Prisoner of War camp at Dänholm, Germany, 1915

[melliget]

Hi.

I happened across this article in The Times, giving some details of a prisoner of war camp for officers at Dänholm, Germany, in 1915. I thought it worth transcribing.

The Times, Saturday, Jul 03, 1915

VISIT TO INTERNED OFFICERS

REPORT OF AMERICAN REPRESENTATIVE

The American Embassy in Berlin has trans-

mitted to the Foreign Office through the

American Ambassador here a copy of a report

of a visit by Mr. Jackson to the camp for

officers, prisoners of war, at Danholm, near

Stralsund, and a list of British officers interned

there. Mr. Jackson says :-

Danholm consists of two small islands with a

connecting bridge, between Stralsund and the Island

of Rügen, being in communication with the former

by means of a ferry. It comprises two officer camps

containing about 700 officer prisoners. Until re-

cently the officers from both camps had been per-

mitted to associate with each other (the bridge

being open), but since some Russian officers made

an attempt to escape this privilege has been stopped.

On the larger of the two islands there are about

400 officers. Among them 27 British, including four

Canadians and two surgeons, one British and one

Canadian. All these officers were transferred from

Mainz (Mayence) about six weeks ago, and all find

their present more agreeable than their former

quarters.

I talked freely with all of them, out of hearing

of any German. The British officers live by them-

selves, occupying two good sized rooms, nine in one

and 18 in the other, there being also one French

officer in the larger room, which is partitioned off

by wardrobes into three sections. All seemed well

and in good spirits, and all were in communication

with their friends at home. All agreed in saying

that there was no discimination against them, and

none had any material complaint to make. Letters

and parcels are received more promptly than they

had been at Mainz. The commandant promised to

consider their wishes in regard to the use of a special

field for cricket. Tennis courts are already in use,

and there is a large park in which the officers are

permitted to walk. Appended is the list of

officers:-

Captain C. V. Beresford, 3rd Worcestershire Regt.

Captain G. H. S. Fowke, 1st Gordon Highlanders.

Captain S. Butterworth, 1st Cheshire Regt.

Captain D. S. Crosbie (Adt. Hre.) R. F. Corps.

Captain A. L. Garls, R.E.

Second Lieutenant John Ryan, 16th Lancers.

Second Lieutenant Kevill-Davies, 3rd Gordon Highlanders.

Lieutenant C. Gladstone (Tutell. Dept.) R. F. Corps.

Lieutenant Courage (J. H.), Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

Captain Northwood, 8th Batt. 90th Rifles (Canadian).

Captain Johnston Watson, Gordon Highlanders.

Captain Forbes, Gordon Highlanders.

Lieutenant Leverton, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry.

Lieutenant Owen, 8th Batt. 90th Rifles (Canadian).

Lieutenant Bell, 8th Batt. 90th Rifles (Canadian).

Lieutenant Blackett, 8th Durham Light Infantry.

Lieutanant Andrews, 8th Batt. 90th Rifle (Canadian).

Second Lieutenant Millen Stirling (Indian Army, att. G. H.).

Second Lieutenant Wallis, Loyal North Lancs.

Second Lieutenant Clark, South Lancs.

Second Lieutenant Wilson, 8th Durham Light Infantry.

Second Lieutenant Gore-Browne, R.F.A.

Second Lieutenant Lowe, 1st Monmouths.

Second Lieutenant Nesbitt, 8th Batt. Durham Light Infantry.

Lieutenant Pope, Bedfordshire Regt.

Lieutenant Stenhouse, R.A.M.C.

Lieutenant Hart, R.A.M.C.

Curious about the location, I located it (I think) in Google Earth. Looks to have been an ideal location for a P.O.W. camp.

regards,

Martin

[Andrew Kirkpatrick]

Thanks for posting this ten years ago. 

 

My great uncle was Lt Bell of 8th Battalion, 90th Rifles (Canadian). Gassed at Second Ypres in battle on 24 April 1915 and remained in position with No 4 company as rearguard to allow the other three companies to retire. Northwood, Owen and Bell all captured on 25th April 1915 by 264th Saxon Regiment. 

 

We shall remember them.

[bierast]

On 28/04/2019 at 19:20, Andrew Kirkpatrick said:

Thanks for posting this ten years ago. 

 

My great uncle was Lt Bell of 8th Battalion, 90th Rifles (Canadian). Gassed at Second Ypres in battle on 24 April 1915 and remained in position with No 4 company as rearguard to allow the other three companies to retire. Northwood, Owen and Bell all captured on 25th April 1915 by 264th Saxon Regiment. 

 

We shall remember them.

 

There was no 264th Saxon Regiment. The unit involved was probably Abteilung Kolle, a composite battalion from Württemberg RIR 246 - in turn part of the composite Regiment von Heygendorff, formed with a battalion each from RIR 245 (Saxon), 246 (Württemberg) and 247 (Württemberg) and command staff from RIR 245. The regiment was temporarily formed from its available reserves by 54. Reserve-Divsion / XXVII. Reserve-Korps (then holding the eastern face of the Ypres salient) specifically to take part in the offensive.

 

We examined the battle in some detail from the point of view of XXVII. Reserve-Korps and its sub-units in this little publication:

http://www.royalsaxonarmy.co.uk/royalsaxonarmy/index.php/our-publications/14-the-saxons-at-zonnebeke

[Andrew Kirkpatrick]

Thanks Andrew.

 

OK, I stand corrected and perhaps I need to buy your booklet. Can I still order a copy at 3 GBP and if so where?

 

My great uncle was captured on 25/4/15. My misunderstanding arose from a document that he completed when he was released from POW cap in Germany to be interned in Switzerland in December 1917..

