Angrybudgie Posted 13 September , 2012 Share Posted 13 September , 2012 Between January and April of 1918 some 2000 to 3000 men were transferred on parole from German camps to internment in Holland. Most, if not all of them were captured in 1914 and the early part of 1915. After 4 years of war it was considered that these men were suffering from 'barb wire disease' and therefore elligible for internment in a Neutral country. The lists of these men were published in The Times, after they had arrived in Holland. I have now almost finished (one list to go) an excell database of these men. It is searchable by name, number, unit and approximate date of arrival in Holland. The list includes some Canadians as well as Brithish units. Anyone wanting a copy pm me and I will send as soon as I have done the last list, anyone wanting a quick lookup - comment below and I will get back to you as soon as posible. Now for the next project - doing the same thing for the weekly casualty lists in The Times ....... this might take awhile ..... Elizabeth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 13 September , 2012 Share Posted 13 September , 2012 The qualifying period after which one could apply for exchange into the Netherlands as suffering from barbed wire fever was two years not four. The scheme was also open to German POWs in Britain I am not certain that the Times lists are complete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kath Posted 13 September , 2012 Share Posted 13 September , 2012 Thank you, Elizabeth. Kath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Atkins Posted 17 September , 2012 Share Posted 17 September , 2012 Thank you, Elizabeth. If you get a chance, I'm looking for any information about my grandfather, 24530 Cpl John Charles Atkins 5th Divisonal Signals Company Royal Engineers, who was taken prisoner at Le Cateau in August 1914. I believe he spent some of the war in internment in Holland, hence this request, although of course I appreciate there's no telling if he was in this batch of men. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkTurner Posted 17 September , 2012 Share Posted 17 September , 2012 Elizabeth Is 8268 Pte James Wright Bedford Regt listed? He was taken prisoner in October 1914. Thanks Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angrybudgie Posted 17 September , 2012 Author Share Posted 17 September , 2012 Pat - Your grandfather is listed in the January 30, 1918 list. So he probably arrived in Holland a day or two before the list was published. Mark - I'm afraid he isn't on any of the lists I have transcribed so far, but a few new lists have surfaced under different headings and he may be on one of those. Or he may have been sent to Switzerland, none of which have been transcribed yet. Elizabeth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkTurner Posted 18 September , 2012 Share Posted 18 September , 2012 Elizabeth Thanks for looking. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Atkins Posted 18 September , 2012 Share Posted 18 September , 2012 Elizabeth, thank you very much indeed for your help - this is another small piece fitted in a seemingly impossible jigsaw! Could I ask, do your lists contain any details of the PoW camp of origin for these men? I have no information about my grandfather's imprisonment after his capture, so am looking for anything at all I can find. out Thanks again. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angrybudgie Posted 27 September , 2012 Author Share Posted 27 September , 2012 Pat, Sorry I missed your query. Sorry the only information in the lists is Name, rank, number and unit. However I will keep his name on a list and if I find him mentioned anywhere else I will let you know, but I think you will be lucky unless the red cross have information. Elizabeth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Atkins Posted 28 September , 2012 Share Posted 28 September , 2012 Thanks again for your help, Elizabeth. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Jock Posted 2 October , 2012 Share Posted 2 October , 2012 Elizabeth, Do you have 2698 James Christie, Scots Guards. Tam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizard2250 Posted 2 October , 2012 Share Posted 2 October , 2012 Hi Elizabeth, Would you have a R Nfld R soldier #1148 Michael Boland? Thanks, shawn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angrybudgie Posted 14 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 14 October , 2012 Tam: Sorry not on my list as yet. Shawn: same answer for you I'm afraid. Don't remember seeing any Newfies yet, so should leap out at me if he does show. I will add the names to my growing list of names to keep an eye out for on this list and others I am working on. Apologies for the time to reply, but I was out of the country and unable to access the internet. Elizabeth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie1904 Posted 28 October , 2012 Share Posted 28 October , 2012 I am looking for two brothers : Private 11404 Thomas Cochrane served with 2nd Royal Scots. He was reported missing in the Times 9 oct 1914. His medal index card has POW noted on it. His brother James Cochrane was captured 26 /8/1914 along with most of the 1st Battalion Gordon Highlanders. He was discharged 16/11/1917 and wondered if they appear on your list? