Griffin Musgrove Rendell
Born b. 1916
Public - Lorraine Mona - Researcher - 3 August 2025 - NZ BDM Birth Records
- Service number
- WWII 24255 AWMM
- Also known as
- —
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Last rank
- —
- War
- World War II, 1939-1945 AWMM
About
- Title
- —
- Forenames
- Griffin Musgrove AWMM
- Surname
- Rendell AWMM
- Ingoa
- —
- Also known as
- —
- Service number
- WWII 24255 AWMM
- Gender
- Male AWMM
- Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
- —
- Religion
- —
Images
Documents
About birth
- Birth
- —
- Date of birth
- b. 1916Public - Lorraine Mona - Researcher - 3 August 2025 - NZ BDM Birth Records
- Place of birth
- —
- Birth notes
- son of Alfred Griffen & Albertina Annie Ida RENDELLPublic - Lorraine Mona - Researcher - 3 August 2025 - NZ BDM Birth Records
- Address before enlistment
- WW2 Pre 1940-1941 AWMM Care of Mrs. I.E. Tanner, Te Puke AWMM
- Post war occupation
- —
- Next of kin
- WW2 Mr. K.O. Rendell, care of R. Willis, Otorohanga (brother) AWMM
- Relationship status
- Pre 1940-1941 AWMM Single/WWII AWMM
- 1945 Griffen M RENDELL married June COLLINSPublic - Lorraine Mona - Researcher - 3 August 2025 - NZ BDM Marriage Records
Wars and conflicts
- War
- World War II, 1939-1945 AWMM
- Campaign
- —
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Service number
- WWII 24255 AWMM
- Military service
- —
- Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers
- —
Military decorations
- Medals and Awards
- —
Training and Enlistment
- Military training
- —
- Branch Trade Proficiency
- —
- Enlistment
- WW2 1940-1941 2NZEF Nom. Roll 3, p.398 Clerk 2NZEF Nom. Roll 3, p.398
- Age on enlistment
- —
- Occupation before enlistment
- —
Embarkations
- Embarkation details
- WW2 Private 2NZEF Nom. Roll 3, p.398 Headquarters, 24 (Auckland) Infantry Battalion 2NZEF Nom. Roll 3, p.398 Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force, Third Echelon AWMM
Prisoner of war
- Capture details
- WW2 POW - Stalag XVIII-A, Wolfsberg, Austria AWMM
- WW2
- Days interned
- —
- Liberation date
- —
- POW liberation details
- —
- Liberation Repatriation
- —
- POW serial number
- —
Medical history
- Medical notes
- —
Last known rank
- Last rank
- —
- Last rank
- —
Biographical information
- One of 98 Prisoners of War, who escaped Stalag XVIII-D in August 1944. Led by Australian Private Ralph Churches, who planned and carried out one of the biggest and most successful Prisoner of War escapes during World War Two. Churches led 98 Prisoners of War to safely, including 9 New Zealanders. After escaping from the work party with six others, he returned for the rest of his mates - the other ninety. He got them airlifted to safety from behind German lines with the help of different groups of Slovene partisans.
The Slovene partisans ambushed the German guards who were guarding the POWs work party, who were beginning their work day on a section of railway track near Ozhbalt. Then followed 15 days where the POWs walked 160 miles to freedom, guided by the different groups of Slovene partisans who had an intimate knowledge of the rugged steep forested hills. They were transported from the airfield at Semich to Southern Italy. Safe with Allied Forces. The ordeal is documented in Churches book, 'A hundred miles as the crow flies.' AWMM
About death
- Death
- —
- Date of death
- —
- Age at death
- —
- Place of death
- —
- Cause of death
- —
- Death notes
- —
- Cemetery
- —
- Cemetery name
- —
- Grave reference
- —
- Obituary
- —
- Memorial name
- —
- Memorial reference
- —
Memorial
- Memorial name
- —
Sources
- External links
- Great Britain Army. (1945). Germany and German occupied territories : imperial prisoners of war alphabetical list : section 4. London, U.K.: Government Printer. Zenodo Record.
https://zenodo.org/records/3955186
Further Reference - References
- Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1941). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 3 (Embarkations from 1st July, 1940 to 31st March, 1941). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
p.398 - Great Britain Army. (1945). Germany and German occupied territories : imperial prisoners of war alphabetical list : section 4. London, U.K.: Government Printer.
- Churches, R. (2017). A hundred miles as the crow files. The Estate of R.F Churches: Kensington, Vic.
- Mason, W.W. (1954) Prisoners of war. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
- Burdon, R. (1959). 24 Battalion. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
- 24 N.Z. Infantry Battalion Association [newsletter]. Auckland, N.Z.: The Association.
- Fortune, G. & Bebich, M. (2008). Citizenship and remembrance : a history of the 24 NZ Infantry Battalion Association. Auckland, N.Z.: Polygraphia.
- Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1941). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 3 (Embarkations from 1st July, 1940 to 31st March, 1941). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
The development of the Online Cenotaph is an ongoing process; updates, new images and records are added weekly. In some cases, records have yet to be confirmed by Museum staff, and there could be mistakes or omissions in the information provided.
Online Cenotaph Data by Auckland War Memorial Museum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.