Albert enlisted in the 2nd Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment 'B' Company, on 16 October 1939.

He served in France for 142 days, before being taken Prisoner of War at Ypres on 29 May 1940 during the retreat to Dunkirk. 

He was held initially in Stalag XXA Thorn, and later in the BAB 20 (a sub-camp of Stalag 344 at Lamsdorf).

The BAB 20 camp at Reigersfeld, Heydebreck, was close to a synthetic oil manufacturing factory at Blechhammer

We have learned a little more about Albert's life for, as a former Post Office employee, then serving overseas, he was featured in the "Northampton News". This was the name of a newsletter produced between 1942 and 1945 by Northampton Post Office to keep in touch the staff, families and former employees then in the Forces all over the world. 

“(8/1942 P4) ALBERT ROSE (P.O.W. Germany) sends a Card and says he is still quite well and wishes to be remembered to all the lads. (You can rest assured Albert that we are always thinking about you).” 

“(8/1942 P4) PTE. ALBERT ROSE (P.O.W.) I went to a Camp show culled ‘Black Eyes’ put on by our own boys, and they were as good as any professionals. The spirit of all the lads is really fine, and when the Red Cross parcels arrive on Fridays - which we call 'grocery day' you ought to see the smiles. Glad to hear news of the boys from the office, and hope they are all keeping well. (Thanks for your cheery note Albert)” 

“(1/1943 P5) PTE. ALBERT ROSE. (Germany). I'm pleased to say I am still quite well and hope you and all the Lads serving and working are the same. Sorry I can't write more often but our supply of cards is limited, and I know you realise home comes first. Happy Christmas to all. (I quite understand, Albert and your mother gives me all the news about you. Your Mother has kindly agreed to allow us to be responsible for your next quarterly parcel which we hope will be a bumper.)” 

“(3/1944) In a letter from ALBERT ROSE to his mother, he says he is fit and well, and had a good time at Xmas, and made the most of anything they could get. Albert wishes to be remembered to all. He is still kept pretty busy doing pick & shovel work.”

Although Albert himself painted a reasonable picture of his time in the POW camp in these extracts, I am sure as not to worry his parents and maintain morale, other records we have subsequently discovered, painted a very different picture. 

Conditions in the British POW camps in German were subject to the Geneva Convention, of which Nazi Germany was a signatory. As such, the International Red Cross had reasonable access to these camps. 

A Red Cross visit to the BAB20 camp on 19th September 1944 recorded: "During the air-raid on August 7th, 1944, 17 bombs fell into the compound, demolishing 3 barracks, including the one with the Red Cross storeroom and damaging others nearby, no lives were lost, since all the POWs were outside the smoke screen…. 

“During the air-raid on August 22nd, 1944, three POWs were killed in the woods outside the smoke screen by anti-aircraft gun shells and 2 were wounded. Immediately the camp commander ordered slit-trenches to be made in the woods. According to the British POWs as well as the German authorities all civilian workers and the POWs working in the factory leave the area for the slit-trenches in the woods even before alarm is given.

“Apparently as soon as planes are approaching, the management of the firm rushes out by car to safety, thus giving the sign to all workers that a raid is due. 

“It appears that the scrambling on the roads on such an occasion is beyond description, thousands of workers, men and women, cars, tricks etc. rush as fast as possible to some safer area outside the smoke screen and if possible, outside the belt of anti-aircraft guns.

“The nerves of all POWs are in a very bad state and their one desire is to be sent back to Lamsdorf or to be sent to another working detachment in a safer region."

In January of 1945, the Germans began evacuating allied POWs away from the advancing Soviet army, in a forced march hundreds of miles west into central German territory and so began what was called "The Long March".

Tens of thousands of men were involved in these events, thousands of whom perished. Most marched many hundreds of miles, sometimes 20 miles a day, before being liberated by Allied forces in April and May of 1945.
 
Many of the dead succumbed to starvation, exposure, and disease. Some were shot by guards for attempting escape or simply being unable to continue. 

Albert Rose was one of the POWs involved in this march, and from detailed diaries compiled by survivors, we have been able to learn more about this time.
 
One such record is the transcribed diary belonging to Private James Peters of the 4th Battalion, Border Regiment who was also in BAB20. 

He wrote: "January 22nd 1945: We were in camp all day waiting to move off. The Russians are very close now. We could hear the Russian guns and planes all day. Advanced Russian tanks were reported to be about 3 kilometres away. 

“We had orders to move off at 4 pm. We left camp at Reigersfeld at 4.30pm. We were issued with 3 x 800 grams of bread and ¾ of a Red Cross parcel. About 1000 men in this column.

“We marched across the River Oder, which was about 3 kilometres from camp. We marched all through the night. Temperatures were around minus 25 degrees Celsius. It was knee-deep in snow in many places. We got lost twice in the night.

“We were behind a column of Jews. We kept passing them lying in the road, dying of cold and malnutrition, and others having been shot by Schutzstaffel (SS) guards. They were a pitiful sight, and we could do nothing for them.
 
“We arrived at our destination at about 7am the next morning and stayed on a farm at Gruinwreide. We had marched about 40 kilometres. The snow is deep on the ground.

