POW HOSPITAL BELMONT (GERMAN POW's)

[stenoyab]

Hello, I'm new to the forum,

But hope that someone might solve a mystery for me, a while back I was lucky enough to buy approx. 30 photos of German POW's, showing various views of life in a British POW camp, they are dated between 1917-1918. Some show the various camp trades, barbers, bakers, butcher, carpenters, even a large group showing the German POW's putting on a stage show. One photo says BELMONT ENGLAND, another POW HOSPITAL BELMONT. The photos came from 'Costa Rica', so they've been well travelled. Despite searching on the internet I can find no mention of a German POW camp called BELMONT in England.

Can anyone help shed some light on this for me.

Thanks,

Jeff Hayes

[robbie]

I think this might be it:

Wounded BWIR soldiers were not spared prejudice and discrimination. In the Autumn of 1918 about 50 members of the B.W.I.R. were being treated at Belmont Road Military Auxiliary Hospital, Liverpool. All had been seriously injured and had suffered wounds which had resulted in foot or leg amputations. Relations between black and white soldiers were good at first until some South African causalities were brought in. They soon began to taunt and insult the B.W.I.R. soldiers. As relations deteriorated fighting broke out between the two groups.

Robbie

http://website.lineone.net/~bwir/bwi_regt.htm

[stenoyab]

Thanks for reply, it seems unlikely to me that the British wounded would have been treated with German POW's???, or could the hospital have seperate wings for POWs and allied wounded?.

Jeff

[Guest Bobcapp]

I have a copy of a letter written by my great uncle from Belmont in Surrey. Written in February 1919, he was guarding wounded German prisoners of war. He was a Lance Corpral in the Royal Defence Corps. I also have a photograph of a nurse with wounded soldiers, standing outside a hospital but with no further information about it so cannot with certainty connect the two. Does this limited information help at all?

Heather.

[Guest Bobcapp]

On reading a second letter from my great uncle dated 27.2.19, he has received permission from his employer to volunteer to serve another 12 months in the army. He goes on to say " I do not yet know if my services have been accepted, I anticipate that only a certain number of B2 men will be retained" so it sounds as if soldiers who are not in A1 health were used to guard the POWs. I do not know if my uncle was wounded but know that he was in A1 health earlier in his life. He goes on to say "I have been here on guard duties over prisoners of war for a considerable time now and I think this hospital will be carried on for some time yet so we still have over 600 prisoners here". This is all the information on the hospital I have. I am sure there must be information in the Surrey Archives about this hospital.

Heather

[peter-t]

Reading about prisoners being kept at a Belmont Hospital made me wonder if it was the same Belmont as the Belmont in the London Borough of Sutton. I remember years ago there was a very large and forbidding looking building at Belmont that was known locally as a lunatic asylum. It was pulled down 20 or 30 years ago and the land built on to provide housing. It was a great slab of a place, just the sort of place to house POW's I would have thought. I still live in the area, so will investigate further.

[bernardmcilwaine]

Hello, I'm new to the forum,

But hope that someone might solve a mystery for me, a while back I was lucky enough to buy approx. 30 photos of German POW's, showing various views of life in a British POW camp, they are dated between 1917-1918. Some show the various camp trades, barbers, bakers, butcher, carpenters, even a large group showing the German POW's putting on a stage show. One photo says BELMONT ENGLAND, another POW HOSPITAL BELMONT.  The photos came from 'Costa Rica', so they've been well travelled. Despite searching on the internet I can find no mention of a German POW camp called BELMONT in England.

Can anyone help shed some light on this for me.

Thanks,

Jeff Hayes

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

hello stenoyab,belmont camp was a agricultural group camp at chigwellhouse essex,it came under the chigwell agricultural depot,under pattishall,the prisoners were quartered in belmont house,chigwell essex,the hospital was belmont hospital,at the time it was known as the POW hospital,belmont.

[Guest Tommy Hilton]

Hello,

I am new to the forum. I found this topic via a Google search. I am writing a book about the history of Belmont in Sutton, Surrey, during the first two decades of the last century.

I am extremely interested in the prospect that the collection of photos mentioned in this topic may relate to the 1WW PoW camp/hospital at my Belmont.

I have tried to send a mssg to the topic originator but the forum does not allow me to do so. I am desperate to get hold of this member and see these photos! Can anyone help please?

I also keen to get in touch with any of members of this forum who have researched Belmont PoW camp (Surrey) or have any information about it.

I know the former Belmont Hospital buildings west of Brighton Road in Belmont/south Sutton were used as some kind of PoW hospital and/or camp during 1WW but that is really the limit of my knowledge.

Many thanks

p.s. If I can get to see these photos hopefully I could positively identify whether they do relate to Belmont, Sutton by any external shots with buildings in the background.

[Guest Kathshx]

Hi Jeff

Don't know if you're still following this forum but if you are could you get in touch with me? I work for the London Borough of Sutton Local Studies & Archives Centre and would like to talk to you about using your photograph of the Bemont German POW Hospital in WW1.

I can add a bit more information to this strand as well as I've been researching it for a WW1 exhibition we're doing this year.

Before it became a POW hospital it was Belmont Workhouse (for men) managed by the Fulham Board of Guardians from 1908 to 1917. They didn't just have men from Fulham however - they took in men from all over the present day London area - obviously it was an income strand for the FBG. They also specialised in epileptic care and had a special hospital section for epileptics from other parts of London.

