Gustrow Bing boys

[vertigo]

Doug,

Here is the translation of the newspaper article. I hope it has succeeded and you find it useful.

Goldberger Zeitung, Wednesday, 21.October 1914

A visit to the prison camp of Güstrow

Everything is still under construction. The place is first prepared as an interim home for the prisoners seems looks from distance like a tent city in a big folk festival. I had with permission of the commander received a permit card to enter the place. If you step closer to the prison camp, you are surprised by the almost exemplary, orderly arrangement that is provided for the accommodation of prisoners. After my permit card at the main entrance with a critical gaze of a guard commander of the Landsturm has been checked, I walk into a large courtyard, located here the various buildings of the administration, and the guard room and a canteen. After I got to accompany a Unteroffizier (non-commissioned officer?) and we had passed again a second guarded gate, I arrived with my companion, who gave me all the necessary explanations, to the main prison place.

This large location with many foreign people in colorful uniforms offers a strange picture. Most striking, of course, are the French; luminous bright red pants and just such caps. How is it possible that a nation that views itself as progressive in every field, could be their warriors in the 20th century with such bright, colorful uniforms to go in war. The same applies to the Zouaves in their wide trousers and the Turcos in their sky-blue jackets. Most are in small groups talking to each other; because currently there are not enough jobs for them; others lie or crouch in front of their tents and think back to her France, may think of their wives and children. Many of them are now opened the eyes over the betrayal of the English and their own french government.

Now we are passing a troop of Russians. They dressed with greenish-gray blouses, a same-cap and a thick, heavy coat of the same color, they never take off this; neither eating nor sleeping, or washing; if you ever want to say, that the Russians wash themselves. Of course, even intelligent people are among them, but in general they all make a stupid, dirty impression.

Now we come to the English. Their uniform also has a greenish color, but sits much better than the Russians or the French. They have no coats. Her expression, however, has little direct repulsive, impudent in itself. Her behavior makes the same impression. Here you can really see the difference between our warriors, the true defenders of their country and the mercenaries of the English shopkeepers. Throughout these English prisoners to make an impression on me as if they had the ejection of human society itself; they are not warriors but rather mercenaries; not honest defenders of their country but robber rabble.

But back to the facilities of the prison camp. Each tent is indicated by numbers, how many men it may be occupied and in which tent lives an interpreter. Two kitchens are set up in the square, in which be prepared the warm meals for the guards and for the prisoners. Even a canteen is available, where can the prisoners buy chocolate, tobacco, cigars and stationery. So each way for a decent accommodation is provided. Similarly, a hospital for slightly wounded is there and the treatment is done by military doctors with the assistance of captured military hospital aides. The heavily wounded and sick shall be housed in a military hospital. Each new prisoner transport will examined and subjected to cleaning, before the prisoners with the previously internees come in contact. It is set up in sanitary manner all the best on that. Now this is only the temporary camp, the new winter camp in which all of the season will be furnished better, is still under construction. Large common dining and work rooms will be constructed. If our prisoners may later return to their homeland, they should be able to tell, that they have become in Germany a decent treatment. Of course they have to pay deference to military guarding in all things and only the slightest attempt to escape would end with the most severe punishment, perhaps even by death. Even against a common escape precautionary measures are in place. On a mound around the whole camp, four field guns and three towers reinforced with machine guns are built.

Our tour was almost over, it was getting dark and in the next moment the whole camp was illuminated by electric lighting, the electricity is generated by a specially built facility.

All over our great country, the prison camps are so well prepared, on every place where prisoners are in the German Empire located, these exemplary facilities are been built. Let us hope, that will be done the same treatment to our soldiers, when they in the great struggle out there taken as prisoner. Therefore, let us minimize our nosiness and show no curiosity to the people were betrayed by their governments, they carry the smallest guilt in this terrible war. Also we have fathers, sons and brothers in the field, put yourself in their position, if they are harassed as prisoners by watchers and make a parable.

