PoW Camp - Belfast or South East Antrim

[hen190782]

Hi

The UB-85 and the Kempock

On the morning of 30th April 1918 the German Type UB III coastal torpedo attack submarine, UB-85, was on patrol off the County Down coast. On sighting the steam coaster Kempock, the U-boat surfaced and engaged the target with its 88 mm deck gun, the coaster fought back and a two hour gun battle ensued. UB-85 was in the end victorious but at high cost, as it proved impossible to submerge, so great was the damage caused by the valiant Kempock. As the U-boat limped north it ran into HM Sloop Coreopsis, on its first patrol out of Belfast. Before long it was the turn of the Korvettkapitan Kerch and his crew to abandon ship. UB-85 was sunk by gunfire 9 miles east of Blackrock, Islandmagee. For the Germans, the war was over and they were landed at Larne before transfer to a prisoner of war camp.

I have received a request to identify the camp to which the German submariners would have been taken.

It is not really an area of interest for me, so I would be grateful if anyone could help - even knowing what PoW camps there were on the North East Ireland coastline would be a start.

Thanks

Nigel

[HERITAGE PLUS]

Korvettkapitan Günther Krech died in Highly War Hospital on 5 March 1919. I don't know where this is.

There was a camp at Oldcastle Co. Meath.

It is possible of course that they may have been sent to a camp not located in Ireland.

Dave

[hen190782]

Dave

Thanks, apologies for delay , did not get notification of your post.

Nigel

Dave

Thanks, apologies for delay , did not get notification of your post.

Nigel

[GraemeClarke]

Hi

Krech is buried in Cannock Chase,

http://www.twgpp.org/information.php?id=1250118

Death registered in Keighly, West Yorkshire.

Regards,

Graeme

Ps. Found this site. Evidently Krech claims his U-boat was attacked by 'a beast'

http://www.unknownexplorers.com/beastofub85.php

[GraemeClarke]

Hi (again)

This site

http://www.uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/3290.html

says the Kempock was attacked and sunk by the U-86.

Regards,

Graeme

[oulman]

There were a number of Prisoner Of War camps throughout Northern Ireland - Seahill, Holywood, Dungannon, Cookstown, Omagh, Portadown and Gilford.

Useful site for WW2 in Northern Ireland. http://ww2ni.webs.com/

[Moonraker]

Were these WWI camps - or WWII? Interestingly none is mentioned in Graham Mark's Prisoners of War in British Hands during WWI.

Graham Mark describes only camps at Oldcastle, in County Meath, 71 miles NW of Dublin, and Templemore in County Tipperary, 79 miles SW of Dublin. There may be subsidiary work camps listed in the long appendix.

Moonraker

[jdoyle]

Templemore PoW camp was closed in March 1915 and the prisoners transferred to Lancashire.

Oldcastle was for civilian internees but did hold a few soldiers/sailors. Mountjoy prison in Dublin held a few German prisoners for a while too.

http://johnny-doyle.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/german-pows-in-ireland-1914-1915.html

Oldcastle closed around June 1918

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1918/jun/03/oldcastle-camp

Johnny

[hen190782]

Sorry, for some reason I no longer get post notification by email (not quite sure of the point of marking a topic as being followed when the only notifications are on the forum!!!)

Oulman - I think that the camps that you mention are WW2 - indeed, I live about 5 mins walk from the remains of the Seahill Camp and have wandered around the camp on many occasions, all that remains are the concrete bases for the huts, and they are overgrown!.

Nigel