Muenster POW Camps

[grahamhollox]

My father Charles Hollox (see separate topic) was a POW in Muenster II and II camps during 1918. The Stadtarchive in Muenster has been very helpful in supplying me with some information about the Muenster camps and a copy of a painting of the camp. This includes an article published in 1999 by a local Muenster newspaper. This is in German but I have managed to find a friend who has provided me with a summary.

There were three camps in Muenster. Muenster I was near a drill ground at "Haus Spital," a site abandoned early in the war because of the awful conditions. It was basically a field with barbed wire round it. This was replaced by Camp II at "Rennbahn" (racetrack) built in 1914 and first occupied by French POWs in 1915. This was located on what is now Hammerstrasse between the city and village of Hiltrup. Camp III was the barracks "Berkaserne" on Grevenerstrasse. No traces exists today except for the cemetery at Haus Spital. Apparently some 12000 British POWs were held in these camps.

The newspaper article is entitled "Life in the Camp" and concentrates mainly on the existence of the POW newspaper. I was not aware that over 100 different newspapers in POW camps came into being quite early on in the war. The paper at Munster II was "L'Echo du Camp de Rennbahn" edited by the French M Alran and the Englishman A.H.Sharp and published in the two languages. It contained 6 pages and some 60 editions were produced somewhat erratically, the last being on 24 August 1918. The stated aims were entertainment, education and building a bridge to POWs working outside the camp. The majority of prisoners lived and worked outside the camp being put to work primarily in agriculture. The Hague convention banned POWs from being put to work helping the war effort but this was not always observed as was the case that my father's treatment could be interpreted, working in coal mines. The main themes of the paper were not unsurprisingly censorship,uncertainty about the future and the boring life. Some cultural life developed in the camp, with theatre, orchestra, the library and education, including language and mathematics training. Columns were started about battle fronts but rather quickly snuffed out. Apparently hundreds were allowed to be sent home instead of postcards. The article claims that it was the longest lived POW newspaper, with several thousands of copies being produced. It is quite amazing to think of the logistics required under such difficult circumstances and indeed, the degree of autonomy POWs were allowed even if under watchful eyes.

Does anyone know of the existence of any copies of L'Echo?

The photgraph is of a painting of the camp by Auguste Potage as held in Stadtarchive Muenster Fotosammlung Nr 3726. It shows a highly organised square collection of buildings and includes people playing tennis within the structure, yet with wire barriers on the outside. I can't imagine that this represents POW life and that this painting came from a more peaceful time. Nonetheless, it is fascinating.

I would be delighted to hear from anyone who has more information about Munster II and II camps and the experiences of POWs there.

Unfortunately my digital copies of both the 1999 article and the photograph of the camp both exceed the allowed size to be uploaded. If someone can advise me how to overcome that, I will be pleased to post them. Alternatively if anyone would like copies , please let me have an e-mail address and I will send them.

Graham

[Guest obelix]

Bonjour,

Si vous voulez trouver des informations sur le le camp 2 (Rennbahnde Münster (Westphalie), vous pouvez voir le forum suivant :

http://forum.lixium.fr/d-10032076.htm

Une personne possède des exemplaires du journal l'Echo du camp no 2 de P. Alran.

Je suis également intéressé par vos documents, pouvez vous me les envoyer par émail ?

Merci

Alain

---------------------------------------------------------

Hello

If you can find information on the camp 2 (Rennbahnde Münster (Westphalia), you can see the following forum:

http://forum.lixium.fr/d-10032076.htm

A person has copies of the newspaper L'Echo Camp No. 2 of P. ALRAN.

I am also interested in your documents, you can send them by email?

Thank you

Alain

[grahamhollox]

Alain,

Please advise your e-mail address so that I can send the copies to you.

I am grahamhollox@sky.com

Many thanks for the very interesting contact details

Best regards

Graham

mks fool

Bonjour,

Si vous voulez trouver des informations sur le le camp 2 (Rennbahnde Münster (Westphalie), vous pouvez voir le forum suivant :

http://forum.lixium.fr/d-10032076.htm

Une personne possède des exemplaires du journal l'Echo du camp no 2 de P. Alran.

Je suis également intéressé par vos documents, pouvez vous me les envoyer par émail ?

Merci

Alain

---------------------------------------------------------

Hello

If you can find information on the camp 2 (Rennbahnde Münster (Westphalia), you can see the following forum:

http://forum.lixium.fr/d-10032076.htm

A person has copies of the newspaper L'Echo Camp No. 2 of P. ALRAN.

I am also interested in your documents, you can send them by email?

Thank you

Alain

[Borden Battery]

Here are two websites with some additional information. Borden Battery

International Red Cross [iCRC] and the First World War

On 12 October 1914 the ICRC began setting up a system for processing prisoner of war information. An index card for each prisoner was classified by nationality, in files which also contained requests for information. As soon as a piece of information was matched with a request, the Agency was able to send a reply to the family or the place of origin of the prisoner of war concerned. During the war the Agency made out 4,805,000 index cards and dispatched 1,854,914 parcels and consignments of collective relief. In some cases, Great War researchers are able to obtain information from the ICRC. [CEF Study Group - Sept 2005]

http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/iwpList74/2FDBD82390D1CD18C1256B66005E78E4

Prisoners of the Great War; authoritative statement of conditions in the prison camps of Germany (1919)

CEF Study Group – Oct 2010]

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924027867039

[grahamhollox]

Border Battery.

Many thanks for the reply. I was aware of Red Cross records but their additional links will be very useful. I will be very interested to see some of their records when they come online (1914?). However, the CEF study group is new to me and is a fascinating summary - the first page photograph of a Muenster POW camp hits the right note. There will be a good few days of browsing in that! Once again, many thanks. Graham

[Tuntun]

Graham, this is an excellent article; my great great uncle spent about 6 months in Camp III - I've been meaning to do some investigations and this info will get me off to a good start!

Martin

[grahamhollox]

Martin,

That's good news. My father must have been there for the bulk of March 1918 until the end of the war. I would be most interested to keep in touch with any information you can find.

Best regards

Graham Hollox

Martin

[Musgrave]

Hello Martin, I am very interested in your posts relating to Camp II.  My grandfather served with the Seaforth Highlanders and was taken prisoner on March 21st 1918 at Beaumetz.  I know he was taken to Camp II and remained there until the end of the war some months later.  My question is really just to ask what sources of info you found most helpful when you were researching this topic and did you manage to find if any of the newspapers (Echo) still exist??  I think there are some references in other posts to the newspaper but they are in french and unfortunately I don't speak that language.  

 

Thank You

Paul

[familyhistoryman]

Munster 1 Camp

Anyone interested in this camp should check the following website which is a survey off area undertaken by a Munster school - sorry it in German - but it gives a good insight into the area and contain a number of images. My daughter used to live near the cemetery which contain 1 Commonwealth War Grave

https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=aabf288947ff417f87f88803f80c82c9

 

Tony

[familyhistoryman]

Hi I should have said that when opens you should click on the OPEN link (top right). The interactive map contains a number of images of the camp

Tony

[Louby]

private John geraghty company C 2nd Yorkshire regiment  John had to go get milk (or some supplies) possibly on a bike and when he returned he'd been left behind or was somehow captured getting milk. He did survive the war and went on to have 10 children. He never talked about the war and died in 1950s. I have just discovered he was captured in 1915 and spent time in the POW camp Munster ii.