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Remembered Today:

WISSELER, Hans Otto Ludwig


roger

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Terry Denham kindly supplied me with the information that this German soldier was originally buried at Healey Church in North Yorkshire before being moved to the German cemetary at Cannock Chase . He died 10/08/1918 and I assume he was a POW at the camp in Colsterdale.

Do any Pals have access to any information on who this man was or the unit he belonged to?

Thanks,

Roger

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Unfortunately this will be very difficult to determine. The Verlustlisten that might hold his name and details runs into the millions of names without any index. The best place to start might be to look at the grave stone to see what is entered by the name. This information would allow us to check the records, etc. and provide more details on the soldier.

Ralph

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Ralph,

Thanks for the reply. I had a feeling this would be a difficult task. Do you know if the headstone inscription is available without actually visiting Cannock Chase? Perhaps online?

The only other clue I have is that I'm pretty sure the camp at Colsterdale was for Officers. I read and account once about a German officer escaping from there and being recaptured at Masham station.

Cheers,

Roger.

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Roger, I do not know of any web site that could help with this.

Perhaps another method might be to ask a forum member who either lives close to the cemetery or is planning a visit at some time to take a photo and send it to you.

If you do get more information I would like to hear about it to see what we could find.

Ralph

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Guest michaelv

Hello Roger,

not much, but may be a first hint.

I found an Oberleutnant der Reserve Wisseler, he belonged to the Infanterie Regiment Nr. 15. There are two sources, that differ from each other, regarding his death.

The regimental history I.R. 15 says he was wounded on July 4th 1918 near Hamel and died in english captivity (no information where and when). Here at least we have the possibility, that he was taken prisoner on July 4th and died in Colsterdale on August 10th 1918

The book "Das Ehrenmal des preußischen Offizier-Korps" gives the information, that he died near Villers Bretoneux on July 4th 1918.

Unfortunately in both cases we have no first name.

Michael

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As Ralph suggests if any pals are likely to be visiting the German cemetery at Cannock chase I would greatly appreciate it if they could take a look at the grave of Hans Otto Ludwig Wisseler, the location is Block 14, Grave 396, to see if there is any information that will help identify his unit.

Michael, thankyou that looks like it may be a step in the right direction. The plot thickens.

Thankyou both again for your help and interest.

Roger.

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"Das Ehrenmal des preußischen Offizier-Korps"

Sure, Another book to buy and then explain to my wife that I have had it for years and years, she just never saw it before.

Of course we are putting in a new kitchen that she has chosen so it would not be that difficult to pass it off as a fair trade.

Ralph

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Another book to buy and then explain to my wife that I have had it for years and years, she just never saw it before.

Glad I'm not the only one to try this ruse.

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Thanks to Stuart taking photo's of Hans Wisselers grave at Cannock Chase we now know he was an Oberleutnant which would make it likely he is the man Micheal has suggested.

Roger.

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Assuming this is the same Oberleutnant Hans Wisseler of I.R. 15. Could michaelv, or anyone else with access to the regimental history fill me in with a bit more information on what the regiment was doing at the time he was wounded and captured ( if he was wounded and captured.) I'd be very grateful.

Perhaps when he was wounded his comrades thought he had been killed and when he wasn't seen again that is how he came to be listed as killed in "Das Ehrenmal des preußischen Offizier-Korps". Does this sound a logical conclusion? Am I right in thinking Hamel is pretty close to Villers Bretoneux?

Roger.

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Roger, I do not have the regimental history but according to the book 251 German Divisions the 13th Division (15th IR) had just relieved the 77th Reserve Division on 1 July 1918 Northeast of Villers-Bretonneux. A subsequent British attack threw the division back on Mericourt with a loss of 2,769 prisoners.

It is more than likely this was the action that resulted in the capture of Wisseler. Hopefully someone with the regimental can provide more details.

Ralph

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Ralph,

Thanks for that. Any information at all is very much appreciated.

I am thinking of using Oberleutnant Wisseler as the inspiration for a future figure painting project. A sort of memorial to a German Soldier who did his duty and ended his days in the Yorkshire Dales.

Incidently the camp at Colsterdale was used by the Leeds Pals, who lost so many men in the Somme area where Wisseler was wounded.

Cheers,

Roger.

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  • 5 months later...

For info: The German officers' POW camp at Breary Banks, Colsterdale, Masham, was built as a navvies' camp for Leighton Reservoir, then served as temporary Army camp (see recent book on Leeds Pals), before housing POWs. The lane divided the camp into North (lower) and South Camp (upper, with better huts).

I've read the diary of an officer who was there until 13th June, when he was transferred out to Holyport Camp (Berks). He states that the camp was being emptied - no-one but their orderlies were left behind. Might have been another draft later, though!

For a flavour of camp life, see attached excerpt (cakes are consumed on most days!)

19180530.txt

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  • 2 years later...

It's been three years since posted my initial enquiry about Oberleutnant Wisseler. Thanks to an email conversation with Ulrich Biroth, a fellow model figure painter from Germany, who also just happens to be an archivist, further progress has been made.

