The Second World War touched the lives of millions and made many an ordinary person into a hero, yet many of these remain anonymous.
If we passed them in the street today we would be totally unaware of the dangers and horrors they faced and their incredible feats of bravery.
Some veterans do come forward to give their account of the war and East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Archives and Local Studies Service is delighted to have received the war records of Sidney Rippingale, a veteran of the 4th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment.
Amongst the fascinating artefacts, are a personal account of his experiences, written records from his time as a prisoner of war and his escape from captivity.
Mr Rippingale was called up in July 1939 and sent to Victoria Barracks, Beverley, for training prior to being assigned to the East Yorkshire Regiment.
Early in the war, Private Sidney Rippingale was thrust into the thick of the action and was in the last party to be evacuated from Dunkirk and witnessed the full terror of that event, during which he received a shrapnel wound to the hand.
He also saw action in North Africa and was with the 50th Division in 1942 for its defence of the ‘Knightsbridge Box’ at Gazala, Libya, in which he and fellow soldiers were surrounded by the enemy and captured by Field Marshal Rommel’s forces. They came face to face with Rommel himself, who told them that ‘their war was over’.
He and his comrades suffered months of imprisonment in wire cages and were given sea water to drink, before eventually being transported to Italy in September 1942, where Private Rippingale was held at Camp No.53 in Capua, near Naples.
Here, the prisoners had a communal notice board called ‘The Grif’ board. The soldiers passed the time by writing poetry, messages and thoughts on the ‘Grif’ for others to read. Rippingale used some of his small money allowance to buy a notepad and pen to transcribe writings on the board. The notepad survives today, and forms part of the collection now on display at the Treasure House.
In May 1943, Rippingale was among sixteen prisoners who volunteered to be transferred to San Pietro Novara, near Milan in northern Italy, to work on local farms. These men were taken north on 17 May and sent to work on various farms. After building a good relationship with the farmer, Rippingale and eight other men began to plan their escape with the help of the farmer and his son.
In September 1943 the eight men started their escape, initially by hiding out at the farm for a week as a bluff and then heading north for Switzerland. They split into two groups and walked in pairs to be less conspicuous.
The men covered more than 150 miles over ten days, the last four of which were across the Alps. They had to take several detours to avoid detection by German troops and trek through wild open country across the Alps. Whilst crossing the Alps they had nothing to eat and were forced to stop by dark each day because of the treacherous alpine mists. Incredibly, they made the crossing without a map or compass and in the clothes that they had worn in the warmer conditions at the farm.
On reaching the Swiss border the men were greeted with utter disbelief by the guard, who could not comprehend how they had accomplished such a perilous journey. Private Rippingale was required to remain in Switzerland for a year following his remarkable escape, but for this British hero, the war was finally over.
Sam Bartle, collections officer, said: “Sidney’s stories about his wartime experience are remarkable, and we need more people to follow his lead and tell us their war stories before they are forgotten.”