Guest Oscarsgranddaughter Posted 3 March , 2004 Share Posted 3 March , 2004 British Camps for German POW's: Is there any information on these camps, where they were located, how they were staffed and by whom?I have been told my grandfather was in active combat early in the war, but was injured and declared not fit for combat. He was then (apparently) sent to be a cook for a POW camp.Is there any way to find out?Paula Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Lee Posted 4 March , 2004 Share Posted 4 March , 2004 Paula There were PoW camps for German prisoners in both the UK and overseas. Your problem, I am afraid, is that because there were so many camps that identifying where he served would need further information. Even then you are likely to have a very difficult task. If he served in a PoW Camp in France or Belgium then he would have been a member of the Labour Corps. If he was at a camp in the UK he was probably a member of the Royal Defence Corps. The Medal Index Cards, which are kept at the National Archives Kew, will give you the units he served in and his regimental numbers. With these it may be possible to identify which PoW Company he served in. The MICs are gradually being put online - letters A & B are currently available. If you publish anyother information you have about his service (i.e. name and regimental numbers) it may be able to provide more information straight away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Birch Posted 4 March , 2004 Share Posted 4 March , 2004 Ivor I was interested in your comment about POW camps in France & Belgium. Were these permanent or just holding cages pending transportation to the UK? I know that in WW2 many POWs were sent to Canada, was this the case in The Great War? Also were POWs used to supplement farm labour as they were in WW2? Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broznitsky Posted 4 March , 2004 Share Posted 4 March , 2004 Ivor, do you know anything about a POW camp at Conches, south-west of Paris that held about 17,000 Germans in 1918? Peter in Vancouver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Oscarsgranddaughter Posted 4 March , 2004 Share Posted 4 March , 2004 Ivor, Thanks for the information. I think my grandfather served at a camp in England, probably around Gloucestershire, because that's where he met my Grandmother. He was originally with a Gloucestershire regiment. His name is Oscar Frank Dancy, but I don't have his service number. I'll just have to wait for the MICs to be put on line I guess. (He's a "D" , so I hope he'll be posted soon!) Interesting topic though. I am just realizing that there is so much to learn about this war. Too bad they don't teach it to us in school. Paula Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Lee Posted 4 March , 2004 Share Posted 4 March , 2004 Tim German PoWs in France & Belgium were often used to undertake various types of works varying from basic labouring, to agricultural and forestry work to some fairly specialised engineering tasks. The PoWs were graded according to how dangerous/likely to escape they were. This grading appears to have determined the number of British soldiers used to guard the PoWs and the type of work they did. I stand to be corrected on this, but I think that early in the war German PoWs were brought to the UK but as the war went on more and more were kept in France. This was certainly the case in 1918 from about August onwards when the number of PoW companies increased tremendously. Somewhere in my filing system (!!) is a document which lists the locations of the Camps. When I find it I will provide more information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Lee Posted 4 March , 2004 Share Posted 4 March , 2004 Peter I will check through my notes and see if there is anything. It must be said that information on the PoW Companies is very limited. They get few mentions in the higher level War Diaries and even when mention it is usually only a location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Birch Posted 4 March , 2004 Share Posted 4 March , 2004 Ivor Thanks for that. Paula If you have got your grandfather's war medals you will find his service number inscribed on the rim. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Lee Posted 4 March , 2004 Share Posted 4 March , 2004 Paula I have located my list of PoW Camps. NNo camp is shown for Gloucester itself but there are a number for other locations in the county. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Lee Posted 4 March , 2004 Share Posted 4 March , 2004 Peter I can identify about 8 PoW Companies that at some time in 1918 - 1919 were stationed at Conches. But there is not one refernece to the number of men in the camp or the number of PoW Companies located there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Lee Posted 4 March , 2004 Share Posted 4 March , 2004 Tim There were PoW Camps in Canada. So far I have found 4 locations in Alberta, 5 in British Columbia and 4 in Quebec. There were also PoW Camps throughout the Empire including Australia, East Africa, India, the Falkland Islands and Jamaica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionboxer Posted 4 March , 2004 Share Posted 4 March , 2004 Ivor, would you kindly tell me where 203 camp was? My wife's grandfather was on attachment there from 2nd Northants in April 1919. Lionboxer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broznitsky Posted 4 March , 2004 Share Posted 4 March , 2004 I can identify about 8 PoW Companies that at some time in 1918 - 1919 were stationed at Conches. But there is not one refernece to the number of men in the camp or the number of PoW Companies located there. Ivor, thanks for the look up. Men of 24th Company Can Forestry Corps were there, acting as guards; my grandfather's oral history is that 17,000 Germans were being held there. The Germans he guarded were employed in forestry duties, making charcoal and cutting trees. He guarded 9 POWs by himself, escorting them into the forest each day. Makes me wonder why the Germans didn't hit him over the head and escape . . . Maybe for them, the war was over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Oscarsgranddaughter Posted 5 March , 2004 Share Posted 5 March , 2004 Ivor, Was there a POW camp near Stroud? That's where my Grandmother lived. Paula Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Lee Posted 5 March , 2004 Share Posted 5 March , 2004 Paula Nothing shown for Stroud itself. Unfortunately the list is shown alphabettically rather than by county etc. With over 800 locations you will appreciate that although I have looked through it I may have missed a location near to Stroud. Will keep looking in case I can find a name I recognise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Lee Posted 5 March , 2004 Share Posted 5 March , 2004 Peter A nice piece of oral history. The PoWs that were allowed to do forestry work were the least dangerous category which would explain how he escorted a group of 9 on his own. I am sure for a lot of the PoWs to be in a situation where you were well fed, had clean cothes and lived in good housing conditions was preferable to the shelling, mud and cold you had in the trenches. It certinly would have been for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Lee Posted 5 March , 2004 Share Posted 5 March , 2004 Lionboxer Firstly, can I clear up a misconception which I think I have caused. Whilst there were some fixed locations for PoW camps we do not appear to have details which say 1 PoW camp was at ..., 2 PoW camp at ... and so on. Instead what we have are numbered British PoW Companies (nearly 400 in total). These Companies did not always stay in one specific location but at times moved to new locations. Your question about 203 PoW Company is a good example. On 4 September 1918 24 PoW Companies were formed (200 - 204 Companies). 203 PoW Company moved from Abbeyville to St Omer where they appear to remain into 1919. To answer you specific question the last entry we have come across for 203 PoW Company is January 1919 at St Omer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Lee Posted 5 March , 2004 Share Posted 5 March , 2004 Further to my reply to Lionboxer I thought it may be helpful to the Forum to show the movements of another PoW Company. 303 PoW Company was formed on 3 October 1918. 15 October 1918 it moved from Bucqouy to Abbeville 6 November 1918 it moved to Metz 1 April 1919 it was working in the Arras and Bethume Salvage Districts. What must be kept in mind is that a PoW Companylike 303 PoW Company was, in effect, a labour unit. These PoWs were being used as workers and not simply being kept behind the wire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Birch Posted 5 March , 2004 Share Posted 5 March , 2004 Ivor Out of curiousity I wondered what the legal status was or is in POWs doing labouring work? On the one hand were the captors in breach of any international laws or treaties in forcing them to work? And on the other hand were the prisoners commiting treason if they willingly, as opposed to being forced to, work for an enemy's war effort? Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Lee Posted 5 March , 2004 Share Posted 5 March , 2004 Tim I am not an expert on this but I believe the Geneva convention allows PoW to undertake certain aspects of work which includes labour tasks. I will search through my records to see if I can find the exact details for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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