Cottbus POW Camp Uniforms and Nationalities

[ilkley remembers]

Bought an album of photographs a few weeks ago which contains about 20 or so photographs taken at the Cottbus POW camp during WW1. The album was compiled by Sgt John Power, an inmate who was captured whilst serving with 1 WYR at Troyen (Aisne) on 20th Sept'14. Power, who lived in Wilsden near Bradford features in many of the photos which include groups, theatre productions and unusually the camp dentist. Haven't done much research on it yet but this photo intrigues me and have been trying to identify the nationalities of the group from their uniforms. Russia, French and British are fairly obvious but the others not so clear. If anyone has any ideas would be grateful. Power is seated front row 3rd from the left

[mancpal]

Could the two eastern looking gents be Japanese PoW ?

I know there were some Japanese prisoners in my grandads camp in northern Germany,

 

Simon

Edited 16 February , 2020 by mancpal
Bad spelling, must try harder

[mancpal]

Forgot to say what a fascinating photo it is.

 

Simon

[FROGSMILE]

A Serb second from right rear row.  The Middle Eastern fellow in the centre with shemagh/turban is a ‘Spahi’ French Colonial cavalryman.  Also a bearded ‘Turcoman’ French Colonial infantryman in centre of rear row.

 

Edited 16 February , 2020 by FROGSMILE

[mancpal]

Anybody recognise the sailors uniform next to the Serb?

[FROGSMILE]

6 minutes ago, mancpal said:

Anybody recognise the sailors uniform next to the Serb?

Yes, it’s British (and Dominion) Royal Navy, Winter rig.

 

Edited 16 February , 2020 by FROGSMILE

[mancpal]

Well you live and learn, I didn’t realise winter rig existed, thanks

[FROGSMILE]

4 minutes ago, mancpal said:

Well you live and learn, I didn’t realise winter rig existed, thanks

He is probably Royal Naval Division, as per the group photo.  The iconic cotton collar with striped edge has been removed, just as with them. 

Edited 16 February , 2020 by FROGSMILE

[mancpal]

Thanks for clarification, I’ve only got soldiers and airmen in my family so almost anything WW1 and naval is brand new to me

[ilkley remembers]

32 minutes ago, mancpal said:

Could the two eastern looking gents be Japanese PoW ?

I hadn't thought of that , my first reaction was that they were from French Indo-China.

 

14 minutes ago, FROGSMILE said:

A Serb second from right rear row.  The Middle Eastern fellow in the centre with shemagh/turban is a ‘Spahi’ French Colonial cavalryman.

Thanks for that one wonders who well the Spahi dealt with the winter weather 

33 minutes ago, mancpal said:

Forgot to say what a fascinating photo it is.

There are certainly some interesting photo's including Towers Id card...I will try and put a few more on the forum including the photo of the German guards

 

[FROGSMILE]

Given the preponderance of French Colonial troops I suspect that the orientals either side of the Spahi are French Indochinese troops.  Speaking French between them would’ve been an important point of common culture as PoWs.

Edited 16 February , 2020 by FROGSMILE

[ilkley remembers]

12 minutes ago, FROGSMILE said:

He is probably Royal Naval Division, as per the group photo.

So would they have fought on the Western front wearing this uniform? Great photo by the way

Edited 16 February , 2020 by ilkley remembers

[FROGSMILE]

57 minutes ago, ilkley remembers said:

So would they have fought on the Western front wearing this uniform?

  If he’d been a prisoner since 1914, yes (captured in Belgium).  Later, on the Western Front, Army uniform was worn but with army rank on one sleeve and naval on the other.  Both army forage caps and naval caps (often with khaki covers) were worn.

Edited 16 February , 2020 by FROGSMILE

[ilkley remembers]

I presume that this is a photograph of the camp guards

[FROGSMILE]

7 hours ago, ilkley remembers said:

I presume that this is a photograph of the camp guards

 

 
Yes, unit personnel (staff and guards) of the prisoners of war in camp Cottbus-Sielow 1917.

Edited 17 February , 2020 by FROGSMILE

[ilkley remembers]

11 minutes ago, FROGSMILE said:

If he’d been a prisoner since 1914, yes (captured in Belgium).  Later, on the Western Front, Army uniform was worn but with army rank on one sleeve and naval on the other.  Both army forage caps and naval caps were worn.

Thanks for that clarification

[ilkley remembers]

8 minutes ago, FROGSMILE said:

es, personnel (staff and guards) of the prisoner of war camp in camp Cottbus-Sielow 1917.

