Pair of knitted mittens sent to British POW, John D. McComiskey

« Prev Item Next Item »

c. 1940

Overview

Pair of knitted mittens made and distributed by members of the British Red Cross and St. John War Organisation London during World War Two.
This type of mitten is known as trigger finger as there are separate pouches for the thumb and trigger finger. They are hand knitted from khaki wool and have a band around the top. One of the pair has a cloth label stitched onto the band which reads 'Red Cross & St. John War Organisation London'.
The mittens don't match perfectly, with the attachment of the trigger pouch differing along with the overall size of the mitten and band. This may be due to different people having knitted them from a pattern.
The mittens came with a greyscale photograph of a British serviceman who appears to be a Corporal. He is wearing his P37 battledress jacket and trousers and a sidecap. It isn't possible to tell what colour it would have been and therefore what service it was issued to - Army or Air Force.
On the reverse of the photograph, there is information about the sender and recipient. The mittens and photograph were sent to J. McComiskey, P.O.W. Number 17108 when held as a prisoner of war in Germany, by Colin Wilkinson. A black censor's stamp appears in the middle of the writing.

Historical information

John D. McComiskey was born in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire on 15 October 1918. He was a Private in the Royal Army Medical Corps (service number 7362701) when he was captured in France and made a prisoner of war.
He was originally reported missing on 31 July 1940 before being confirmed as a POW in the casualty List No. 282 on 15 August 1940. He was held in Camp no. 20B and had the POW number of 17108, as written on the reverse of the photograph. Another document states he was held at Stalag XXA, Thorn.

It is not known who the pictured serviceman is - John McComiskey, Colin Wilkinson or someone known to both of them.

During both world wars, the British Red Cross Society sent vital food and relief packages to prisoners of war. These packages, often referred to as "POW parcels," were a lifeline for many captured soldiers, providing essential supplies and a connection to the outside world. The British Red Cross Society, through its Joint War Organisation with the Order of St. John, was instrumental in ensuring these parcels reached POWs, especially when governments were unable or unwilling to provide adequate support.

There are a number of POW boxes sent by British and Australian Red Cross in the collection, as well as items relating to fundraising for the parcel contents.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-119-RoW00595

Item type

Themes

Social History
War and Conflict
War and Conflict > World War 2

Material