The National Ex-Prisoner of War Association Memorial - The National Memorial Arboretum, Croxall Road, Alrewas, Staffordshire, UK
Posted by: 
Dragontree
N 52° 43.786 W 001° 43.596
30U E 585989 N 5842970
A memorial dedicated to those who fell whilst Prisoners of War. It is located in The National Memorial Arboretum.
Waymark Code: WM92Q1
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 06/19/2010
Views: 14
This memorial is dedicated to POWs from Scandinavia, Europe, Mid East and North Africa theatres of war. There are some plaques on the memorial which read:
'The Memorial Plaque
This International Memorial is dedicated to the Prisoners of War
from 13 nations, from all parts of the globe, who were
incarcerated at Stallag X1B, Stallag X1D and Stallag 357 from
1939 - 1945 during World War Two.
Symbolised in the memorial are the gates which were opened by
The 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars on 16th April 1945, thus
giving freedom to the 17,000 Prisoners of War held in captivity.'
The many Prisoners of War who died whilst being force marched between prison camps are remembered here. The memorial was originally built in Fallingbostel in Germany by members of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME). The memorial we see here is an exact replica also built by them with the Royal Engineers.
The marches took place between the Polish POW camps and many died in dreadful conditions. Typhoid, diphtheria, wounds, infections, malnourishment, poor clothing and equipment all contributed to their suffering.