“January Saturday 27th: Left Ludwigsdorf and marched 30 kilometres to Harensdorf. It is very cold, minus 27 degrees Celsius. Our boots are frozen and rubbing skin off our feet. Nothing to eat today.

“February. Saturday 3rd: Received ½ mug of burgu in morning. Marched 20 kilometres to Brounou. Received 4 boiled spuds to each man. The guards are becoming more vicious. We are hungry and tired. Can't get anything to eat. Men are falling sick. Men are dying.”

"February. Wednesday 28th: Stayed in barn all day. We received 3 boiled potatoes in the morning. We are considering refusing to move unless we get some food. Futile as they will probably shoot some of us. I am very sick and feeling very weak through lack of food. We are all very sick. Weather bad. 

"It has been a terrible five weeks and still not finished. Every day there are fewer of us. We wonder what the Germans intend to do with us. Living off hope. April. Sunday 8th: Still in Ramsdetell. Received 250 grams of bread. 

"We were taken to work on the Railway Station at Bayreuth about 5 kilometres from the barn. Bayreuth had been bombed. We arrived during an air raid and were put to work repairing rails. Bayreuth was burning well. 

"We returned to the farm at about 8pm. Received one cup of soup. Another air raid, but we were too tired to bother. Our Red Cross parcels are finished."

“April. Wednesday 11th: Reveille at 2.30am. Started work in Bayreuth at 6am. We took our kit with us to go to another billet near Bayreuth.

“A panzer alarm (Tank alarm) first, then air alarm. Planes machine gunned all around us. We are going to be nervous wrecks before long. These (RAF) air raids last for hours. The all clear sounded, we returned to work.
 
“The air alarm went again. The German Feldgendarmerie Sergeant, would not let us go to the woods or the fields. He made us stay in the streets of Bayreuth. 

We were on the streets when the planes dropped their markers. Some chaps went under houses and under the railway. I ran to get out of town and ran through the bombing. 

“Bombs dropped within 50 yards of three of us. We took shelter under a thin bridge. The planes bombed heavily within 200 yards of our position; it was good bombing. 

“There was a bit of a lull, so we dashed for the fields. We watched the bombing and machine gunning from the fields. We saw one of our chaps get shot by the Volkstrum (German Home Guard) in a field during the raid.

“The raid lasted about four hours. We returned to town. All my kit had been blown up. 

“We found our new billets. We had a roll call and found that 106 men were missing, killed and wounded. Of those killed, the greater number of them had been killed whilst sheltering under the railway bridge". 

In a recollection of Private Ernest Mathews, of the Black Watch (Service No 4459399, POW No 6660), he recorded: "We were by a hotel when the bombs started dropping and German civilians told us to go down these narrow stairs. It was a sort of cellar. 

“We picked up our packs, and Albert Rose went to the back of the hotel instead. Albert was killed and I survived. After the raid you'd think that a knife had chopped the front off the hotel."

In the affidavit of Regimental Sergeant Major Alexander Martin, he makes mention that: "After the raid – documents were gathered – I saw documents belonging to a solider named 'Rose'". 

Just two days later, on the 14 April 1945, the US 3rd Army, commanded by General George S Patton, captured Bayreuth from the Germans. 

So, Albert Rose was indeed one of the British POWs killed at Bayreuth on 11 April 1945, tragically so close to being freed and being able to return home.

Ultimately, of course, Albert's death was reported back in the "Northampton News":

“(5/1945) It falls to my lot to bring sadness to our Victory 'News'. I very much regret to report the death of Albert Rose in a bombing raid on Germany. After 5 weary years as P.O.W. and home in sight at last with friends waiting to greet him, it seems too sad for words, and I feel I cannot give expression to the sorrow we feel. 

“Let us as a memorial to him and our other friends who have passed on strive all the harder for unity, that good fellowship for which we all long. Mr and Mrs Rose, no longer young, have been so very brave during this sad parting and so in their hour of sorrow I ask them to accept the deep sympathy of us all, hoping in some small measure it will lighten their cross knowing it comes in all sincerity – Gwen M Needham Smith.”

“(6/1945 P6) SGMN BERT HILLYARD (B.L.A.) Many thanks for the Victory issue of the 'News'; thought what a fine start the Postmaster gave it, but the tragic news of Albert Rose's death kind of took the edge off the exhilaration that should have been.

“His most untimely death must have been a bitter blow to his parents, to think that he was taken away just when his liberation was so close at hand. I knew Albert and his parents before he started work at the P.O. so feel more grieved.” 

“(6/45 P10) TEL LEN THACKER (C/O G.P.O. London) A letter from Mum has just given me the terrible news of Albert Rose's death. It was a nasty shock, for I'd been expecting to hear that he was home at last, and visiting the T.T.C. Having been a Telegraph messenger with him for over 3 years, it almost feels a personal loss. We shall all miss him. One couldn't have wished for a finer workmate.”

“(7/1945 Pg 1) Through the medium of the 'News' we should like to thank all lads who have written, for their kind words and thoughts for us in our sorrow. It is very nice for us to know our lad was a good and reliable colleague. Your sympathy has helped us very much. To all members of the T.T.C. we should like to express our gratitude.” - W.F. & M.S. Rose. (Albert's parents)