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Remembered Today:

Forces War Records- ICRC PoW Transcriptions


charlie962

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Forgive me if this has already been reported.  Forces War Records seem to be transcribing some of the ICRC PoW record sheets:

     

WWI Prisoner of War Records

(This collection is a work in progress)

 

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, over 8 million soldiers were taken prisoner during the First World War of which almost 200,000 were British Soldiers. There are far fewer sources of information for these men than their Second World War counterparts, with little or no formal records kept from the War Office.

The information within these particular records were recorded by the men’s captors and were often originally recorded in German – and so the language barrier between the captor and prisoner can result in some very interesting records – but despite this the records are very detailed combining military and personal information of the servicemen.

 

Records in this collection are likely to include the following:

  • Surname
  • First name
  • Service Number or Prisoner Number
  • Rank
  • Regiment or Corps
  • Battalion or Company
  • Service
  • Place of Capture
  • Where interned
  • Previous place of internment
  • Injuries when Captured
  • Date of Capture
  • Date of Birth
  • Place of Birth
  • Place of Residence
  • Next of Kin

Please be aware that due to the way we collate, and cross reference our databases, some records will contain more information than that listed above.

Could be very useful but the big drawback with FWR ( and very frustrating) is that you cannot search by Regiment unless you have a surname. But it may help deal with some of those very frustrating mis-filings of record cards in the ICRC system (see previous threads on this subject).

FWR will certainly have their work cut out trying to make sense of some records. But they seemed to have done a pretty good job with Hospital Admissions so I live in hope.

Charlie

Edit - an example is Daniel Keys (actually s.b. Kays) we were investigating on this thread

            FWR have so far transcribed one sheet that he appears on- PA 20599 (you need a FWR sub to see this). Inevitably I suppose, they have to preserve all the original ICRC record anomolies and errors.

 

 

Edited by charlie962
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Thanks Charlie.

 

I didn't know that. As you say though, they could do with improving the flexibility of their search engine.

 

Regards

Chris

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I only learned of this yesterday. I have sent an email to FWR asking if their search criteria might ever be modified to allow search by Unit without a surname. I will advise of any response. ( I recall I did ask them once before but didn't get other than 'not available')

 

Charlie

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Hi Charlie,

 

If you weren't to get a response, I wonder if it would be worth sending a PM to timbo58. I might well be wrong, but from his posts I got the impression that he was part of the FWR team.

 

Regards

Chris

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Charlie,

As you know I‘ve been through all the lists from A to Z and collated all the Manchesters PoWs in a spreadsheet, so I‘ll be very interested to see the end result. I wish them luck as there are many pitfalls. 

Charlie

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FWR reply to my inquiry:

     

Unfortunately the search parameters of the website can only be dictated by what the majority (or at least a significant number) of paying subscribers require.

Searchability by unit details alone is unlikely to ever appeal to the vast majority and therefore it's unlikely to be cost effective to do the development work to facilitate this.
It is a shame, since as a researcher myself I can definitely see the possibilities of such flexibility.

Never say never however as if demand is ever sufficient to consider this sort of usability we will add it certainly.

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Does Forces War Records have anything other than these ICRC records that are not available on Ancestry?  I had a subscription a long time ago but they had a lot of misinformation at the time.  Is it worth subscribing again?

 

Thanks,

Hazel

Edited by hazelclark
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Hi Hazel.

 

This is what they've currently listed under the WW1 period. Unfortunately, I can't comment on the scope/content of each record set.

 