Thank you

[Robert Bueschel]

On 16/02/2020 at 17:13, ilkley remembers said:

Bought an album of photographs a few weeks ago which contains about 20 or so photographs taken at the Cottbus POW camp during WW1. The album was compiled by Sgt John Power, an inmate who was captured whilst serving with 1 WYR at Troyen (Aisne) on 20th Sept'14. Power, who lived in Wilsden near Bradford features in many of the photos which include groups, theatre productions and unusually the camp dentist. Haven't done much research on it yet but this photo intrigues me and have been trying to identify the nationalities of the group from their uniforms. Russia, French and British are fairly obvious but the others not so clear. If anyone has any ideas would be grateful. Power is seated front row 3rd from the left

 

Hello ilkley remembers,

thank you for posting that picture. I still work for the citymuseum of Cottbus and we prepare an exhibition about the two POW-Camps in my city. We have about 1.300 photos of the camps in our archive - most of them were on glass plate. Actually we digitalize more than 500 of the pictures and I hope that we can present them in a few weeks or month on the platform of the Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (German Digital Library). Hopefully covid-19 will let us ;-)
There were lot of such "international group"-photos in our collection. On some of them were notifications of the origin-country. So I will try to help you with some of the nationalities. But I need some days to take a look and sum up the information.

Furthermore I'm very interested in your other photos from Cottbus. Maybe you want share them with us.

Thank you and greetings from Cottbus. Robert

[Robert Bueschel]

On 16/02/2020 at 18:42, ilkley remembers said:

I presume that this is a photograph of the camp guards

 

The next one. It is a very interesting photo of the "prisoner parcel dispatch staff" (this is what google.translate told me) of the POW-Camp in Sielow in 1917. We're not completely sure, but it's possible that Ludwig Meidner is on that picture. Following the Meidner-society he stands on the right side, first row.
I still wait for the results of the digitalization, then I can see faces and details better.
Greetings from Cottbus. Robert

[FROGSMILE]

Thank you for posting Robert.  It’s interesting to see that so many men were needed to organise the postal and parcel depot at the camp and suggests that the camps were very large?  I am puzzled by “dispatch” as that usually means to send and presumably they only received parcels there.

[Robert Bueschel]

Thank you dir für Comment. I even have a lot of questions, because we do not know a lot of the life in that two camps. One example is Ludwig Meidner, he was a censor in Merzdorf but is still on this photo. So it is possible that we can even find all the different censors for the POW-post from the two camps on that picture. And we find many different censors on the POW-postcards and post.

I'm even with you, because the men in the middle of the first row looking like a part of the camp commandature.

But I will ne honest, we have a lot of knowledge gaps. So I thank you for any advice.

Greetings from Cottbus. Robert

Edited 2 March , 2021 by Robert Bueschel

[ilkley remembers]

Hi Robert,

 

Thank you for commenting on the thread and your interest in the photographs. Yes I am happy to share the images with you of which there are 28 along with an identity card. There are in a fragile album most can with care be removed but three are glued onto a page. Several of the photographs show groups of POWs and some images are of staff from the camp. Theatre productions feature as does the camp dentist! There are also photographs of a Red Cross inspection in 1918. 

 

I will get them scanned, assuming my scanner still works or in not will photograph them. Have you got a contact? you can send it to me via the messanger system on this forum

 

Edward 

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, Robert Bueschel said:

Thank you dir für Comment. I even have a lot of questions, because we do not know a lot of the life in that two camps. One example is Ludwig Meidner, he was a censor in Merzdorf but is still on this photo. So it is possible that we can even find all the different censors for the POW-post from the two camps on that picture. And we find many different censors on the POW-postcards and post.

I'm even with you, because the men in the middle of the first row looking like a part of the camp commandature.

But I will ne honest, we have a lot of knowledge gaps. So I thank you for any advice.

Greetings from Cottbus. Robert

Robert I am sure that you are correct that the men seated centrally are the more senior officers in command.  The use of swords was (and still is) symbolic of Officer status in most nations, but especially those of Europe.  Also their uniforms are made from superior cloth in a lighter shade of field grey.

 

There are some excellent specialists with knowledge of German uniform and organisation in the forum who might help with any detailed questions you have @JWK@The Prussian @GreyC@Charlie'sYearOldYogurt@charliec@AOK4@ph0ebus

Edited 2 March , 2021 by FROGSMILE

[Robert Bueschel]

Hello you two,

thank you for your help and your offers. :-)
Greetings from Cottbus

Robert

[Jack Robson]

Hello, 

I collect many images of soldiers from all nationalities in the Great War and it’s been fascinating to find so many who served.

I’ve just bought this photograph and it’s the same image of John Power at Cottbus at a different angle, probably between the photos. 
Can you verify his regimental number? I’ve found a SGT John Power 7807, just checking if this is him? 
 

Many Thanks, Jack

Edited 12 July , 2022 by Jack Robson