I have attached our, well really Ulrichs, research as a Word Doc.

I hope you find it interesting.

Roger

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Having trouble attaching doc I'll try something else.

Oberleutnant der Reserve Hans Otto Ludwig Wisseler

While looking at the entry for St Paul’s church Healey North Yorkshire on the Commonwealth Wargraves Commission website I noticed there was mention of a German soldier who was buried there in 1918.

It was obvious he was a prisoner of war at nearby Colsterdale camp. This had originally been a camp to house workmen who were constructing the reservoir at Leighton and early in the war had been the camp for the 15th battalion West Yorkshire Regiment, the “Leeds pals”.

Following this discovery I posted a query on the internet discussion forum The Great War Forum (GWF) asking if anyone knew if this German soldier was still buried at Healey or if he had been re-interred at Cannock Chase German Military cemetery in Staffordshire as was usual.

Terry Denham replied to my query stating that,

“There is no German casualty listed by CWGC at Healey (St Paul) Churchyard and so he must have been moved to Cannock.

The CWGC cemetery info has obviously not been updated from that in the old register. I'll report it for changing.

The only other remote possibility is that the name has been left off the database in error.”

A further post by Terry Denham confirmed that he was moved to Cannock and the cemetery information is now amended on the CWGC website. He also provided a name for the German soldier and details of the location of his grave.

Wisseler, Hans Otto Ludwig. German Army 10/8/18.

Block 14, Grave 396, Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery.

Stuart Brown, another GWF member kindly took photographs of Wisseler’s grave now its location was known.

Other information was forthcoming from the GWF. An Oberleutnant der Reserve Wisseler belonging to Infanterie Regiment 15 was found however two different sources provided conflicting information regarding his death. The regimental history of I.R. 15 says he was wounded on July 4th 1918 near Hamel and died in English captivity (no information where and when). Here at least we had the possibility, that he was taken prisoner on July 4th and died in Colsterdale on August 10th 1918

The book "Das Ehrenmal des preußischen Offizier-Korps" gives the information, that he died near Villers Bretoneux on July 4th 1918.

Unfortunately in both cases we had no first name.

The discovery of a German soldier’s burial in Healey and subsequent information took place in 2004. Following a conversation by email with Ulrich Biroth from Germany in early 2007 more details about Wisseler have come to light. Ulrich was interested in the story of Wisseler and agreed to try and find out more from archives in Germany.

Acknowledgments

The following members of the GWF http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/ provided information

Terry Denham

Stuart Brown (For kindly taking the photo’s of Wisseler’s grave at Cannock Chase)

Michaelv

Ralph J Whitehead

Ulrich Biroth for taking an interest in Hans Otto Ludwig Wisseler

More Information about Oberleutnant der Reserve Hans Otto Ludwig Wisseler

Compiled by Ulrich Biroth, Altena, Germany.

Following an email-conversation Roger Newsome told me, that he was searching information about Oberleutnant Wisseler, who was buried in North Yorkshire. Because I work in a German archive I promised Roger to try to find out more information about the life of Wisseler.

We have in our archive casualty lists from WWI and because I had the information about the missing in action date, I first tried there to find more. In the “Verlustliste” Nr. 1231, date 1918, September 2. I found the following entry: “Wisseler, Hans, Oblt. d. R. - 12.4. Frankfurt a. M. – vermisst“. That means “Wisseler, Hans. Oberleutnant der Reserve, born 12.04. in Frankfurt am Main. Missing in action“.

From Roger I had the information that Hans Otto Ludwig Wisseler was born 12.04.1886 and so I thought that I have found the correct entry. Next I contacted the archive in Frankfurt am Main and asked there for possible information about Wisseler.

From that archive I got information about the parents and sisters of Hans Otto Ludwig Wisseler, his occupation (teacher) and the place he was living. He was not married and had no children.

But more important was a copy from a commemorative book about WWI, where he was mentioned. He was member of Inf. Reg. Nr. 15/7 and was captured east of Villers-Bretoncourt near Hamel in France, date 4th July. His cause of death was suicide, date 10th August 1918. He hung himself, because he was “mentally deranged”. Grave: Healey Churchyard/Masham Yorks/ Grab 672.

Now we know that Hans Otto Ludwig Wisseler and the different “Wisseler” mentioned in the regimental history and casualty list was the same person.

In the regimental history „Infantrie-Regiment Prinz Friedrich der Niederlande (2. Westfälisches) Nr. 15 im Weltkriege 1914 – 18” I found more information about the last days of Oberleutnant Wisseler, before he was captured.

I think that Oberleutnant der Reserve Wisseler become member of the regiment in Mai/June 1918. He is not mentioned in the history before that date. Because the regiment had had heavy losses in April/May 1918 it went back from the front for three weeks. During these three weeks the losses were adjusted with new men. And I think, Wisseler was one of them and become leader of the 7. regiment.