C.M.

Thomas

[vertigo]

Doug,

If anyone is a better translator than I, here is the original text in German:

Goldberger Zeitung, 21.Oktober 1914

Noch ist alles im Entstehen begriffen. Der Platz der zunächst interimistisch für die Gefangenen als Wohnstätte hergerichtet ist, mutet von weitem wie eine Zeltstadt eines großen Volksfestes an. Tritt man dem Gefangenenlager näher, (ich hatte mit gütiger Bereitwilligkeit der Kommandantur des Gefangenenlagers eine Erlaubniskarte zu Betreten des Platzes erhalten), so ist man erstaunt über die geradezu mustergültige, ordnungsmäßige Einteilung , die für die Unterbringung der Gefangenen vorgesehen ist. Nachdem meine Erlaubniskarte am Haupteingang mit kritischen Blicken von einem der Wachhabenden Landstürmer geprüft worden ist, betrete ich einen großen Vorplatz, auf dem sich verschiedene Dienstgebäude der Verwaltung, sowie das Wachlokal und eine Kantine befinden. Nachdem ich von hier aus von einem Feldwebel die Begleitung eines Unteroffiziers erhielt und wir ein nochmaliges durch Posten bewachtes Tor passiert hatten, gelangte ich mit meinem Begleiter , der mir in entgegenkommender Weise alle nötigen Erklärungen gab, auf den eigentlichen Gefangenenplatz.

Dieser große Platz mit den vielen Fremden Menschen in den bunten Uniformen bietet ein eigenartiges Bild. Am auffallendsten sind natürlich die Franzosen. Wahrhaftig leuchtend hellrote Hosen und ebensolche Mützen. Wie ist es möglich, daß eine Nation, die sich auf jedem Gebiete von jeher als die fortgeschrittenste betrachtete, ihre Krieger im 20.Jahrhundert mit solch leuchtenden, bunten Uniformen in den Krieg ziehen lassen konnte. Dasselbe gilt für die Zuaven in ihren weiten Pluderhosen und die Turkos, die himmelblaue Jacken tragen. Die meisten stehen plaudernd in kleinen Gruppen beieinander; denn vorläufig gibt es noch nicht genügend Beschäftigung für sie; andere liegen oder kauern vor ihren Zelten und denken zurück an ihr Frankreich, vielleicht an Weib und Kind. Vielen von ihnen sind erst jetzt die Augen geöffnet worden über den Verrat der an ihnen von der englischen, wie von der eigenen Regierung verübt wurde.

Eben kommt ein Trupp Russen an uns vorbei. Sie tragen grünlich-graue Blusen, eine gleichfarbige Mütze und einen dicken, schweren Mantel von gleicher Farbe, den sie nie abnehmen; weder beim Essen, noch beim Schlafen, oder etwa beim Waschen; wenn man es wagen will die dreiste Behauptung aufzustellen, daß sich die Russen waschen. Natürlich sind auch intelligente Menschen unter ihnen, aber im Allgemeinen machen sie alle einen stumpfsinnigen, schmutzigen Eindruck.

Unsere Schritte weiter lenkend, kommen wir zu den Engländern. Ihre Uniform hat auch eine grünliche Farbe, sitzt aber bedeutend besser als die der Russen oder Franzosen. Mäntel haben sie keine. Ihr Gesichtsausdruck hingegen hat etwas direkt widerwärtiges, freches an sich. Auch ihr Benehmen, dass sie zur Schau tragen, macht einen solchen Eindruck. Hier kann man so recht den Unterschied zwischen unseren Kriegern , die echte Vaterlandsverteidiger sind und den Söldlingen der englischen Krämer beobachten. Durchweg machen diese englischen Gefangenen den Eindruck auf mich, als ob man den Auswurf menschlicher Gesellschaft vor sich hätte, nicht Krieger, nein Söldner, nicht ehrliche Vaterlandsverteidiger sondern Räubergesindel.

