John Rowland “Roly” Talbot
Lieutenant · NZ #1037 · R2 Patrol
| Rank | Lieutenant |
|---|---|
| Service number | NZ #1037 |
| Patrol | R2 Patrol |
| Known as | “Roly” |
| Born | 1910-06-04 |
| POW / KIA | POW — 15 Jan 1943 |
| Record | https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C142105 |
What this roll records
Commanded R2 patrol watching the northern approaches to Gialo (September 1942). When six enemy aircraft attacked on 19 September the patrol scattered; Talbot brought his trucks back to Kufra, all six eventually returning despite seven casualties. Source: ‘Raids Behind the Enemy Lines’, Episodes & Studies Vol. 1 (NZ official war history).
Patrol R2 officer (Lieut. J.R. Talbot). Brendan O'Carroll, "R Patrol, Long Range Desert Group" (R Patrol Truck Names and Officers appendix).
Joined Jul 1942 (Capt., N.Z.E.F.). P.O.W. 15 Jan 1943. LRDG Unit Casualty Returns (A.F. 3010), Appendix 3 officers list (source: Brendan O'Carroll).
PATROL COMMANDER of R2 per W.B. Kennedy Shaw, "Long Range Desert Group", Appendix 4 Patrol Commanders.
Cenotaph record linked. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.
Captured in North Africa: R2 Patrol, 15 Jan 1943. Source: "Names of LRDG NZ personnel captured in North African campaign" (per Brendan O’Carroll).
Prisoner-of-war camp: Oflag 79 (code O79), POW No. 1419. Source: Germany & German-Occupied Territories Imperial POW Alphabetical List, Section 4 (N.Z.), 2NZEF. Transcription via Zenodo (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.3632116, CC BY 4.0).
Capture-date note: Imperial POW roll records capture as 16 Jan 1943 (master: 15 Jan 1943; one-day difference). Source: 2NZEF Imperial POW rolls (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0).
North Africa — 15 Jan 1943, esc Sciuref: prisoner of war. R1 officer; walked into esc Sciuref (Tunisia) — reported Free French but Italian-held — with 2/Lt Kinsman. Source: TRACKS magazine (LRDG Association), Ian Chard, 'Not all were lucky — LRDG missing in North Africa', June 2023.
Capture date confirmed by TRACKS (Ian Chard), resolving the earlier Imperial-roll discrepancy.
Captured 16 January 1943; POW at P.G. 21, Chieti and Oflag 79, Waggum. Storekeeper in civilian life. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.
The Kiwi Scorpions (Brendan O'Carroll): Capt. J. R. Talbot — storekeeper, Motueka; born South Africa, 4 Jun 1910; patrol commander LRDG; prisoner of war 15 Jan 1943.
Patrol commander: commanded R2 Patrol. Kiwi Scorpions (Appendix II — Commanders of NZ Patrols).
Storekeeper, of Motueka; born South Africa, 4 Jun 1910. Prisoner of war, 15 Jan 1943. Source: Episodes & Studies Vol. 1 (biographical notes).
Embarkation detail from his Cenotaph record: he embarked as QUARTERMASTER SERGEANT. The rank held on this card, Lieutenant, is his LRDG rank; promotion after embarkation was the rule rather than the exception, so the two are not in conflict. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph, record C142105.
See him in the full roll →Where this comes from
- AKA added from the LRDG Preservation Society’s Troopers roll (missing information).
- Additional sources (AWMM Online Cenotaph). Nominal Roll 2NZEF No. 1, p.177. Unit history: Loughnan, R. (1963). Divisional Cavalry; Mason, W.W. (1954). Prisoners of war. External links: Germany imperial POW list, section 4 (Zenodo): https://zenodo.org/records/3955186; 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.
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Not By Strength But By Guile