Collection Info  
Admiralty - Registers of Killed and Wounded 1914-1929 Transcribed from the National Archive reference ADM 104/145 [...]  
Airmen Died in the Great War 1914-1919    
Aviators Certificates 1905-1926 The National Archives  
British Army Court Martials 1914-1950 WO 86/96, WO 86/98, WO 86/99 The national archives  
British Jewry Book of Honour 1922 Transcribed from the original book 1st edition  
British Red Cross and Order of St John Enquiry List 1917 (Wounded and Missing) British Red Cross & Order of St. John Enquiry List No. 14, [...]  
British Red Cross overseas volunteers 1914-1918 British Red Cross Register of Overseas Volunteers [...]  
Cambridge University war list 1914-18 - Exclusively Transcribed star1.png The war list of the University of Cambridge 1914-1918 dated [...]  
Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914 -1919 CNR  
Cumberland News WWI Records Transcribed from the Cumberland News archives. The archives [...]  
Downside during the War - Exclusively Transcribed star1.png Book produced by Downside school 1943  
First World War Daily Reports (Missing, Wounded & Prisoner of War) War Office  
First World War Embarkation Lists WO25  
Gazetted Awards and Mentions in Despatches Transcribed and compiled from the London Gazette and [...]  
General Service Medal (1918) Transcribed from the National Archive reference WO 100 [...]  
General Service Medal 1918 (covers 1918-1962) This information has been collated by a private medal [...]  
Inter War Awards 1919-39 - The uneasy peace London Gazette Military Awards 1919 until 1939  
List of British Officers taken prisoner (WW1)    
List of Old Cheltonians and Masters who Have Served in the War - Exclusively Transcribed star1.png book of the same name, published by Cheltenham College in [...]  
List of those who were killed, wounded or missing, whilst serving in the 29th Divisional Artillery - Exclusively Transcribed star1.png    
London County Council War Service 1914-18 We have the original publication (from 1922) is in our [...]  
Manchester University and the War ‘List of past & present members of the university of [...]  
Military Hospitals Admissions and Discharge Registers WW1 - Exclusively Transcribed star1.png Transcribed from the National Archive reference MH106  
National Roll of the Great War Transcribed from the National Roll of the Great War [...]  
Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal Roll Book of the same name Douglas-Morris 1991 Original [...]  
Naval Reserve Long Service Medal ADM 171/70  
North Eastern Railway Roll of Honour WWI ZLIB  
Pre 1921 MOD retention records    
Pre War Awards - Crimea to World War I London Gazette Military Awards 1854 until 1914  
Prudential Assurance Roll of Honour 1914-18 - Exclusively Transcribed star1.png    
RAF Formations List 1918 archives reference ‘Air1/819/204/4/1316’ and also Air10/232 [...]  
Records of the Chaplain General Transcribed from the National Archive reference WO 156 [...]  
Roll of Naval War Medals 1914-1920 Transcribed from the National Archive reference ADM171 [...]  
Royal Air Force Nominal Index of Airmen and Airwomen 1918 to 1975 Transcribed from the National Archive reference AIR 78 [...]  
Royal Marines Campaign Medal Rolls 1914-1920 The Imperial War Museum RND Rolls of Honour. The Red Cross [...]  
Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers fwr  
Royal Naval Division Casualties of The Great War, 1914-1924 The Imperial War Museum RND Rolls of Honour. The Red Cross [...]  
Royal Naval Officers' Campaign Medal Rolls 1914-1920 The Imperial War Museum RND Rolls of Honour. The Red Cross [...]  
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Ratings Campaign Medal Rolls 1914-1920 The Imperial War Museum RND Rolls of Honour. The Red Cross [...]  
Royal Navy Medals 1914-1919 ADM171  
Royal Navy medical treatment at Sea and on land 1914-19 National Archive reference ADM 101 series  
Schools & Universities Rolls of Service WWI & WWII Transcribed from Bristol Grammar School - Roll of Honour [...]  
Silver War Badge List 1914-1918 The national archives: WO372, WO329, [...]  
Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914-1919 Transcribed from the 80 volumes themselves painstakingly by [...]  
Territorial Force Nursing Service Medal Rolls - Exclusively Transcribed star1.png The orignal documents can be found at the Army Medical [...]  
Territorial Forces War Medal TFWM  
The Barnsley pals roll of honour Jon Cooksey Pen & Sword 2008. Original sources include: [...]  
The IWGC/CWGC Registers Collection Transcribed from the IWGC registers and cross referenced [...]  
The Jack Clegg Memorial Database of the 1914 Star Medal to the Royal Navy & Royal Marines    
The pipes of war, a record of the achievements of pipers of Scottish and overseas regiments during the war, 1914-18 The Pipes of War, a record of the achievements of pipers of [...]  
The Royal Navy List of Retired Officers July 1967 (covers 1897-1967) Transcribed from the original list  
The Seventeeth Highland Light Infantry 1914 - Exclusively Transcribed star1.png Transcribed from "The Seventeenth Highland Light Infantry" [...]  
The Union Bank of Scotland Ltd. Roll of honour 1914-1918 - Exclusively Transcribed star1.png    
UK Army List 1914 Transcribed from the original army list  
UK Army List 1916 - Exclusively Transcribed star1.png Transcribed from the original army list  
UK Army List 1918 Transcribed from the original army list  
UK Navy List 1919 Transcribed from the original navy list  
Welsh Guards    
Westmorland Gazette WWI Records Transcribed from the Westmorland Gazette archives. The [...]  
Women Drivers of the Great War WO162  
Women's Allied Service Femina Patriae Defensor  
WW1 & WW2 Nurses Records    
WWI Prisoner of War Records    
 
Regards
Chris

 

 

 

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Thanks so much for this Chris. Just had a look in some of their records and I don’t think they have any records I am missing.  Worth a look though.

 

Thanks again,

Hazel

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2 hours ago, hazelclark said:

 Is it worth subscribing again?

If you are researching a large number of men then I think that the Hospital Admissions Records that they have transcribed is well worth the sub on its own. Findmypast are in the process of transcribing but they've a way to go although they will provide a bonus- access to the original, which can be very important.

FWR have some decent offers.

Their big draw -back is the limit on search by surname that I've highlighted above which won't be a problem with FMP. Once FMP catch up then FWR will only be second place. I hope they realise this. 

Of course with FWR I am always put off by the 'spurious' links to Regimental history, medals and scrolls

Charlie

Edited by charlie962
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I always have an annual Ancestry subscription on the go but use FMP occasionally.  I did wonder if FWR had any new records that might be of interest but a quick search suggests none of my researches would be helped.

H

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     Just butt in something  somewhat related-  How all the online systems react to the end of the centennial years will be interesting-whether  matter will wane rather than wax. To me, the biggest project (outside of the WFA pension cards,which is in hand) is to get the remaining non-Western Front/Gallipoli war diaries on one or other of these systems. It seems a great shame  that family work on the Great War may be hindered by a chunk being there-but another chunk missing. Living in Metro. Essex I am all too well aware of it, given the number of Essex battalions involved in Palestine.

  OK, Ancestry has had a fair amount of stick about the war diaries but I would hope ALL the war diaries that are already digitised at Kew could be put online on one (or more) of the online commercial system. Seems a waste to have them already digitised and just sitting there with a more limited access.

     

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