 

Question 16 of the form (Internment of Prisoners of war in Switzerland) asks:-
 

By what troops of the enemy were you taken prisoner, (of what nation, regiment)?

 

His reply is '264th Saxon Regiment so far as I know'. . 

 

He obviously got it wrong. 

[bierast]

Hello Andrew -

 

PM me and I'll gladly sort you out with a copy.

 

I'm not surprised he misremembered the numbers he saw in such a confused and frightening situation; I've seen plenty of analogous examples when comparing accounts from opposing sides. It's an obvious garbling of 246; the Saxon part perhaps came from encountering elements of RIR 245. That regiment was from Leipzig and undoubtedly (like other Saxon units from the big cities, as seen during the Christmas Truce) contained a lot of English speakers. Perhaps they engaged him in conversation (my point being that Saxons were quite aware of the British soft spot for them, and would be happy to advertise their identity in such a situation).

Edited 7 May , 2019 by bierast

[Guest]

Fascinating, thank-you Andrew.     Lieutenant Owen was an ancestor of mine.  I have his records, happy to share.  I'd be interested in any further information.

[Andrew Kirkpatrick]

Hi Jim,

 

Yes.  I (and others) am very interested in your relative. I will set out what i know about him and hopefully you can correct any errors. 

 

He served with my great uncle in the 8th Battalion. My great uncle (Lt Bell) was initially in C company and Lt Owen  was in G company  I have been researching the four officers from the 8th battalion who were captured with my great uncle. Accordingly I know a fair bit about Henry Ernest Lloyd Owen but would be fascinated to know what records and photographs you retain. 

 

As you doubtless know, he was born  in Wales in August 1886 and qualified as an architect. He was articled under Joseph Owen of Menai Bridge. but emigrated in Canada in 1910 to become an architect in Winnipeg.He was initially the company architect for a development company (Canadian City and Town Properties) and at the time of his enlistment, the local manager for Canadian Resources Development Company. 

 

He enlisted in August 14 although one Canadian biography has him joining up in 1915. I have the group photograph of the 8th Battalion officers at Valcartier in 1914  in which he is pictured along with my great uncle.

 

His heroism over  the weekend of 24 and 25 April 1915 in one of the  first gas attacks of the war and  in the bitter fighting north of Boetleers Farm is  recorded in a couple of historical sources. Major Munro's after action report credits him with sticking it out at the trenches until the last and fighting like a tiger before he was captured.

 

Legend has it that some officers and men were forced on the first day (24th April) to urinate over bandages and rags prior to stuffing them against their mouths to protect themselves against the first use of chlorine gas against the Canadians and i would be interested to know whether such a story was ever passed down within your family . 

 

As you may know, on the following day, the 25 April, the Durham Light Infantry were tasked with re-inforcing and then relieving the Winnipeg Rifles (8th Battalion) . However the Durhams had arrived without their machine guns (or even head protection!) and one Canadian company along with their Battalion machine guns/machine gun crews  were left in place to support the Durhams 

 

Veitch's history of the 8th Battalion DLI records Lt H E Lloyd Owen occupying a position with Lt Blackett and seven men of the Durham Light Infantry. They had a machine gun in a ditch facing the Germans in a trench lately held by D company and realized that if the continuing withdrawal were to succeed, they had to hold their position until dark. Unfortunately this rearguard  group was eventually surrounded and after ammunition was exhausted they were forced to surrender..

 

Veitch comments that nothing was known about this act of self sacrifice until after the war.

 

it is likely that Owen was taken along with three other officer of the Canadian 8th battalion (Andrews, Northwood and Bell) and three Durham officers (Lts Wilson Blackett & Nesbitt) to Roulers in Belgium, then to the POW camp at Mainz and then to the POW camp at Offiziergefangenlager Danholm around the 11 May 1915. . All six names are in the report detailed in Mr Jackson's report (set out in the first post above).  

 

Canadian personnel records indicate that both he and  my great uncle were at Mainz, Danholm and then Augustabad. together before they parted company at the end of 1917. For them, their sacrifice had not been one of life but one of liberty and imprisonment in Germany for 2 1/2 years. At the end of 1917, Owen was interned in Holland and my great uncle was interned in Switzerland until the end of the war.

 

Both your relative and mine suffered in the camps. After release, Owen is recorded as suffering from debility and bronchitis caused by the gas attack of 24/5/15. He came back from the war poorly nourished and 35lb below his normal weight. Damp rags  or bandages might have protected the airways against the worse excesses of the gas but even three years after the gas attack, Owen could not use his eyes continuously. Captain Northwood (who was also an architect in civilian life)  were similiary affected although my relative had no long term opthalmic damage. 

 

After going back to Canada, Owen  returned to England in 1921 and died at Hastings in Sussex.  My relative stayed in Canada and raised a family. He was anxious to serve again in WW2 but family legend has it that his chest condition (compromised in the 1915 gas attack) caught up with him causing him to be medically downgraded, removed from the active

 list and eventually leading to his death in 1942. (Medical causation here must perhaps be regarded as suspect given the 27 year gap between exposure and death although one cannot help feeling that breathing a few lungfuls of noxious and poison gas would inevitably reduce your life expectancy) .

 

I have a group photograph of captives at Danholm which features your relative taken outside the canteen there which has interested researchers as far afield as Russia and Belarus. (Danholm had a very high percentage of Russian prisoners).. My copy was sent to my relative after the war by  John Ryan of the 16th Lancers (whose name is also in the first post as above)

 

If you have any info, letters of photos that can aid ongoing research, yes, I would live to see them.

 

We shall remember them.

 

Andrew

 

 

 

 

Edited 11 May , 2019 by Andrew Kirkpatrick