Doch zurück zu den Einrichtungen des Gefangenenlagers. An jedem Zelt ist durch Zahlen angegeben, mit wieviel Mann es belegt werden darf und in welchem Zelt ein Dolmetscher wohnt. Zwei Küchen sind auf dem Platz eingerichtet, in denen für die Wachmannschaften wie auch für die Gefangenen die warmen Mahlzeiten bereitet werden. Auch eine Kantine ist vorhanden, in der sich die Gefangenen für Geld Schokolade, Tabak, Zigarren und Briefpapier kaufen können. So ist jeder Weise für ein menschenwürdiges Unterkommen gesorgt. Ebenso ist ein Lazarett für Leichtverwundete vorhanden und die Behandlung geschieht durch Militärärzte unter Assistenz gefangener Lazarettgehilfen. Die schwer Verwundeten und Kranken werden im Garnisonslazarett untergebracht. Jeder neue Gefangenentransport wird erst einer Untersuchung und Säuberung unterzogen, bevor die Gefangenen mit den bereits Internierten in Kontakt kommen dürfen. So ist auch in sanitärer Beziehung auf das Beste Sorge getragen. Dies ist nun aber erst das provisorische Lager, das eigentliche Winterlager, in dem alles der Jahreszeit entsprechend besser eingerichtet sein wird, ist noch im Entstehen begriffen. Dort werden große gemeinschaftliche Speise und Arbeitsräume errichtet werden; kurz unsere Gefangenen können dereinst , wenn sie in ihre Heimat zurückkehren dürfen, erzählen, dass ihnen in Deutschland eine menschenwürdige Behandlung zuteil geworden ist. Natürlich müssen sie sich in allen Dingen mit militärischem Gehorsam den Anordnungen der sie Bewachenden fügen und nur der geringste Versuch einer Flucht würde mit der schwersten Strafe, vielleicht sogar mit dem Tode enden. Auch gegen einen gemeinschaftlichen Ausbruchsversuch sind Vorkehrungen getroffen. Auf einem das ganze Lager beherrschenden Wall stehen vier Feldgeschütze und drei erbaute Türme sind mit Maschinengewehren armiert.

Unser Rundgang neigte sich dem Ende zu, es begann zu dunkeln und im nächsten Augenblick erstrahlte das ganze Lager von elektrischer Beleuchtung, die von einer eigens angelegten Anlage erzeugt wird.

Überall in unserem großen Vaterlande sind die Gefangenenlager so vortrefflich eingerichtet, überall wo sich im Deutschen Reiche Gefangene befinden, sind solch mustergültige Einrichtungen erbaut worden. Hoffen wir, das es unseren Kriegern, die in dem großen Ringen da draußen in Gefangenschaft geraten, eine gleiche Behandlung zu teil werde.

Darum dämmen wir unsere Neugierde und zeigen keine Schaulust an Menschen, die von ihren Regierungen betrogen wurden und die zum mindesten der Schuld an diesem furchtbaren Kriege teilhaftig sind. Auch wir habe Väter, Söhne und Brüder im Felde, versetzt euch in ihre Lage, wenn sie als Gefangene von Neugierigen belästigt werden und zieht ein Gleichnis.

C. M.

[vertigo]

Doug,

A few words about horse trader Rossmann. Mecklenburg was at the time still an agricultural country and very backward. The level of mechanization was very low. I think the agriculture required at sowing and harvesting horses. In addition, there were also some horse breeds in the area of Güstrow. Perhaps Rossmann has also sold horses to the army at that time?

Thomas

[Doug Johnson]

Tom,

The article is fantastic, it makes wonderful reading. Imperfections in the translation only improve it! There are those that would deny that Germany ever engaged in propoganda, I think this proves otherwise.

Doug

NB my Grandfather arrived there two weeks later.

