Taking the Long Way Home

The Long March Home is a beautiful interactive website, detailing the history and struggles of Allied POW’s “going home”.

In January 1945 the Germans evacuated allied prisoners-of-war away from the advancing Soviet army. There was not just one March route - columns of prisoners-of-war were straggling all over Poland, Czechoslovakia and Germany from January until May, being forced along by their guards, and neither prisoners nor guards knew where they were supposed to be going or where they would end up. The experiences of different groups of men varied enormously.

Corporal Ronald Percy Wright No. 420583, a Trooper in the Royal Armoured Corps, 2nd Armoured Division, was reported missing on 07/06/1941 in the Western Desert (Egypt and/or Libya) and confirmed as a POW on 01/08/1941. Initially he was in POW Camp number 78, Sulmona, Italy and was later moved to Stalag VIIIB (344). His POW No. was 34834.