'Hulk' ships used to hold POWs

[Bob Chandler]

My granddad Pte Charles Chandler (Berkshire National Reserve) served on one of these ships in the Solent (possibly Ascania/Andania) having previously guarded POWs on Newbury Racecourse and I would like to try to find out more about this side of the war. e.g. how were the ships run? How long were they in use? and the question I don't seem to be able to find an answer to - who was actually responsible for escorting the POWs from Boulogne/Calais etc back to the camps in England? Would it have been people like my granddad?

Any information much appreciated.

Cheers

Charles

p.s. for anyone who's interested I actually have a photo of Pte Chandler on board ship.....however for a joke he's swapped uniforms with a sailor who is wearing granddad's uniform!!! (you get the impression time dragged a bit on ship)

[Bob Chandler]

In response to my own post................

‘The (Cunard ships) Andania, Ascania, Ivernia, and Saxonia, were all for several months used as prison ships in 1915, each of them providing accommodation for nearly 2,000 German prisoners. They were afterwards employed as Transports, both to India and the Mediterranean, the Ivernia, Ascania and Andania, in the end, all being sunk by enemy submarines.’

quoted from: A Merchant Fleet at War by Archibald Spicer Hurd (published in 1920)

- So they clearly weren't used for long.

Charles

[KevinBattle]

Charles, it appears to be correct, only used briefly and certainly not what would be regarded as "hulks" such as were used in the Napoleonic Wars!!!

see:

Andania

Andania had only just been built, so I would assume it was just temporary accommodation to hold a sudden influx of prisoners whilst permanent camps ashore were built.

To answer you question, the National Reserve would likely have been "old" soldiers not really fit enough for the rigours of the trenches, but suitable for guarding prisoners and other places of military value. Interesting point about whether they escorted the PoW's from France, would that entitle them to claim entered theatre of War!!

[Moonraker]

Charles: Pages 172 to 183 in Graham Mark's Prisoners of War in British Hands during WWI (The Postal History Society, 2007, ISBN 978 0 85377 029 9) cover PoW ships, including the two you mention. Pages 146 to 147 cover Newbury Racecourse.

The book is quite elusive and has quite a bit about postmarks used at the various camps/ships.

Moonraker

[CGM]

Hello Charles,

The prisoners were also German and Austrian men of military age interned under the Aliens Restrictions Acts.

The use of boats for temporary prisons was abandoned due to the overcrowded, insanitary conditions on board.

Interestingly, the interned men on some of the boats were divided by class, and accomodated in the first, second or third class areas previously allocated to fare paying passengers.

This was true of the Ascania, moored off Portsmouth. The first class prisoners paid for part of their food and could employ third class prisoners as servants.

(If anyone is interested in the internment of aliens I recommend the book Alexandra Palace, A Hidden History, by Janet Harris.)

Regards,

CGM

[Bob Chandler]

Many thanks all.

So, having established that the use of these Cunard ships was a purely temporary measure whilst more long-term arrangements were being made, I suppose the next question for me is: how can I find out where the Berkshire National Reserve went to then?

I'm presuming they either continued in their prison guard duties somewhere, or were guarding railway bridges etc., but is there any way of finding out exactly what they did?

Any suggestions most welcome - obtaining information about specific Home Defence units seems to be quite difficult.

Regards,

Charles

[KevinBattle]

Perhaps contacting Reading or Newbury Library Local History section and explaining your enquiry?

They may have local newspaper archives or even booklets etc on this aspect, or point you in the right direction.

They may be interested in including your research for their records in the event of future enquiries.

[Moonraker]

Kevin's suggestion is the best bet, though I've glanced at Reading Library's books on local military units and can't recall anything on the National Reserve.

Charles may have to spend a few hours looking through the several local newspapers for Berkshire, as I can't see library staff having the time to do this. From my own experience of Great War activities in Wiltshire, the local papers did report on the activities of "Home Guard" style units (mostly drill, a few exercises and the occasional weekend camp). At least Horley isn't too far from Reading!

In asking if the Reserve continued "guarding railway bridges etc", Charles brings an interesting point to to mind. On the outbreak of war, many units were deployed to guard railway lines, reservoirs and other facilities vulnerable to sabotage. But once the initial excitement (one might almost say hysteria) had subsided, were such facilities guarded throughout the war? I have one or two references later in the war to sentries on key viaducts, but it would have taken a great deal of manpower to patrol all bridges and tunnels.

Moonraker

[Doug Johnson]

Gunther Plüschow was a German officer imprisoned on board the Andania and his experiences are available on line in his book "My Escape From Donnington Hall" available for free here. Until I read this book I thought that only British officers were that arrogant.

Doug