List of members of the British Free Corps


This is a list of members of the British Free Corps. It is based on the list printed in Appendix 5 of Adrian Weale. . London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1994.. The Corps was a unit of the Waffen SS during World War II consisting of British and Dominion prisoners of war who had been recruited by the Nazis. The Corps used the SS rank structure. The column 'MI5 no.' refers to the number allocated to the member in question in MI5's Report on the British Free Corps dated 27 March 1945, which is printed in Appendix 1 of 'Renegades'. Starting in February 1944, BFC members were ordered to adopt aliases for official purposes, although several declined to do so.
After the War, some members of the Corps were prosecuted. Of those members, those who had been serving in the armed forces were court-martialed, while the merchant seamen and other civilians were tried in the Old Bailey. The column 'Seymer Category' refers to a list prepared by Colonel Vivian Home Seymer of MI5 on 30 August 1945 and which is held in file , entitled 'The British Free Corps. Papers about the military unit established by the German authorities to exploit renegade British prisoners of war' in the National Archives
Another list, containing at least 165 names, appears in Richard Landwehr, PP77–88, Lulu, 2008.. However: -

Other current or former British subjects who served in the German Armed Forces in the Second World War

This category includes citizens of neutral Eire who were captured while serving in the British Army - see British nationality law and the Republic of Ireland#British subjects with local Irish nationality. It does not include members of the BFC who also served in other units of the German armed forces, such as Thomas Haller Cooper, Roy Courlander, Dennis John Leister and Francis Paul Maton and Frank McLardy.
No.German RankSurnameForenameAliasDetailsSentenceJackals of the ReichBritish RankBritish Unit/ShipGerman unitLandwehr number
1.SS-HauptsturmführerBerneville-ClayeDouglasDouglas Berneville-ClayeNot prosecutedChapter 15 - Archibald WebsterSecond Lieutenant - 20172L detachment of the Special Air ServiceSS Hauptamt27.
2.SonderführerBecker*Frank Chetwynd'WAR: Renegades and Persons suspected or convicted of assisting the Enemy: BECKER, Frank Chetwin; served in the German army and in the Indian Legion 'N/A - CivilianN/AIndian Legion164.
3.SS-UnterscharführerBradyJamesCharlos de LacyJames Brady Fifteen years in prison, of which the General Officer Commanding London District remitted three years - released in 1950FusilierRoyal Irish FusiliersSS-Jagdverband Mitte22.
4.SS-HilfswilligerCelliers*WilliamSouth African policeman from Windhoek, South-West AfricaNot prosecutedCorporal1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler104.
5.Codd*JohnJuan LouisJohn CoddNot prosecutedCorporalRoyal Welch FusiliersGerman Intelligence service and SS Intelligence/ Sicherheitsdienst
6.SS-HilfswilligerConen*JamesLondon taxi-driverNot prosecutedCorporal1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler103.
7.SS-UntersturmführerFreemanRailtonRoyston/MetcalfeCourt Martial papers
The National Archives Security Service file
Ten years in prisonFlying officer - 77107No. 16 Squadron RAFSS-Standarte Kurt Eggers6. 'Raymond Metcalfe'
8.Purdy*Roy WalterPointer/Ronald WallaceWalter PurdyDeath sentence commuted to life imprisonment - released after nine yearsSub-lieutenantHMS Van DyckSS-Standarte Kurt Eggers46.
9.SS-SturmbannführerStrandersVivianNot prosecuted - had been naturalized as a German citizen in 1933PP 92–6 - appears under his real nameCaptain in the RAFSS-Hauptamt Amtsgruppe D83.
10.SS-MannStringerFrankWilly Le PageFrank Stringer Court martial papers - 15 yearsFusilier - 7043206Royal Irish FusiliersSS-Jagdverband Mitte23.

Not in Weale's list.