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Remembered Today:

Funeral of German PoW in Reading


Moonraker

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David Bilton's Reading in the Great War 1917-1919, page 79, has a good account of the funeral of a German PoW in Reading.

 

In November 1917, Carl Buchgeister was shot by a guard when attempting to escape from Bramley PoW camp. He was accorded a full military funeral with a honour guard of PoWs, who arrived under a strong armed escort at the Reading hospital where their comrade had died.His coffin was carried on a gun carriage through the town, the procession headed by Royal Defence Corps men with rifles reversed.

 

On the coffin was a wreath and placed on a cross of moss and ivy was the man's helmet. On each side of the carriage marched German officers, followed by some 50 NCOs, men, sailors and marines. Four huge wreaths were carried by NCOs; at the rear were more RDC men with loaded rifles and fixed bayonets. At the (unspecified) cemetery, the Germans sang and a speech was given in German.

 

Which leads me to ask, how common was such a funeral procession for  German PoWs in Britain? It's approaching 20 years since I read through contemporary Wiltshire papers, but I can't recall a comparable description - but then many deaths to PoWs in the county were from the flu epidemic of 1919, so funerals would have been relatively common, whereas the one described above was a rare instance.

 

Moonraker

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It does not appear to be that uncommon. Some-one commented on similar a couple of weeks ago, if I remember correctly. I was also sent a clipping, only last night, from the Dover Express, dated 25th May 1917, in whch two German PoW's were buried in the same ceremony at St James Cemetery, Dover, with military honours.

 

Karl Buchgeister was originally buried in Grave No. 14/16379 and was one of eight Germans buried in Reading Cemetery, who were later moved to Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery.

 

Phil

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