Death on the road to Stendal

[Curhalios]

I have been researching Gunner Frederick Stiling RFA of Fenny Bridges in Devon.He served in D Battery of the 83^rd Brigade, which fought as part of the 18^th Eastern Division in France and Flanders. He died on 6 June 1918.

Friday 15 November 1918 The Western Times

Mr and Mrs Stiling of Fenny Bridges have had sad news of their youngest son, Gnr Fred Stiling, the Red Cross Committee having had official report from Germany, stating that Gnr Fred Stiling died on the road to Stendal of general debility on 6 June 1918. He was taken prisoner on 21 March, and was 24 years of age

Gunner Stiling is buried at Aulnoye Communal Cemetery in France. The cemetery is located in land held for the majority of the war by the Germans. It was used to bury German dead and also prisoners-of-war who died while in German hands.

​Is it possible to find German records that might relate to this man or anything that might help me with understanding his experiences between 21 March and 6 June - I note that the report of his death states that he died on the road to Stendal so I am assuming he did not get there. If this is the case, where might he have been held in those 3 months?

Richard

[johnboy]

His burial place and Stendal are aprox. 460 miles apart.

[roel22]

Can't find him in the Red Cross POW-files. Apart from that there aren't too many German WWI-records left, due to WWII-bombings.

Roel

[seaforths]

I have been researching Gunner Frederick Stiling RFA of Fenny Bridges in Devon.He served in D Battery of the 83^rd Brigade, which fought as part of the 18^th Eastern Division in France and Flanders. He died on 6 June 1918.

Friday 15 November 1918 The Western Times

Mr and Mrs Stiling of Fenny Bridges have had sad news of their youngest son, Gnr Fred Stiling, the Red Cross Committee having had official report from Germany, stating that Gnr Fred Stiling died on the road to Stendal of general debility on 6 June 1918. He was taken prisoner on 21 March, and was 24 years of age

Gunner Stiling is buried at Aulnoye Communal Cemetery in France. The cemetery is located in land held for the majority of the war by the Germans. It was used to bury German dead and also prisoners-of-war who died while in German hands.

​Is it possible to find German records that might relate to this man or anything that might help me with understanding his experiences between 21 March and 6 June - I note that the report of his death states that he died on the road to Stendal so I am assuming he did not get there. If this is the case, where might he have been held in those 3 months?

Richard

Richard, I believe this is him:

and here:

also here:

You can access these (hopefully) here:

http://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Details/5178041/3/2/

here:

http://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/List/5178041/1872/34642/

and here:

http://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/List/5178041/1872/34713/

Unfortunately, Stendal was used as what the British called a 'dummy camp' where prisoners were registered there but often kept at the front and never saw the inside of Germany. I hope this helps with your research for Frederick.

Edit: I should point out that Stendal POW Camp did physically exist. However, many men were registered there that were kept in France. Those who eventually did get there or sent to other German camps were in a very sorry state and some of those died at those camps. You might do well to use the War Diaries and find out where they were on his date of capture. The distance between his place of capture and place of burial might give you a better idea of what happened to Frederick and were he had been. It looks from the record as though there were attempting to move him but it was too late and he died.

[Mick M]

Oddly enough I'm looking at just this thing and here is an example.

L/C Mingo fighting with 2/8 Worcester was captured on 21.3.18, Red Cross has him in Stendal but in this case he jumped a fence to be with a pal and was on work parties near the front loading coal on wagons. He died of pneumonia on 9.11.18 in a local field hospital and now occupies the only CWWG in Ville France National Cemetery...

 

Excerpt from Exeters Western Times and Gazette.