Guest scs Posted 20 January , 2006 Share Posted 20 January , 2006 Can anyone point me in the right direction in tracing where my great-uncle, was incarcerated as a POW in 1918 prior to his death on the 14th October? He belonged to the 2nd/5th Manchester Regiment but I don't know at which battle he was captured. My mother knows something about him but refuses to tell me! Please help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pondman Posted 21 January , 2006 Share Posted 21 January , 2006 Can anyone point me in the right direction in tracing where my great-uncle, was incarcerated as a POW in 1918 prior to his death on the 14th October? He belonged to the 2nd/5th Manchester Regiment but I don't know at which battle he was captured. My mother knows something about him but refuses to tell me! Please help What was his name? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwenlock Posted 21 January , 2006 Share Posted 21 January , 2006 Try a post on Rootschat. There are a couple of very knowledgeable posters to the Manchesters on that forum. Yours aye Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scs Posted 21 January , 2006 Share Posted 21 January , 2006 What was his name? His name was Arthur Atkinson, his name is on Sp. Mem 2 at Erquelinnes Communal Cemetery at Mons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 22 January , 2006 Share Posted 22 January , 2006 2/5th Mancs were disbanded in late July 1918 so assuming he had not been posted to a different unit his capture was before this date. They had been part of 66th Division, which lost a very large number of men during the German offensive of 21 March - early April 1918. On 21 March the 2/5th was in the area near Villeret. It seems likely that Arthur was captured around this time/place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 22 January , 2006 Share Posted 22 January , 2006 There are very few accessible sources of information concerning soldiers who were taken prisoner in the Great War. I can confirm that Arthur is not listed in WO161, the National Archives collection of records that were originally compiled by the Committee on the Treatment of British Prisoners of War. It may be worth contacting the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva, for they hold a large archive of records and correspondence relating to prisoners of the Great War period. According to the ICRC website, “The archivists carry out, free of charge, searches requested by the victim himself/herself or the next-of-kin (that is, father, mother, brother(s), sister(s), son(s), daughter(s), husband or wife) of the victims of the Second World War or more recent conflicts. In all other cases an hourly fee of 80 Swiss Francs is charged; each request generally takes 1 hour to 2 1/2 hours work”. It can take up to three months for a response. The postal address is Archives Division International Committee of the Red Cross 19 Avenue de la Paix CH 1202 Geneva Switzerland. http://www.redcross.org.uk/standard.asp?id=2627 for more info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drummy Posted 22 January , 2006 Share Posted 22 January , 2006 SCS, Well worth you joining GWF. I am in the final stages of my research for a book on casualties from Irlam & Cadishead who died in the Great War. Publication will be in 2007. Your Great Uncle is one of the men I have researched and is included in the book. I have pasted below the entry (may slightly change by publication) and think (but will check later) I have a photograph of him also: ATKINSON, Arthur Private 202296 2nd/5th Battalion, The Manchester Regiment. 199th Brigade, 66th Division. Born in Carrington, he was the son of William and Sarah Ellen Atkinson, of 17, Liverpool Road, Higher Irlam, with whom he resided (his parents later lived at 35, Addison Road, Irlam.). He enlisted at Manchester into the Manchester Regiment. In February 1917, he arrived with his Battalion, in France. He was at some point over the next year and a half captured and became a prisoner of war. He died as a POW on Monday, 14th October 1918, aged 20. It is known that he is buried within Erquelinnes Communal Cemetery, Belgium although the exact position of his grave is not known, therefore he is commemorated on a special memorial headstone in the cemetery. The following is inscribed on his headstone “The sweetest of memories are all that are left.” He was awarded the ‘pair’. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernardmcilwaine Posted 22 January , 2006 Share Posted 22 January , 2006 nice one neil,all your hard graft at the library has paid off for someone,it proves what we have been saying about an archive,put me down for a copy of your book,bernard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drummy Posted 23 January , 2006 Share Posted 23 January , 2006 SCS, A pair refers to him being entitled to the British War Medal and Victory Medal (for service 1916 onwards) Send me a PM with your email and I will save it and let you know when it is ready, I will be able to supply you a copy. I will check my records re photo tonight (had a busy weekend so unable to check it to date) and will update you. Thanks Neil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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