Rifleman Stanley Petty No 204642 11th Kings Royal Rifles

[Doug Johnson]

Miscellaneous No 26 (1916) Further Correspondence with the United States Ambassador respecting the Treatment of British Prisoners of War and Interned Civilians in Germany; Cd 8297

Report of Visit by Mr. Dresel to Detention Camps at Münster.

24th March 1916

Münster II

This camp, visited on the 16th and 18th March, 1916, is on the site of a former race track, situated on a flat, cultivated plain, some four miles outside the city. With the exception of the large brick building, formerly a “grand stand” and now devoted to administrative purposes, the living and sleeping rooms consist of the usual wooden barracks arranged around all the four sides of four hollow squares, separated by two long cross walks at right angles to each other. The prisoners are a liberty to circulate amongst the various blocks. The space in the centre of these squares, about 330 yards on each side, is partly occupied by smaller buildings, which together with the deep mud at this time of year, make exercise, such as football, difficult. There are some tennis grounds outside of the blocks, which were not, however, in use at this season.

Of the 38,000 prisoners nominally attached to the camp, the great majority have been sent to working camps, and the remaining 9,000were about equally divided among the four blocks. The whole number of British in the camp at the time of the visit was 960, quartered among blocks 1, 3, and 4.

Part of one of the barracks has been excellently fitted up as an English chapel, and Private Champion, 1st East Lancashire, who occupies a separate room adjoining the chapel, conducts the services, and has been successful in interesting the men.

The Commandant, General von Ey-Steinecke, as well as the other officers, and the general treatment, are well spoken of by the men. The complaints which I transmitted to him, were promised immediate attention; these related principally to the want of a football field, and to lack of sufficient light and ventilation in the barracks. On the second visit to the camp, on the 18th March, it was gratifying to be told by the men that steps had already been taken to improve conditions in the barracks in these last two respects.

[MBrockway]

Doug / Tony,

Roll references are ...

1914-15 Star Roll: M/2C, page 38

BW&VM Roll: M/101 B17, page 2207

I agree: we would expect the Star to be on the ASC Roll and the others on the KRRC roll. M/101 B17 is definitely a KRRC Roll.

Cheers,

Mark

Pals,

Tony has been to Kew and looked up Stanley's medal roll entries, but has posted the info in a new post here:

KRRC Stanley Petty No A/204642 Medal Rolls

For everyone's convenience, I'll quote the detail here:

I can confirm that Stanley Petty's Victory and British War Medals are on the KRRC Roll. So also is the 1914-15 Star.

The Victory and British War Medal Roll lists him in both RASC and 11th Batt. KRRC. He kept his A/204562 number.

The 1914-15 Star Roll lists him as RASC. Apart from that there wasn't anything else noted.

Both Rolls are stamped Winchester. The 1914-15 Roll dated 6th Aug 1919. Victory/British War Medal Roll dated 12th Mar 1920.

Cheers,

Mark

[MBrockway]

See also this topic on Rfn Henry TONATHY, A/204645, 11/KRRC, compulsorily transferred from No 15 Field Bakery, ASC on the same day.  Their dates and movements after being combed are nigh well identical.

See here.

Mark