Arthur Richard Madel was born in East Ham, London in 1916.
He enlisted into 368 Battery of 92nd Field Regiment at Woolwich in May 1939 at the age of 22 years and, like many men of 92nd Field, he transferred to 367 Battery of the newly-formed 140 Regiment as ‘Driver-in-charge’ in October 1939.
As a senior Driver it is likely he drove staff cars for one of the senior officers of the Regiment.
Arthur Madel pre war
Madel served with 367 Battery throught the 1940 BEF campaign, including the fighting at Cassel. He was captured near Watou on 30th May 1940 and was POW at Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf 1940-1945.
Driver Arthur Madel’s German Personelkarte- captured Watou 30 May 1940
Madel’s Personnelkarte suggests he was at Work-camp E3 Blechammer 1940-43; during 1943-45 he was at E163 Oderthal, E250 Adeldorf and E600 (a sugar beet factory in Poland). He participated in the Long March before his liberation in April 1945.
He was repatriated to the UK and, like my father Eric West, was transferred into 203 Regiment RA before his discharge from the Army in February 1946.
While at E3 work camp he won a boxing contest and kept the wooden plaque until his death, age 66 years, in 1981.
E3 (Blechammer) Boxing Club Middle Weight Winner
He married Margaret in 1949 in Essex and they had one child, Sandra Madel, who died in 2017.
Arthur Madel post war
(with thanks to Megan James, his great grand-daughter)