Featherstone Stephen C /Sgt 4452372
Personnel Entry
Name Featherstone Stephen
Army number 4452372
Rank Colour Sergeant.
Decorations None known beyond Service Awards.
Date of birth Born 24/5/1913 - birth registered in Auckland District - mother's maiden surname Brotherton.
Age 88 at the time of his death. Death registered in Stockton on Tees 2002.
Unit Joined The Durham Light Infantry 1/4/1937. Probably posted to the 6th Battalion DLI. Posted to the 10th Battalion DLI - probably 1/9/1939. Served with the B.E.F. in Northern France. Taken Prisoner of War on 20/5/1940 at Ficheux - PoW status formally notified 12/7/1940, a report to this effect being included in the Auckland Chronicle edition of 8/8/1940. Repatriated to the UK May 1945. Relegated to the Class Z Army Reserve 2/3/1946.
Company/Battery Not yet known.
Platoon or other sub-unit Not yet known.
!Promotions=None known beyond Colour Sergeant.
Task or role Company Quarter Master Sergeant.
Joined Brigade Probably 1/9/1939.
Promotions
Wounded Yes - at the time of his capture.
Prisoner of War Yes - held in Camps 20A (73) Thorn, Poland 10/6/1940 to 30/10/1942, and 383 Hohenfels, Bavaria 31/10/1942 to 28/4/1945. Was held at a Work Camp - Kleine Bartlese 27/6/1940 to 1/9/1942 in charge of a Working Party working on Oil Refinery construction. He suffered from influenza linked to malnutrition and was returned to work after two days having received no medical treatment. During his time at the Work Camp he was involved in the destruction, loss and burning of tools and equipment. The detailing power as part of their security arrangements ordered all food (Red Cross parcels) to be moved outside the main camp. RSM Holt of the Lancashire Fusiliers gave an order for the PoWs to carry these parcels out. C/Sgt Featherstone, along with others, refused to do this as they would not assist the Germans to carry out security measures. This was considered a breach of military discipline by the Senior British Officer (Major Neill RAMC) and the names of the men concerned were forwarded to the Judge Advocate for him to decide on any further action. PoW Number 9606.
Died/Killed in action
Home address Worked for London and North Eastern Railway as a Railway Porter and lived at 18, Helmington Terrace, Hunwick, Willington, County Durham, with at the time of the 1939 General Register, his parents Henry and Margaret A. (nee Brotherton). Married Marjorie A Coning April 1946 in Durham West District.
Source table 10DLI
Some data items were extracted from the MI9 PoW Questionnaire held on Ancestry.co.uk. It is not known whether any disciplinary action was pursued aginst C/Sgt Featherstone and his comrades as a result of the incident described above.
