Released P.O.W.

[RammyLad1]

Any help with this query appreciated. The man in question is Private Joseph Nicholson, 10865, 1st Btn King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment. Died at home 7/12/1917, and is buried in a local cemetery with a C.W.G.C. headstone. His pension papers survive and indicate that he was discharged from the army on 18/7/1916 and awarded the S.W.B. (64034) on 15/11/17. All straight forward until further reading that mentions the fact that he was made ill from diabetes, aggravated by him being a prisoner of war in Doeberitz, Germany. The local newspaper even mentions him receiving a parcel sent to Germany in December 1915. My query is, was it common for a P.O.W. to be released during the war ? I would have assumed that he would have been in captivity for the duration of hostilities.

 

Duncan 

 

 

[charlie962]

16 minutes ago, RammyLad1 said:

was it common for a P.O.W. to be released during the war

Those who could take no further part as a soldier ie due to wounds etc were sometimes repatriated early.

 

His PoW entry on ICRC shows he was 'exchanged' from Doberitz

          

 

This is a Hospital listing (Lazarett) and ausgscht  or ausgetauscht means exchanged. So presumably a wounded or sick  man.

You will see that Newton below him was also exchanged.

        

Edited 28 August , 2018 by charlie962

[charlie962]

Interesting that the Daily Casualty list reports he was unwounded when repatriated. So perhaps seriously sick  due to the Diabetes?

J Nicholson

Unwounded Repatriated Prisoner - Queen Alexandra Military Extension Hospital, Millbank, S.W.

Rank       Private

Service Number10865

Regiment    Royal Lancaster Regiment, 1st Battalion

Daily List Date      14th February 1916

Edited 28 August , 2018 by charlie962

[charlie962]

ICRC quotes these figures

 

The ICRC managed to organise prisoner exchanges for some 10,000 soldiers. Switzerland was involved in the transfer of seriously ill and injured prisoners, such as blinded soldiers and amputees, between Lyon and Konstanz.

From 1915 there were also men who were injured, not seriously enough injured to be evacuated, but still who posed problems in the camps, as they required medical assistance.

It was agreed that a number of these prisoners could be interned in a neutral country so that they could recover but still not be directly redrafted by the enemy.

Between January 1916 and November 1918, some 68,000 soldiers of all nationalities were interned in Switzerland, mainly in mountain resorts, replacing the tourists driven away by the war. In some cases families were able to come and visit the internees. 

 

I am unsure of the route used to repatriate Nicholson. Does the Service record suggest anything ?

 

Charlie

[clk]

Hi Duncan,

 

If you have access to Findmypast, it might be worth looking at this record. It is the hospital admission and discharge register for Queen Alexandra's Military Hospital At Millbank, which shows that he was admitted there from a sick convoy on 7th February 1916 with diabetes. On the same date the register shows a number of other ex PoWs that were admitted with various conditions. 

 

Regards

Chris

[RammyLad1]

Charlie and Chris, thank you very much for finding these details for this man. I do have access to FMP so will have a look there. 

 

Regards 

Duncan

 

 

[Keith_history_buff]

On 06/05/2009 at 19:38, Chris_Baker said:

The first exchange of POWs took place as early as 15 February 1915. (See https://web.archive.org/web/20160315163452/http://www.1914-1918.net/firstsnlasts.htm). Doesn't really help with this case but just shows that you can't make too many assumptions about dates with returning POWs.

 

I believe that Walter Rees Samuels was one of four men of the South Wales Borderers (with David Driscoll, Sidney Archibald James & Thomas George Perry) captured during the First Battle of Ypres, who were among those wounded POWs repatriated to London.

Link to newspaper article about this
http://newspapers.library.wales/view/4098594/4098600/103/Borderers missing

[Keith_history_buff]

John Watkin Lewis enlisted under Regular terms of service in the South Wales Borderers, 9158, on 23 April 1906. At the outbreak of war he was with the 2nd Battalion, and served with them in China and Gallipoli, then briefly in France. 

He was captured on the Somme. As of 20 June 1916, he was at Feldlazarett nr1, Bapaume. He is understood to have been at Reserve Lazarett (Abteilung Kaiserhof) Paderborn from July 1916 to February 1917. During 1917, he was repatriated.

On 31 August 1917, he was medically discharged from the army. He was to die of war-related injuries on 31 January 1920 and is commemorated by the CWGC.

 

[Matlock1418]

32 minutes ago, Keith_history_buff said:

On 31 August 1917, he was medically discharged from the army.

John Watkin LEWIS

Leg amputation according to a disability ledger page at WFA/Fold3 - a 50% disability rate for life [which suggests a below knee amputation]

M

 

[Keith_history_buff]

Thank you for the extra information. There is nothing on his MIC to hint at him having been a prisoner and repatriated during the war.

[mancpal]

I can’t add to the knowledgeable replies already given though in the past 4mths I know two people who have lost a leg, both diabetic. Prior to that I didn’t realise that amputation was a ‘side effect’ of type 1 diabetes. You live and learn.

Simon