Cross

The human laundry. ‘Going into that place, who could forget it?’ wrote Molly Sylva* Jones of the Red Cross. ‘Living Read more

Tom Scholes (58th LAA)

Tom Scholes was called up for 6 months in the First Militia, aged 21, on 17 July 1939. Those 6 Read more

Colonel Michael Osborn

Colonel Osborn was one of the first to enter Belsen concentration camp, and what he discovered stayed with him for Read more

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This site will progress and I’d encourage anyone with any info to get in touch. My granddad, Reg Price served with the 113th Durham Light Infantry*, as part of 369 Battery. As a signwriter, he produced this sign…

And this was kept in the family for years – so for the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Belsen in 2020, subsequent VE Day and VJ Day, I thought it’s about time I’d try to find out more about Reg – his comrades (many of which are names, simply written on the back of photos), what they did together and for a way to remember them all, properly.

To coinicide with the anniversary, I was able to be filmed both on national and local BBC TV to tell Reg’s Story.
Whilst this was totally out of my comfort zone and I dreaded every moment – I decided I needed to do something to start this all off. BBC Midlands Today aired 7th May and a VE Day Antiques Roadshow Special aired Sunday 10th May.

Read here about The Heroes of Belsen.

The main photo, shown here was coloured for the 75th Anniversary and we’ll tell you all about it shortly – and what happened next!

*Just 113th Durham Light Infantry? No we are interested in all Service and Medical personnel who took part during the humanitarian effort at Belsen Concentration Camp. Their roles and names are largely forgotten, as many were too horrified to ever speak of what they had to do, so this archive seeks to form a tribute to ALL those that were there, to find out more and to remember them.
If you have a relative, or any info, on the relief effort at Belsen, we’d love you to please get in touch. Email us: liberator@belsen.co.uk – Thank you

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The Liberation of Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp

Any 113th Durham Light Infantry friends or family are encouraged to get in touch via 113th@belsen.co.uk

** In 1938 the old 5th Battalion DLI changed its role to Searchlights and then in 1940 to Anti-Aircraft. This 113th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment went to Normandy in June 1944 and joined the advance into Germany in early 1945.
Official designation – Brigade: 100 AA • Division: 30 Corps. • Unit: 113 LAA Regt. RA (DLI) TA.

The Liberation of Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp
Names of British soldiers who liberated Belsen

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