Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Five: Sergeant A. D. Shaw, 2nd Battalion, Transvaal Scottish, Union Defence Force, who was taken prisoner of war at Gazala, 15 June 1942, and attempted to escape whilst being transported from Italy to Germany by train. He successfully escaped from a Working Party in April 1945

1939-45 Star; Africa Star; War Medal 1939-45; Africa Service Medal, all officially impressed (27520 A. D. Shaw); Efficiency Medal, G.VI.R., 1st (bilingual) issue, Union of South Africa (Sgt. A. D. Shaw T.S.) with Regimental Feather Hackle, mounted as originally worn, generally very fine (5) £100-£140

Aubrey Daniel Shaw was born in Transvaal, South Africa in March 1914. He enlisted in the Union Defence Force in January 1935, and was subsequently posted to ‘C’ Company, 2nd Battalion, Transvaal Scottish. Shaw disembarked in Egypt in June 1941, and served with ‘H.Q.’ Company. He was taken prisoner of war by the Italians at Gazala, 15 June 1942, and was initially interned at Campo 52 (Chiabari).

Shaw was subsequently transferred to Germany, where he attempted to escape on route, ‘broke window of cattle tuck and Sgt. Bastard, Sgt. Hipkins & myself, while climbing through, were fired on, window closed up at next station.’ (POW Debrief refers)

Shaw was interned at Stalag VII-A (Moosburg); Stalag 344 (Lamsdorf) and Stalag XIII-C (Hammelburg Am Main), before being detached to form part of a Work Party on a farm, 13 March 1945. Shaw, attempted another escape, and his POW debrief gives the following:

‘While on the working party, Sgt. Street D., Cpl. Ivor C., and myself escaped from a column of British working parties who were being taken out of the area due to the advance of the American troops and made our way back to the farms we were working on, and hid in the barn, were [sic] we received food from the farmer. On 7th April, an American column entered the village and released us.’

Shaw was repatriated in May 1945, and was discharged in October 1945 (awarded Efficiency Medal in February 1946). After the war he resumed his employment as a Mining Shift Boss with Crown Mines Ltd.

Sold with extensive copied research.