depaor01 Posted 20 November , 2015 Share Posted 20 November , 2015 Hi all, I've bought an envelope on Ebay.de recently which seems to have been written from Templemore POW camp by a Wilhelm Trebow and looks to be addressed to someone of the same name (son/father?) living in Steglitz, Rothenburgstrasse No. 10. I expected to be able to find him in the Red Cross records but drew a blank. I'd like to see if anyone else can find anything on this man and perhaps decipher the words on the address side immediately above and below the date 29/1/15. Thanks in advance, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Evans Posted 20 November , 2015 Share Posted 20 November , 2015 Dave, I believe that the surname may be TRETOW. It hasn't helped me find a card for him though, although I have only had a quick glance to see if I could spot his number. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depaor01 Posted 20 November , 2015 Author Share Posted 20 November , 2015 Ah. Thanks Phil. Cursed cursive. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 20 November , 2015 Share Posted 20 November , 2015 Seems that the POW's were moved to England. Might be listed under the English Camp? n March 1915, however, a decision was taken to move the prisoners to England. The official reason for the move—as reported in the RIC magazine—was that sanitary facilities in Templemore were not up to standard, and also that the barracks were now required as a training depot for Irish soldiers preparing for the front. A secret report compiled by the RIC Special Branch, however, revealed that Pierce McCann, a senior member of the Irish Volunteers from Tipperary, had ‘attempted to visit the POWs in Templemore’ and had been involved in ‘the distribution of anti-recruiting and pro-German leaflets’. It was also reported that volunteers under McCann’s command had formulated a plan to attack Richmond barracks and liberate the prisoners. The RIC reported that McCann was ‘intimately acquainted with P. H. Pearse, the O’Rahilly, Thomas McDonagh, the Plunketts and other extremists’. Given the links that existed between Irish Republicans and the German government, it is credible that McCann’s attempt to visit the POWs was the real reason behind the decision to move the prisoners to England. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depaor01 Posted 20 November , 2015 Author Share Posted 20 November , 2015 I knew they were moved to England and were none too happy about it, but not the rest. Interesting stuff. Thanks Johnboy. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 20 November , 2015 Share Posted 20 November , 2015 This might be him? http://des.genealogy.net/search/show/103184 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie2 Posted 21 November , 2015 Share Posted 21 November , 2015 Dave The word under the date is "eingegangen" - received. The only Tretow that seems anywhere near, the reference number leads to a list on which his name is corrected from Trebow to Tretow. Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depaor01 Posted 21 November , 2015 Author Share Posted 21 November , 2015 Excellent detective work lads. Thanks to all. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 21 November , 2015 Share Posted 21 November , 2015 That list confirms his status as a POW in the UK, so that lines up nicely with the envelope details. http://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/List/1768147/2051/1446/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depaor01 Posted 21 November , 2015 Author Share Posted 21 November , 2015 Thanks Daniel, I see the surname correction there. Seems others also had problems deciphering the handwriting! Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 21 November , 2015 Share Posted 21 November , 2015 Thanks Daniel, I see the surname correction there. Seems others also had problems deciphering the handwriting! Dave People have been cursing that German script all through history I bet! It's not just us... Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depaor01 Posted 20 May , 2020 Author Share Posted 20 May , 2020 (edited) Exhuming this thread... One of the things I've been doing lately is collating info about my collection that has been very kindly provided by you all over the years. I revisited this envelope and this thread and I appear to have found some further ICRC documentation which poses more questions than answers! Some observations first about my new info. These three cards all have similar info and an eerily similar signature. Were these signatures on the cards the signatures of the POWs themselves? Assuming this is my man: Why three cards? Why three different "went missing on..." dates? If the "vermisst" date is in or around July 1916 on the ICRC cards and there's a pencilled in 29/1/1915 date on the envelope then I am now officially hopelessly confused. I'd love to put this one to bed and hope someone can help. Thanks, Dave Edited 20 May , 2020 by depaor01 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie2 Posted 20 May , 2020 Share Posted 20 May , 2020 Dave They are different people. There are multiple entries for the name Wilhelm Tretow in the casualty lists. The three cards referring to Uffz Tretow are only enquiry cards on behalf of his NoK. The cards record him as missing - he still is. Attached is his entry in the post war Vermisstenliste - lists of the missing. Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 21 May , 2020 Share Posted 21 May , 2020 Looking at the date he was missing from and his role as a German sapper (Pionier), I wonder if he was blown up / buried by a tunnel based mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie2 Posted 21 May , 2020 Share Posted 21 May , 2020 (edited) Information re PoWs and enquiries regarding the missing were collated by the Red Cross in Geneva. The PoWs would never have seen the cards. There are 3 cards as 3 separate enquiries were made to the Red Cross in Geneva, two from the RC PoW Committee in Hamburg and one from the RC PoW Committee in Frankfurt am Main. These were received in Geneva on 30.08.1916, 17.10.1916 and 03.11.1916 - the dates are stamped on the reverse of the cards. As for the different missing dates perhaps the 20th was the information the family had at the time - date of the last letter maybe? - before official notification was received. 28/29 is in my opinion the same date, how many times have we seen one source stating one date and another source the day after. Charlie Edited 21 May , 2020 by charlie2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AOK4 Posted 21 May , 2020 Share Posted 21 May , 2020 Just to make clear that the Tretow who went missing on the Somme in 1916 is NOT the man from the enveloppe (as that dates from January 1915). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depaor01 Posted 21 May , 2020 Author Share Posted 21 May , 2020 OK. Thanks all for clearing up my confusion. The similarity in the signatures made me think I had a lead... Much appreciated. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AOK4 Posted 21 May , 2020 Share Posted 21 May , 2020 On 21/11/2015 at 08:21, charlie2 said: Dave The word under the date is "eingegangen" - received. The only Tretow that seems anywhere near, the reference number leads to a list on which his name is corrected from Trebow to Tretow. Charlie This seems to indicate our man indeed. The document refers to a correction on List 2. Now, one would have to find "Trebow" on this list 2... He can be found in the Verlustlisten: http://des.genealogy.net/search/show/288506 http://des.genealogy.net/search/show/103184 Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AOK4 Posted 21 May , 2020 Share Posted 21 May , 2020 He was most probably taken prisoner on 8 September 1914 near Orly, as quite a few men of 1 and 3 Company of Garde-Schützen-Bataillon were surrounded in afight with British cavalry (according to the battalion history). Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie2 Posted 21 May , 2020 Share Posted 21 May , 2020 I agree with Jan, 8th Sept near Orly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depaor01 Posted 21 May , 2020 Author Share Posted 21 May , 2020 (edited) 15 minutes ago, AOK4 said: Now, one would have to find "Trebow" on this list 2... Hi Jan, I attempted to find the list 2 and ended up finding the 1916 man! Dave Great additional info chaps. It will be filed away with the envelope! Thanks again. Edited 21 May , 2020 by depaor01 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie2 Posted 21 May , 2020 Share Posted 21 May , 2020 The ICRC index card for Trebow https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Details/3579827/1/2/ page 143-II https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Zoom/D/05/01/C_G1_D_05_01_0001/C_G1_D_05_01_0001_0148.JPG/4 page 16195 https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Zoom/D/05/01/C_G1_D_05_01_0083/C_G1_D_05_01_0083_0200.JPG/4 Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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