University of Oxford
Browse

My uncle, Victor Packer, Royal Tank Regiment, captured at Dunkirk

online resource
posted on 2024-06-05, 19:35 authored by Their Finest Hour Project Team

Parents, Wilfred Smale and Patricia Packer, had a 'war marriage' at St. Gustus' Church [actually, its probably St Eustachius' Church, Tavistock - clearly a typo] on Boxing Day, 1941. All clothing for the wedding was borrowed from friends.

Newspaper enclosed with items - Plymouth Herald, dated 11 February 1944 (contributor has no idea why this was kept by parents).

Father, Wilfred, was wounded during the war [no details provided as to how, or with what service].

Mother, Patricia, worked as a welder in a local dockyard - she loved it, apparently, but was 'thrown out' at the end of the war.

Uncle (mother's brother), Victor Packer, was a career solder from Plymouth.

He served in the Royal Tank Regiment and was involved in the fighting during the Germany attack in the West in 1940. He was captured at Dunkirk in 1940, and was a POW during 1940-45 (remainder of the war).

He was 'probably liberated in Poland' at the end of the war.

History

Item list and details

1. Wilfred and Patricia (parents) - home documents 2. Victor Packer items

Person the story/items relate to

Victor Packer - uncle (mother's brother) Patricia Packer - mother Wilfred Smale - father

Person who shared the story/items

Jacqueline Smale

Relationship between the subject of the story and its contributor

Niece - Daughter

Type of submission

Shared at University of Plymouth, Plymouth on 15 November 2023.

Record ID

113326 | PLY036