Alfred Minchin

Alfred Vivian Minchin was a British merchant seaman who was taken prisoner by a German destroyer after his ship, the SS Empire Ranger, one of a Murmansk convoy, was sunk by German bombers off Norway, and later a Sturmmann in the Waffen-SS British Free Corps during the Second World War. He was taken prisoner on 28 March 1942. It was he who suggested the name for the British Free Corps. By 8 March 1945 he 'was being treated for scabies in the SS hospital at Lichtefelde-West.' The National Archives holds the depositions for his trial at the Central Criminal Court under reference CRIM 1/485 and a Home Office file on him under reference HO 45/25817. He was 'convicted at Central Criminal Court on 5 February 1946 of conspiring to assist the enemy and sentenced to 7 years penal servitude' for offences against the Defence Regulations. He died in 2001 at the age of 81.