WW2 UK prisoners of war and wages question?

Question

During WW2 did the UK government pay "full" wages (albeit kept in the UK) to all UK P.O.Ws held in German / Japanese/ Italian camps.and as bank accounts were rare and most service personnel were paid in cash was the money held for their eventual return if they were single and was it payed to the wives if married?

A single chap captured at Dunkirk and released some 5 years later would have a fair ammount to collect I guess

Answer 1

They would have had a fair amount to collect.

Answer 2

I don't think they were.

In the camps they had lagergeld which supposed to be equivalent to their army pay but was in fact worthless.

There was a lot of resentment about this.

I do know that the merchant seamen had their pay stopped immediately by the shipping companies if their ship was sunk as they were deemed to have left their ship by taking to the lifeboats.

The shipping company, of course, was compensated by the government for the loss of the boat

Answer 3

Very interesting question. There is a reference to 'pay' on this forum http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/prisoners-w...

where it refers to ex-POWs receiving 'their pay' but it doesn't say for what period. I think that a wife of a married POW certainly received some form of allowance - the usual pattern for married soldiers was that a portion of their pay was, in any event, sent direct to the wife. See this story:- http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stori...

Answer 4

A soldier who is captured is still "on duty" and still is due his pay.

Answer 5

Husband ex Army thinks that the money was kept until they came out. But he suggested for sure you contact the MOD.

Good question that one, made us think.