Private Charles M Fittock

Charles Michael Fittock was born in Barcelona, Spain on 6th May 1919 and lived in Ayrshire; husband of Margaret Fittock, of Penzance.

He attended The English School in Barcelona, before moving to Cornwall and attending Truro School, as a boarder, between September 1931 and December 1936.

Enlisted into the Royal Scots Fusiliers 19 October 1939. 

By December 1941 he was serving in the Signals Platoon, Headquarters Company.

He volunteered for Airborne Forces in early 1942, completed his parachute training on course number 8. Which ran from 10 to 24 February 1942. He then was posted to the 2nd Parachute Battalion.

Charles was captured in North Africa at Depienne, 29 November 1942. Moved to an Italian POW Camp on the 10 March 1943. He was then transported to a POW Camp in Germany, Stalag 4B, Muhlberg, Elbe on the 28 September 1944. This explains why he was assumed (for many years) to have taken part in the battle of Arnhem.

He was shot by a German sentry, reportedly whilst escaping, but unfortunately this is incorrect. Private Fittock used to visit a mate of his in another compound at night and he was actually shot whilst climbing in through the window of his own hut on his return. He was 25 years old. He was buried in the POW Cemetery and was re-interred to Berlin 1939-45 War cemetery on 5 June 1945.

3185627. Private. James. G. McCafferty of the 1^st Parachute Battalion, who had been taken prisoner in Tunisia on the 8^th March 1943, and sent to Stalag 4B on the 12 September 1943. On the 13th August 1945 James gave a statement about the murder of Private Fittock :

“A British Prisoner of War named Paratrooper Fittock, who was formerly in the Royal Scottish Fusiliers, was serving a sentence in the Detention Compound and he broke out one night and joined his friends in another compound for the night. The next morning he was returning before roll call and he got through the window of the hut he occupied there and then he was shot by a German guard. He was taken to the hospital and died. I did not witness the shooting myself, and as far as I know, no one saw the German guard shoot Fittock, and therefore cannot be identified. I understand that a piece of Fittock’s clothing was found on the window sill, where he was shot"

If you are part of Pte Fittock’s family and would like to complete this biography, you can apply to the Curator to do so. To do this you will need to become a member of ParaData and select the 'friend or family member' option on the registration form.

If you would like to find out more about becoming a member please visit our registration page.

Members of ParaData can submit their material by clicking on the 'Add content to this article' button on the right.