1915 Emergency Passport issued to 65year old Ruhleben civilian prisoner

[SusanN]

This is the sad tale of my great grandfather Carl Dahm, father to Julius Dahm. Both were interned as British subjects in Ruhleben camp during the Great War.
Carl suffered 5 months of solitary imprisonment after being arrested probably in Bonn his home town, around September 1914, I am not sure where he was initially imprisoned. He was transferred to Ruhleben about Feb 1915. His health started to deteriorate, his British born wife Bessie had died 5 years earlier, and it was only through the auspices of the American Ambassador in Berlin,that he was assisted in obtaining an emergency passport. So at the age of 65 he is released from Ruhleben, but is so ill that he only makes it to Arnhem, Holland ,then he recovers sufficiently after 12 days to get back to England. He has to leave his son Julius who being too young and never ill enough, stays in Ruhleben until Armistice Nov1918.

here is the treasured actual passport document…

[mancpal]

What a fabulous archive, thanks for posting.

Simon

[JWK]

Beautiful!

And he left "for his son's house" through Vlissingen ("Flushing")!

I see he presented himself to the British Consulate in Vlissingen/Flushing on (is it 9th?) August 1915. And is that stamp underneath saying something "This visa is valid for..." and then a date 12th August 1915??

Then a *possible* ship he sailed on is the SteamShip "Mecklenburg", which left Vlissingen/Flushing for Tilbury Docks on 14th August. Can't find any other ship leaving Vlissingen/Flushing for the UK shortly after 12th August.  https://www.marhisdata.nl/schip?id=4170

And yes "Mecklenburg" is a German name, but the then Queen's husband was a Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

 

 

[SusanN]

Thanks JWK for the information on the ship, it does seem a likely candidate , I found the following on it…..

S.S. Mecklenburg Harwich Flushing Passenger Ship Launched 1909 Sunk 1916 RPPC S/S MECKLENBURG; Owned by the Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland and built in 1909 by Fairfield Co.; 2,885 tons; 349.8x42.7x16.4 ft.; 1,130 n.h.p.; triple-expansion engines. On February 27th, 1916, the Dutch steamship Mecklenburg was on voyage from Tibury to Flushing, when she struck a mine and sank in the North Sea. In 1916.

[SusanN]

The information on the passport is the visa is only valid for the present journey to England , and in red writing underneath..This visa is valid for three clear dates only from the date of granting, then in blue writing…. August the 18th 1915

[Kath]

In case of interest:

The Scotsman 19 October 1915.

 

[JWK]

Ah,the date reads the 18th August

In that case your grandfather still sailed on the "Mecklenburg" : the same night most probably. Or failing that the 20th.

 

 

 

[SusanN]

Wow that’s great, thank you JWK…it is very likely to be the 18th August sailing that my great grandfather would have been on, and no doubt there would have been an emotional welcome from his other three sons who were already established and living in London.  However he would not see his two daughters who were confined to Bonn , until the end of the war, and of course my grandfather Julius who was left sharing a horse stall in Barack 5 Ruhleben camp. 

[SusanN]

Thanks Kath, those Repatriation of British prisoners of war newspaper clips are most interesting,James Garrard was a lifesaver…literally…for my great grandfather…!