(further parts of the report will follow soon)

[Doug Johnson]

Part 3

Religious Services;- Three barracks were set apart for religious services for Catholics, Russians, and Jews. We inspected the first two and found that they had been prettily decorated by the prisoners. The English use the Catholic Church on Sunday evenings when Sergeant Mowlin reads the service. The Reverend Mr. Williams has visited this camp on several occasions.

Medical Attention;- The lazaret is at one side of the camp and consists of six barracks, each about 80 feet long, 35 feet wide, with a wall height of 12 feet, and an apex height of 16 feet. There are sixteen windows with transoms which provide sufficient light and ventilation. There are two stoves in each barrack for heating.

215 Russians, 23 French, 11 Belgians, 1 Serbian, and 6 British were in the Lazaret on the day of inspection. We spoke individually to the following British;-

1. Private Sherwood, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, who is detained here with chronic catarrh of the stomach.

2. Private Henry Knight, 1st Battalion, Queen’s Regiment, who is mentally unbalanced.

3. Private A Ground, Duke of Wellington Regiment, who had been at Fuerstenburg for six weeks, and in this hospital for three months with rheumatism of the spine.

4. Rifleman Manvell, King’s Royal Rifle Rifles, who had received a head wound, and evidently had osteomyelitis with formation of sequestra.

5. Private Harry Dean, 1st Royal Lancashire Regiment, who has a chronic skin disease of the face.

6. Private A King, Royal Scottish Fusiliers, who has catarrh. This has been giving him trouble before the war. It is expected that the Swiss Medical Commission will visit Güstrow shortly, and it was suggested to the commandant that Private Knight and Rifleman Manvell be recommended to the commission for exchange or transference to Switzerland.

The kitchen of the lazaret contains four kettles and one large stove. A menu of food for the lazaret ia appended to this report. It was stated by the Germans in charge of the lazaret that the men under their care receive more food than do the German soldiers. The men may use their packages if their conditions permit.

Infirmary;- One barrack similar to those in the lazaret is used as an infirmary. There are twenty-two beds all of which were being used at the time of inspection. We spoke to the four British who were detained there, and none of them had any complaints to make except for Petty Officer Walsh of the Flying Corps of the Royal Navy. Two years previously he had fallen from an aeroplane and received internal injuries, since when he has had intestinal haemorrhages although he did not appear to have any extensive anaemia. He wished to go to Rostock to be examined and treated byu a specialist, and when this was suggested to the commandant it was stated that arrangements for this examination would be made.

Work;- Only the sergeant-majors and corporals of horse are exempt from the fatigue work about the camp. The hours of work are from 6.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m., and from 1.30 p.m. to 5 p.m. The work consists of cleaning the camp, digging trenches for drainage and the disposal of refuse, and performing other duties for the upkeep pf the camp.

Prison and Punishment Barracks;- In a separate building there is a prison with nineteen cells. We were told there were no British undergoing punishment here. We examined one of these cells and found it to be about 5 feet by 6 feet with a height of about 11 feet. There is a small window and a ventilator. Each cell is provided with a bunk; mattresses are not permitted, except on every fourth day, but the prisoner may have his blankets and overcoat. The diet consists of bread and water, and every fourth day the prisoner is given the regular camp food – the use of packages not being permitted. When a man has done something for which he may be punished, he is, in accordance with the seriousness of the crime, either allowed his freedom until his case is settled, or he is detained in a barracks with the usual privileges of camp food, packages, and bedding. The merits of the case are judged at the camp, and the sentence is decided by the Kommandantur at Güstrow.

Part 4 to follow

[Doug Johnson]

Part 4 and final. Not actually the end of the report as there are several pages of menu and diet sheets for the camp and the hospital which I have not copied. At the end of the report is a response from the commandant.

Clothes;- The men were lined up for inspection and they stated that they had sufficient clothes, underclothes, and shoes. Their appearance corroborated this statement.