The regiment went back to the front after June, 19th. They were stationed at the same place as before. Near Hamel in the surroundings of the “Römer-Straße”. The front was 700 Meter backside the way Hamel-Villers-Bretonneux. The English troops were 1 Kilometre away. On the evening of the 3rd July the English troops started some long range attacks with artillery. At the same time English airplanes attacked the German troops. At 04.00 in the morning the next artillery fire started and following this English Infantry with tanks started their attack. The first two German trenches were overwhelmed. There was no or only some German artillery and they had only “Tank-Guns” to attack the English tanks. There was heavy fighting between the German and English troops. At the end of the day the German losses were counted: II. Battalion 5 Dead, 18 Wounded and 182 Missed in Action, I. Battalion 1 Dead, 9 Wounded, 17 Missed in Action. Wisseler is mentioned as “missing and died as Prisoner of War”.

I don’t know if the German troops fought against English or Australian Troops. First they are always called “English” but at the end there was this sentence: “It was overwhelmed through attacking Australians and their Tanks and Airplanes.”

I was surprised how much information we found about a soldier fighting in WWI. Because he was not married, I have had no chance to find descendants of Wisseler. Today there lives no family with this name in Frankfurt am Main.

Here some information about his parents and his brothers and sisters. His father, Karl Ferdinand Ernst Wisseler, was married twice. His first wife was Marie Bruchhaus or Bruckhaus (there are two different spellings). Karl Wisseler was born 15.03.1834 in Wesel (near Duisburg) and his wife was born 16.04.1854 in Ronsdorf. It is not mentioned when they married. The first child, Hedwig Louise Hermine, was born 19.05.1882, the second, Gustav Eugen Ernst 27.06.1883, the third, Hans Otto Ludwig 18.04.1886. All in Frankfurt am Main. Marie Wisseler died 15.11.1887. His second wife (it is difficult to read, but my wife and I think that the following is correct) was Eugenie Luise Bruckhaus (or Bruchhaus) born 29.09.1860 in Opladen. It could be that Marie and Eugenie were sisters. Opladen is near Ronsdorf. They had one daughter, Gertrude born 14.09.1891 in Frankfurt.

Karl Wisseler, occupation Merchant, died 21.03.1909. His son Ernst moved from Frankfurt to Dotzheim 01.11.1906, his sister Hedwig seems to had had the same problem as her brother Hans Otto Ludwig Wisseler. It is mentioned that she was dismissed from the Frankfurter mental home at 08.04.1918 and moved from Frankfurt at 14.04.1918 to Endenich (Near Bonn/Cologne).

Acknowledgments

Archiv of Frankfurt am Main

Archiv of the University of Münster

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I find this very poignant. Though I can contribute nothing more about Herr Wissler, the thought of this presumably well-meaning teacher caught up in events totally beyond his control and hanging himself far from home and in the custody of his country's enemies is very saddening.

may he and all others like him rest in peace.

Martin B

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Roger,

It appears that Wisseler was captured in the Battle of Hamel which was undertaken by the 4th, 6th and 11th Australian Brigades with four companies of US troops attached. They were supported by the 5th Tank Brigade, and aircraft from 5th Brigade RAF providing noise to cover the tanks getting into position, strafing the German lines, dropping ammunition to the troops on the final objectives and Handley Page bombers attacking reserve units.

The German I5 IR was on the extreme right flank of the Australian attack just north of the Roman Road and about 1200 yards east of Villers-Bretonneaux. It was part of the 13th Division, a Westphalian formation rated as " ... a division of good quality, ..." by British intelligence and as a "first rate division" by the Germans.

Hamel was the first battle planned by Monash as Commander of the Australian Corps. It was a very successful action which captured all objectives to a maximum depth of 2,700 yards in the north and a frontage of 7,500 yards. Zero Hour was at 0310 hrs and all objectives were taken within 90 minutes.

Regards

Chris

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Martin, yes I also found it a very sad storey even before I learnt that he had commited suicide.

Chris, thank you very much for the additional information. I am sure I have read an Australian account of the attack on 4th July but I just can't recall where.

If you don't mind I will include your information in our little article.

Roger.

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Roger,

That's fine.

15 IR was attacked by the 6th Australian Brigade, with the 21st and 23rd battalions in the asault. The Australian Official History reports that the Germans on the right in front of the 23rd Battalion "fought stubbornly and had to be bombed down their trench." The RAF aircraft that dropped the ammunition to the troops on the objectives was 9 Squadron, RAF.

Regards

Chris

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Exellent Chris I'll add that. Thank you very much.

Roger

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Additional pictures I was unable to upload earlier. One specific to Wisseler from the German Archives and a map from the history of Infanterie Regiment 15

image006.jpg

image007.jpg

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It was very interesting what I could found in our archives. The first picture of Roger shows a copy out of the commemorativ book of Frankfurt.

The regiment history only mentioned "English Troops", which attack the German Trenches. Only in a little sentence at the end, it was said that could be "Australian Troops". So the information from Chris are really helpful

Ulrich

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Hi Ulrich, I was going to ask you that, saved me an email. I didn't know you were a member here :) .

Roger.

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Hi Roger

only as a "private" :P:P

I am member in some forum, but I have not the time to write in every

Ulrich

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