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Auction: 20001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - conducted behind closed doors
Lot: 978

Six: Company Sergeant-Major E. I. Wallbridge, Hampshire Regiment, taken a prisoner of war during the crossing of the Garigliano, 19 January 1944

General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Palestine (2030574. Pte. E. J. Wallbridge. Hamps. R.); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star, clasp, 1st Army; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, note initials, very fine (6)

Ernest Ivor Wallbridge, a native of Cosham, Portsmouth, was born on 21 February 1914 and enlisted in the Hampshire Regiment on 22 January 1934. Having seen active service in Palestine, he served with the 2nd Battalion in North Africa and Italy, before being captured on 20 January 1944 in Italy. It would appear he went in the bag during the operations in the crossing of the Garigliano. The Royal Hampshire Regimental Museum takes up the story:

The crossing of the Garigliano by the 46th Division was made on a two-battalion front – the 2nd on the right, the 1/4th on the left, with the 5th in reserve. The operation began at 8pm on 19th January 1944 but almost from the start things went wrong. The Garigliano was flowing very fast, and although one Company of the 2nd Battalion succeeded in getting over and establishing a cable control for the boats which followed the cables became snagged, broke and the boats were swept downstream.

The heavy mist on the river also proved troublesome, with the boat crews losing sight of the banks and consequently their sense of direction as the fast-flowing water spun them round. It was the same story with the 1/4th who made a total of 14 attempts to get a line across the river. They had no more success when they tried to use the 2nd Battalion’s crossing. Try as they might, no troops got over the river other than the one Company of 2nd Battalion and as dawn approached the attack was abandoned and the battalions returned to their former positions.'

One might imagine Wallbridge was in that Company left stranded on the wrong side of the river. Having been subjected to individual interrogation - likely on account of his rank - on 21 January, he was held captive at Stalag IV B (Muhlberg) from 25 February 1944-7 April 1945, suffering conjunctivitis for approximately 12 months; sold together with copied M.I.9. Ex-Prisoners of War Questionnaire and Casualty Lists.

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Sold for
£170

Starting price
£60