Complaints;- The men stated that there was no British interpreter at the camp and that they were obliged to depend on interpreters of other nationalities. We spoke to the commandant in regard to this, and he stated that he would make an effort to have a British interpreter from one of the working camps transferred to this camp.

The sergeants and non-commissioned officers of lower rank complained of having to do fatigue work in the camp. The commandant said in regard to this that his orders were that these men should do their share of camp work.

Corporal Charles Whitler, South Wales Borderers, stated that he had lost his left eye and had been sent to Rostock to obtain an artificial eye, but that he had been obliged to pay 6 M. for it. The commandant stated that he should not be made to pay this and that the money would be refunded.

Private Holmes, 3rd King’s Own Hussars, stated that he had a crushed hip and was placed in class 3, which would make him eligible for light work. He said that he was unable to perform the work demanded and that he wished to be exchanged. It was suggested that he be examined by the Swiss Medical commission.

One of the prisoners stated that while he was at Osterade he had sent a letter to the American Embassy in Berlin requesting a visit of inspection. There is, up to the present time, no record of the arrival of this letter at this Embassy.

Comments;- The treatment of the men and the conditions found in this camp appeared to be very favourable. The commandant stated that the British were the most satisfactory prisoners under his care, and that in very few cases had he been obliged to punish them. He reported, however, that since the arrival of men from Osterade the spirit of the British had not been so good as formerly.

Our visit was not previously announced, and we were permitted to talk with the men without ear or eye witnesses.

We have etc.,

Jerome Pierce Webster

Guy Ayrault

Commandant of Prisoners’ camp at Güstrow to Dr Webster.

(Translation)

Sir,

Enclosed I beg to hand you the desired diet sheets of the Güstrow prison camp and its hospitals

With reference to our conversation at the time of your visit of inspection on the 17th instant, I beg to submit the following remarks;

1. The charges for procuring an artificial eye will be refunded to the prisoner Whitler.

2. Petty Officer Walsh, who is alleged to suffer from intestinal hemorrhages, will, if his condition requires it, be sent to a specialist at Rostock for examination and treatment.

3. An interpreter has been secured in the person of Sergeant Morgan.

4. The number of wash basins in the barracks of the English was caused by the fact that the prisoners themselves had misplaced many of these bowls. This has been remedied.

5. The prisoner of war A.R. Hodson of the 3rd Kings Own Hussar Regiment, O.W.N., is only a private and he himself admits that he is not a corporal and that his statement to this effect was unfounded.

von Matheson

Doug

[vertigo]

Doug,

thank you for these large and detailed report. If I found more material or unknown pictures from the camp I will post here.

Thomas

[vertigo]

Doug,

I found in my stock another card from the camp. The First World War and the military are not really my collection theme. So I have one more question: Can you figure out on their uniforms from which country the two are? I guess Belgium.

Thanks, Thomas

[Doug Johnson]

Hi Thomas,

My knowledge of WW1 uniforms is sparse but they appear to be Belgian. I think most French would have their regiment number on their collars but I could be wrong.

This is a photograph of the Belgian post office staff at the camp.

And this is a Belgian or at least his address was Brussels!

One thing to watch out for in PoW photographs is that they have a habit of borrowing clothes so that identification by uniform can become difficult. These however appear to be wearing their own uniforms.

Doug

[vertigo]

Hi Doug,

Here you can see that the camp is in Germany not entirely forgotten. This is a page from the local newspaper Schweriner Volkszeitung from Monday of this week (July 18). He reported on the visit of the Scot Colin Reynolds (left on the picture) whose grandfather (Sergeant Major James Reynolds) was four years in the camp. He worked there in the camp kitchen. On this way your grandfather is probably still come also in the newspaper, I think he was in the photo from the funeral to see below.

The man right in the photo in the middle is Mr. Ulrich Schirow, a local history researcher. In addition to the city's history, he also explores the military history of Güstrow including the camp.

