Jump to content
Free downloads from TNA ×
The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Escape from Bulgarian POW Camp


dpriddey

Recommended Posts

Am hoping some kindly expert will be able to tell me whether some/all of my grandfather's wartime exploits are true!

He was Joseph Godridge born 26th Oct 1892. His MCI shows he was Private 3344 Connaught Rangers - in itself odd since he was born & bred in Barnsley. Theatre of War shown as 2 B Balkans & Qualifying Date 22-9-15. It also shows he was posted to Class Z.

Service record shows only that he enlisted on 10th September 1914 at Pontefract and was appointed to the Royal Dublin Fusiliers (Yorks & Lancaster Regt. crossed through). Does this mean he specifically asked to go into the Dublin Fusiliers?

For some reason he refused to accept his medals. He was 50yrs old when my mother was born and she wasn't interested in what he had done during the war. He said that he saw action in Thessaloniki & the Dardanelles where he was a POW for 3 years and that he survived by catching & eating rats!

But this is the bit that really gets me - he claimed to have escaped & swam across the R Danube. Could this be possible? Wouldn't there have been a record made on his service record?

How can I go about finding out which camp he may have been held in? Oh - we have a picture of him in what we believe is POW uniform. It is a photocopy of an original held by an Australian relative. We didn't even know it existed until a couple of years ago. Would it help?

Sorry to witter on. Any help would be gratefully received.

tosotw

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you searched the National Archive site to see if he gave an interview about his capture and imprisonment? I have read a couple of them, and they are very detailed.

Other than that, I know that there was a large POW camp at Plovdiv.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

When 6757 Sergeant John McIlwain was posted to 5th Battalion The Connaught Rangers from the 1st Battalion 20 March 1915

He noted in his journal that he was very surprised to find that his platoon ‘consisted largely of insubordinate Yorkshire men’.

He was Platoon Sergeant of no.16 Platoon, ‘D’ Company then posted to no.14 Platoon which was made up of Yorkshiremen. A large number, around 350 men, of this English draft seemed to come from Rotherham and many were miners. Significantly, many were of Irish descent.

They were transferred to bring the 5th Service Battalion, Connaught Rangers up to strength.

I should be able to get you some more details this evening.

Regards Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

'Late in the evening of the 11th September 1914, 350 recruits from Pontefract, England, joined the Battalion at Kilworth Camp. They were mostly composed of men who had been enlisted in Yorkshire for the York and Lancaster Regiment.'

From 'Record of the 5th (Service) Battalion The Connaught Rangers. From 19th August 1914, to 30th June 1915.

Large draft of 352 arrived at 5th Battalion at 12:20am, while in bivouac at Bauchops Hill, on the Dardanelles peninsula. This included men from all Battalions of the Rangers. The new drafts had shown a keenness to rival their comrades in the 5th Battalion, but the scarcity of good N.C.O.’s was fast becoming acute. 24 Sept 1915

They had most likely landed first at the Base Depot on Mudros Island on 22 Sept 1915

Regards Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is possible to swim the Danube,but you have to be good swimmer,fit to do the crossing or desperate enaugh.It helps if you have a raft or anything to hang on to.Also there are islets and you may have a break half way.

Andrei

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks everyone - this is all really helpful.

Joe Godridge's grandmother was from Ireland but so far as I know that is his only link.

I remembered he mentioned working on the Bulgarian railways, I don't know whether this helps to narrow down where his POW camp might have been.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have worked out that Joe was taken prisoner at Kosturino on 7th December 1915.

Believe that there were 130 taken prisoner & interned at Phillipopolis, otherwise known as Plovdiv.

However, have been unable to find out much more about the POW camp at Plovdiv.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello everyone....

I am afraid the camp at Plovdiv (or Phillipolis) is pretty well undescribed. There is one good account in the IWM, a memoir:

Sgt Thomas J Simpson 13780 9th Btn, Kings Own Royal Lancashire Regiment (IWM Ref: 84/1/1)

He was captured at the tail end of the Kosturino fighting with the rest of his company - it is described in Under the Devil's Eye.

It is a good memoir, I have notes and extracts if anyone is interested for personal research purposes of course!

Regards

Simon Moody

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Simon

Would be interesed in anything you may have on Plovdiv - esp conditions, working parties & whether any escapes were successful.

I questioned my mum abt her father's experiences yesterday and she remembered he commented on the size of the Bulgarian trains and how they were much bigger then those in England.

A bit more internet research today has unearthed a book by Squadron Leader Arthur Rowan in which he recounts his wartime experiences, including his experience as a POW at the camp at Phillipopolis (Plovdiv).

Many thanks for your help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

From 'Record of the 5th Battalion The Connaught Rangers' by Jourdain.

For 7th Dec 1915

Regards Mark

Hi,

From 'Record of the 5th Battalion The Connaught Rangers' by Jourdain.

For 7th Dec 1915

Regards Mark

2

Hi,

From 'Record of the 5th Battalion The Connaught Rangers' by Jourdain.

For 7th Dec 1915

Regards Mark

2

3

post-14045-1248795190.jpg

post-14045-1248795224.jpg

post-14045-1248795254.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for those Mark. Strange that he doesn't make any mention of prisoners being taken? Perhaps it is summed up elsewhere?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Mark - thats all really great.

The book by Arthur Rowan has arrived and there are 2 chapters on his time at Phillipopolis/Plovdiv. From what I can tell he was there in the last 9 months leading up to Armistice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Simon

Would be interesed in anything you may have on Plovdiv - esp conditions, working parties & whether any escapes were successful.

I questioned my mum abt her father's experiences yesterday and she remembered he commented on the size of the Bulgarian trains and how they were much bigger then those in England.

A bit more internet research today has unearthed a book by Squadron Leader Arthur Rowan in which he recounts his wartime experiences, including his experience as a POW at the camp at Phillipopolis (Plovdiv).

Many thanks for your help.

I don't seem to be able to personal message you. Do you have an email address?

Simon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't seem to be able to personal message you. Do you have an email address?

Simon

Hi Simon - Have enabled PMs to be sent but in any case it is dpriddey@sky.com

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Mark - thats all really great.

The book by Arthur Rowan has arrived and there are 2 chapters on his time at Phillipopolis/Plovdiv. From what I can tell he was there in the last 9 months leading up to Armistice.

Hi,

Here is a link to an interesting piece on the camps. I am planning an article on this very subject (it was covered very briefly in our book on Salonika "Under the Devil's Eye". Do you have a way I can contact you off list as I tried to PM you.

Regards

Simon Moody

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=h...ficial%26sa%3DG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...