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angrybudgie Posted 28 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 28 October , 2012 Hello Maggie, I'm sorry but neither of them are on my Holland list. However I will add them to my 'keep an eye out for' list and if they show up in any of my future work on the repatriated men and on those who were sent to Switzerland I will let you know. Elizabeth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie1904 Posted 29 October , 2012 Share Posted 29 October , 2012 Thank you so much for checking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archangel9 Posted 29 October , 2012 Share Posted 29 October , 2012 PM sent Elizabeth. Thank you very much for this very generous offer John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolm Posted 30 October , 2012 Share Posted 30 October , 2012 This is for Black Jock (Tam). 2968 James Christie was interned in Holland on 15/3/1918, repatriated 24/10/1918 and discharged as unfit 30/12/1918. Carolyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdawson Posted 30 October , 2012 Share Posted 30 October , 2012 Elizabeth, You have been so very helpful in the past and this is another example of your willingness to assist others - thanks!! Is Fred Dawson - 1st Scottish Rifles (Cameronians) #8745 on your list by any chance? Best regards, Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webbyg Posted 26 March , 2014 Share Posted 26 March , 2014 Elizabeth What a marvellous project. Would you be so kind as to look to see if Private 1675 Jack Roland WEBSTER (my great great uncle) of the Candian 8th Bn, 90th Winnipeg Rifles appears in your list, please? From his Service Record I can see he was a PoW from 25 Apr 1915, at a camp in Munster I/W and interned Apr 1918 at Nijmegen. Many thanks, Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Johnson Posted 7 May , 2014 Share Posted 7 May , 2014 The National Army Museum in Chelsea have a large number of PoW interviews all taken in holland (these are the originals, not copies). Of a small number that I checked, only one was listed as being in WO161. A couple of the others have been found in other archives such as the IWM but it is possible that a large number of these reports are not available anywhere else. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen Delvine Posted 14 June , 2014 Share Posted 14 June , 2014 Hello Elizabeth - very excited to find this thread and read of your generous offer. PM sent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mikeha Posted 5 August , 2014 Share Posted 5 August , 2014 Hello Elizabeth I am new to this site so please accept my apologies if I make any boobs! I am researching my wife's grandfathers escapades in WW1. I have discovered that he was in 'Collingwood' Battalion of the RND and taken prisoner at Antwerp. It seems as though he spent the war year at Doeberitz but was sent to Holland before the war ended. This website has explained the reasons for that very well. Any further info you could give about him would be gratefully received. His name was Steele Lambert Roberts (very unusual) and his service number was 1/3531. Thanking you in anticipation Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart150 Posted 14 August , 2014 Share Posted 14 August , 2014 Tremendous work, Elizabeth. Thank you. There was already a camp in Groningen in the north of the Netherlands, exclusively for the 1500 men of the RND who were interned after the fall of Antwerp in 1914. The camp was playfully called HMS Timbertown. There is information about the camp here http://www.wereldoorlog1418.nl/englishcamp/samenvatting/index.htm. That is in English. The site also gives much more information in Dutch. I have been through the Dutch pages without finding an answer to my question: Were the men who were transferred in early 1918 sent to this Groningen camp too? Anybody know? Another question is this: Would they get significantly better food in a Dutch camp than in a correctly run German camp like Döberitz? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webbyg Posted 15 August , 2014 Share Posted 15 August , 2014 I have been researching my great great uncle who was parolled to a camp in Nijmegen in April 1918. Food was an issue in the internment camps and the Canadian Prime Minsiter raised the issue of food shortages witht he British Government. Thier response was that interned prisoners should not get more food that the local Dutch population - whom whilst neutral, had to endure food shortages themselves whilst still feeding all the interned PoWs coming from Germany. There is a reference in The National Archives “…prisoners were allowed on egg or two smoked herrings six days in the week, not more than 3d a day, and daily 1d worth of vegetables, 1 lb of potatoes, ⅛th oz butter and fat, 3 oz of cheese, ⅓rd pint milk and 1½ oz sugar…” (TNA, FO 383/447). The response from the British Government was to show what was allowed, ie in August 1918: “…prisoners were allowed on egg or two smoked herrings six days in the week, not more than 3d a day, and daily 1d worth og vegetables, 1 lb of potatoes, ⅛th oz butter and fat, 3 oz of cheese, ⅓rd pint milk and 1½ oz sugar…” (TNA, FO 383/447, Aug 1918). I also have a newspaper article from Nijmegen's Der Gelderlander that reported on 24 June 1918 (http://tinyurl.com/mdab37x) that The newspaper reported on 24 June 1918 that “…For the moment the situation looked not bad off. The guests were apparently at ease in the airy rooms in their friendly environment. A cook in his white clothing bustled back and forth to clean up the simple meal, which was served in the porch…”. As an example, the menu for Hotel ‘De Zonnebloem’ (TNA, FO 383/443) for 6 August 1918 was: Breakfast Dinner Tea Coffee, Bread and butter Potatoes, Haricot beans, Milk, potato cakes, salad, Smoked meat and sauce Melon and for 9th August 1918: Breakfast Dinner Tea Coffee, Bread and butter Potatoes, kidney beans Coffee, herrings, tomatoes, Brains and sauce, 1 Jar of Melon Pickles each I cannot say how represernative this was of other internment camps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now