In late 1916 the Army Council was looking for somewhere to set up a German POW hospital and decided on Belmont. They negotiated with the FBG and the POW hospital formally opened in May 1917. All the wokrhouse inmates were returned to their respective poor law unions and the epileptic patients were rehoused in a hospital in north London. The German POW hospital closed in July/August 1919.

In additon to German POWs there were also enemy aliens interned there but we know very little about them - I've only found the odd mention in the Fulham Board of Guardian minutes books. And further there were also housed Conscientious Objectors who were placed there as part of the government's scheme to put COs in work camps. I believe their main tasks were working on the farm which was part of the Belmont Institution.

I'll post more information should I find it. The above information was obtained from Fulham Board of Guardian minute books held by London Metropolitan Archives and an inspection report by the Swiss Legation held at The National Archives.

cheers,

[kristavt]

Hi Jeff or Kath or Tommy - I am interested in the Belmont POW hospital as my great aunt nursed there. Jeff, do you still have the photos? Tommy did you write your book? Kath, were you able to track down photos for your exhibition?

 

[kraut]

hi folks

l'm austrian (tyrol ;  ) and l'm also new in the forum.

being retired, now l have enough time to take a closer look to my ancestor's history, and l hope that someone in this forum will be able to help me adding some missing pieces to my grandfather's bio.

what l know is that he was taken prisoner in france (somme) with his leg wounded in combat ( 'a canadian soldier's  bajonet'.....),  taken to the 41stationary hospital  of the british expeditionary force on jan.16,1918, (irc reg.nr.16430), and transferred to pow hospital belmont/ surrey, (irc reg.nr. 16629, camp nr. 2692) on jan.31, 1918.

according to his 'oral' history he soon after his recovery was allowed to work as a gardener 'for a lady' in a mansion's park....

and he also told us he would have a daughter in england...., more l don't know about this liaison, with whoever he had fallen in love with under the given circumstances....

thank all of you in advance for your help

charlie bader, grandson ;  )

[charlie2]

Hello Charlie

It would help if you gave your Grandfathers name, Regiment etc.

welcome to the forum

Charlie

[kraut]

hi charlie 2

first: thank you for your instant reply

his name:  franz bader, born on 3-2-1895

his mil.unit was the  bay. res. inf. regt. 1,  1.batl.,   3.komp.,  his german idnr. 999

his conscription to the german army had taken place in rosenheim (bavaria) at the  regional command

he was taken prisoner in telles vimmi on april 9, 1917 (?)

next (?) on jan 16, 1918 he was registered in the 41 stationary hospital of the british expeditionary force, france (irc-nr 16430)

and then in pow hospital belmont/ surrey (irc-nr.16629, campnr. 2692)

from a pow-camp in dorchester, pow-id 34 121 or 34 727 (its hard to read) he finally was discharged
and  transferred to the durchgangslager holzminden on 1 (or 7) nov.1919 and from there to delmenhorst

his returnee-id-nr. on this document was 989467*, signed by the german consul

if helpful, l'd also have 2 photos he in uniform, and l could also scan the documents and load them up to the forum, but this will take some time as my son will have to help me handle the technical process (my own computer knowledge is very limited)

sincerely your's

charlie, grandson :  )

[AOK4]

Hello,

He was probably taken prisoner at Thelus near Vimy.

Jan

 

[charlie2]

Hello Charlie

As you seem to have all the information from the Red Cross, Casualty lists and the Stammrollen, I‘m not sure how you can be helped further. Have you some specific questions? I take it you have access to the Regimental History, if not it can be read here

https://portal.dnb.de/bookviewer/view/1031431365#page/n0/mode/2up

Charlie

[kraut]

hi charlie 2 and jan/aok4

thank you very much for this new information, yet it'll take me some time to search the manchesters links.....

as to my 'specific' questions: l'm simply trying to find out as much as possible about my grandfather's past, including the time he spent in british custody during ww1....

maybe there still exist files about prisoners working outside the belmont camp?

l've also  taken a first look into the regimental history, even if he is not mentioned in it by his name, this will also be a valuable source for me to find out more about the circumstances of that time.

for now l thank you again for your kind assistance

charlie

[seaJane]

I have found these from the British Newspaper Archive:

Published: Saturday 08 December 1917
Newspaper: John Bull

 

Published: Saturday 09 August 1919
Newspaper: Birmingham Daily Gazette

 

[kraut]

hi seajane

thank you for this hint - it tells me that my grandfather was among the 'priviledged' although he was no officer, just an ordinary soldier....

maybe it was his gardener skills that helped him for allowance of outcamp-work.

his narrative was that he was allowed to work as a gardener for some 'noble' lady, whose name, however, he never mentioned.

maybe someone in the belmont-area knows something about private estates/ mansions who employed german prisoners for their gardens?

or any other kind mof work in private enterprises?

any comment on this question will be appreciated.....

thanks in advance

charlie

[stenoyab]

Only 18 years after I started this thread, but heres some of the Belmont photos.

Some of the photos are pre-capture of his company and I assume as a child. One photo is of a pencil sketch, I assume of the chap who took the photograph. Sadly hes not identified, although his name may be on the rear of one of the photos.