Thomas Arthur “Tom” Milburn

Trooper · NZ #17850 · T1 Patrol

What this roll records

ONE TRUCK CREW, THREE MEN OF THIS ROLL, PHOTOGRAPHED TOGETHER ON THE WAY HOME. The Evening Star of 19 August 1944 printed them at Dunedin railway station under the caption: “TROOPER T. A. MILBURN (Dunedin), CORPORAL M. CRAW, M.M. (Palmerston North), TROOPER R. E. HAY (Dunedin). - These three members of a truck crew in the Long Range Desert Group were all taken prisoners of war when their truck overturned during a raid on an aerodrome at Barce in September, 1942. The two Dunedin men were placed in the same prison camp and Corporal Craw was sent to a camp further north. When Italy withdrew from the war, all three escaped, and were reunited in Cairo and came back to New Zealand in the second furlough draft.” Milburn NZ #17850, Craw NZ #37112 and Hay NZ #15302. Source: Evening Star, 19 August 1944, via Papers Past (National Library of New Zealand).

Cenotaph record linked. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.

March 1942 roll (courtesy Tarek el Mahdy): Driver

Barce Raid, Sept 1942 (courtesy Tarek el Mahdy): Driver — POW

Captured in North Africa: T1 Patrol, 14 Sep 1942, Barce. escaped Italy 1943. Source: "Names of LRDG NZ personnel captured in North African campaign" (per Brendan O’Carroll).

Died 1 November 1969, aged 52. Buried at Port Chalmers RSA Cemetery, Dunedin (Block 1A, Plot 2). Prisoner of war: held at P.G. 85, Tuturano, Italy. A stock agent in civilian life; served with the 2nd NZ Divisional Cavalry Regiment. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.

The Kiwi Scorpions (Brendan O'Carroll): Tpr T. A. Milburn — stock agent, Port Chalmers; born Dunedin, 6 Feb 1918; prisoner of war 14 Sep 1942; escaped Sep 1943.

The Kiwi Scorpions (Brendan O'Carroll): T1 Patrol: drove Cpl Merlyn Craw's truck 'Te Paki III', which overturned and crashed in Barce during the Barce Raid; captured while trying to escape the town on foot.

Got clear of Barce after Craw’s truck was destroyed (13–14 September 1942) but was captured outside the town; he escaped a year later. Source: ‘The Barce Raid’, Episodes & Studies Vol. 1 (NZ official war history).

Stock agent, of Port Chalmers; born Dunedin, 6 Feb 1918. Prisoner of war 14 Sep 1942, escaped Sep 1943. Source: Episodes & Studies Vol. 1 (biographical notes).

Took part in the Barce Raid with T1 Patrol, 13/14 September 1942. The patrol was largely captured; he was taken prisoner of war. Source: Brendan O’Carroll, ‘The Kiwi Scorpions’ (Appendix VIII, T1 Patrol members who took part in the Barce Raid, September 1942).

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Where this comes from

• Missing info added from the LRDG Preservation Society’s Troopers roll.
• AKA added from the LRDG Preservation Society’s Troopers roll (missing information).
• Additional sources (AWMM Online Cenotaph). Nominal Roll 2NZEF No. 4, p.245. Unit history: Loughnan, R. (1963). Divisional Cavalry; Mason, W.W. (1954). Prisoners of war. External links: Italy imperial POW list, section 4 (Zenodo): https://zenodo.org/records/4560909 Also cited: List of 2NZEF Prisoners of War 1941-1945, AWMM Library MS 2009/8; Allan Steel Cemetery Project (2020).

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