In the next week I'm back in Mecklenburg. Then I'll shoot some new photos from the cemetery and the landscape around. I will then upload the photos here and on Google Earth.

I can only upload small pictures here (100k), so follow the link below:

https://www.svz.de/nachrichten/uebersicht/schotte-forscht-nach-seiner-familie-id4360326.html

Thomas

Edited 16 November , 2019 by vertigo
update link

[Doug Johnson]

Thomas,

This is the image in the centre right of the article.

Standing on the right is Sgt Frederick Gurney of 2/Gordon Highlanders who worked in the post office in the camp. Sitting immediately next to Sgt Gurney is CPO Roland Harper of the RNAS. PO Leonard W Walsh RNAS is standing at the back on the extreme right and the officer sitting fourth from the left is 2/Lt J Adams of the North Staffordshire Regiment. The others are as yet unidentified.

Doug

The date of the funeral with my grandfather in it is probably 1917/18 rather than 1915. One of my copies of the football team photo is dated April 1916.

In my records there is a C/S Maj James Reynolds s/n 8679 1/Kings Royal Rifle Corps present in the camp and here he is!

[vertigo]

Doug,

Thank you for detailed answer. I think there's a lot of research to identify today the man on the old pictures. James Reynolds is also on the group picture, standing in front of the right window.

One question more: Have you any information about this building? KINO is written on the house. Was this a movie theatre or cinema for the captured soldiers or for the guard force? It is camp photo no. 574, stamped October 1918 to Paris.

Thomas

[Doug Johnson]

Thomas,

Detailed records are a bit sparse but I think this was the theatre that closed in 1917 and was converted to a cafe. (The theatre closed as there were not enough prisoners remaining in the camp to put on performances). Having said that, the spring offensive brought in large numbers of prisoners and in 1918 performances were resumed. I also assume that it was same building was used as a cinema as the building would have been quite tall to house the raised stage etc and a normal hut or one of the pointed ones would not have been tall enough. The building was definitely used by prisoners as I have a photograph of it with a number of prisoners outside and a board showing an upcoming performance. I will scan this and add it here later today. The number 574 is probably an abbreviated number. In 1918, whoever was adding the numbers got lazy and occasionally missed off the first one so the card could be 8574 or 9574 or possibly even 10574 though I dont have enough evidence to confirm that they were missing the front numbers off when they got to the 10 thousands.

With regard to the group photograph I probably have named individual photographs of many of the men there but I have not really looked at it in detail. The four I named were easy ones.

Doug

[vertigo]

Doug, still a fundamental question about these photos. Was there a photo lab inside the camp that processed these photographs? I know the regular postcard series from Güstrow Photograph Ernst Grantzow, but the other hand-numbered Photo-Cards have no imprint. And if so, was it also managed by prisoners? Thomas

[Doug Johnson]

Ernst Grantzow’s name appears on photographs up to and including 1917. His photographs include the postcard ones taken in 1915 and portraits etc. None of the photographs with his name on bear the green cartouche which appears immediately that his name disappears. This does not necessarily mean that he stopped taking photographs as the name of photographers disappears from the images from many other camps as well. The disappearance of his name, and others, may be due to the lack of availability of specially printed paper. What is certain is that numbers (which appear to be uniquely confined to this camp) start with Grantzow. I have more than one copy of the football team photograph, named as by Grantzow, and one is numbered 1394 but is undated and the other is unnumbered but is dated as April 1916. I do not have enough dated photographs carrying early numbers (as opposed to truncated numbers)so I can't say when he started to take portrait and group photographs. The numbers starting 5000 start about the beginning of 1917 (4249 is dated around Nov 1916 and 5303 is dated Feb 1917 and both still bear Grantzow’s name ) and reach about 8000 by the end of 1917. By the end of 1918 the numbers reached about 10000. The numbers are inconsistent in that some copies of the same photograph bear the same number and some duplicated images have consecutive numbers. Shortly before the 10000 number was reached (the highest I have is 10006) the cartouche was changed. It was still printed in green but had lost the oval outline. A short time prior to that the green changed from a dark one to a lighter one.

