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

Clifford Beckwith - Green Howards

My dad Clifford Beckwith was among the first British soldiers to enter Belsen. He never spoke of it other than Read more

Brian Urquhart (Major) (Sir)

I left the airborne business after the Battle of Arnhem because I was pretty unpopular there. It’s unpopular enough to Read more

Mervyn Gonin - 11th Light Field Ambulance

This month marks the 70th anniversary of Belsen’s liberation and reporter James Marston went to find out more about a Read more

Hugh Ewart - 41 Commando

Former Royal Marine Commando Hugh Ewart, 92, passed away last Saturday and his family are hoping standard bearers and buglers Read more

Hugh O Hara - 11th Armoured Brigade

This is the horrifying image of young soldier Hugh O’Hara helping to bury thousands of death camp victims after liberating Read more

James Willis Oliphant - 11th Armoured Division

Hi, my Grandfather, James Willis Oliphant served with the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry all through the war, latterly with the Read more

Harold Tetlow, Padre

The first religious service held at Belsen took place using an alter under canvas with a rough wooden cross on Read more

William Roach Account at Belsen

William Roach, Troop Commander in the 58th Light Anti-Aircraft Regt, and Battery Commander Major Chapman were told to go to Read more

John Proskie (RCAF/224 Mil Gov)

Canadian, Proskie was assigned to 224 Military Government. He arrived at Belsen April 17th. I came across a file at Read more

Tom Derek Bowden - Captured British Soldier

The Israeli ambassador and Lord Dannatt, former head of the British Army, were among those who paid tribute at a 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

***

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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