My one reservation with the numbering is that the early ones have pencilled numbers and the cartouche ones are in pen with a Sept 1918 one numbered (9)562 also bearing a pencilled number but with III under it also in pencil. This particular card also has a small number 21 impressed in the same location as the cartouche which I have not noticed on other cards.

In respect of the truncated numbers, the evidence for this is that there were a number of cards produced for the memorial ceremony which ties them to April 1918. I have 373, 374 etc. but also have cards dated Feb 1918 as 8330 and May 1918 numbered 8558. The September Bing Boys concert pictures are numbered 560 and so on with a card bearing a date late in September with the number 9696.

Whether Grantzow continued to take the photographs beyond 1917 I do not know but it is possible and the continuation of the numbering would suggest so. The fact that the cartouche appears and the way it is styled “Kriegsgefangenen Lager Photographie Güstrow I.M.” also suggests to me that there was a developing facility on site. It is more than possible that Grantzow agreed to have his photographs developed by the prisoners to save time as some prisoners arrived in the camp only to move on a few days later which could mean that he took a photograph, then the prisoner was unable to receive it as he had moved on before Grantzow could return and Grantzow therefore did not receive payment. There are also lot of photographs that do not bear the cartouche which to me seems more likely that they were made on site.

The style of the photographs also changes with the early ones being borderless and the late ones having borders.

In my collection I only have one from Güstrow which has a studio type backdrop and it is clearly one of the last few to be taken numbered 9981 with the new cartouche. This may indicate that it is post armistice.

Doug

[vertigo]

Doug

Oh that's interesting. Grantzow has a long career as a photographer in Gustrow. The oldest postcard that I have from his studio is dated 1898. Towards the end of the war he has opened a branch in Arendsee. Arendsee is now a suburb of the seaside resort Kühlungsborn on the Baltic Sea. I have a card from inside the catholic church in the camp with this imprint: Ernst Grantzow, Güstrow & Arendsee. This card is undated and without the green cartouche.

Below a view on Güstrow's Street Mühlenstrasse. On the right side is Ernst Grantzows studio. 

Thomas

[vertigo]

And this card is not from Ernst Grantzow. This is not a photocard, it's printed. The imprint is NK ESE, but I have no idea what this means. The Photo is made outside the camp in priemerburg railway station. Do you have more cards from this company?

Thomas

[vertigo]

And this is the highest number from my collection, I think it's 20291, dated 1917 (?). Left from the stamp the N 9 II .This is an other photo from Priemerburg arrivel.

Thomas

[kellysgirl]

I am in contact with a lady whose father, William Wager, was in Gustrow POW camp. He left her his album of numerous photos from the camp and postcards from here and some Christmas postcards from Scandinavia dated 1918(I suspect he was repatriated via Denmark). The photos include the photo above marked 'fertig Zum Transport', ie 'ready for transport'. I had assumed this must be the men leaving the camp to be repatriated however, as I would not have expected them to have arrived at the camp with luggage?

[Thomas_vertigo]

On ‎22‎/‎08‎/‎2010 at 12:58, Doug Johnson said:

And this is a Belgian or at least his address was Brussels!

 

In the meantime I have indentified the prisoner from the posting of Doug. He is a Belgian soldier in the infantry (9. de ligne) and his Name is Julien Buyse. He came from the Village of Ruysbroeck near Brussels.

 

Thomas

Edited 15 November , 2018 by Thomas_vertigo

[vertigo]

Just a little Addendum: 

After a major system update of my website you can find all photos and documents about the POW-camp in Güstrow under this link:

 

http://www.guestrow-history.de/english-francais

 

Unfortunately I can no longer change the links in the posts above ... previously it was possible...?

 

Thomas