POWs or occupation force

[bernardmcilwaine]

i have a couple of manchesters who died in 1919,and are buried in cologne southern cemetary,can i safely assume that they didnt die from POW related illness,would it be safe to say that they were occupation troops,would all the sick men from the camps,be evacuated from these areas by 1919,bernard

[nfh249]

Well Cologne was in the British occupation zone. Perhaps they died in the Spanish Flu epidemic??

Neil.

[Frank_East]

i have a couple of manchesters who died in 1919,and are buried in cologne southern cemetary,can i safely assume that they didnt die from POW related illness,would it be safe to say that they were occupation troops,would all the sick men from the camps,be evacuated from these areas by 1919,bernard

Bernard

Most probably victims of the influenza pandemic.

The 1st Manchesters were based at Givenchy Barracks,Konigstein an element of the 2nd Rhine Brigade until early in 1927.

The post Great War graves of British forces and their dependants in Cologne South Cemetery at Zollstock reflect the period when the British Army was garrisoned here.

[bernardmcilwaine]

frank/neill,many thanks,bernard

[robert bonner]

Bernard.

It all depends on their battalion.

2nd Manchesters moved from Belgium to Bonn in Germany in February 1919 and remained there until April 1919 when they moved to England prior to joining the garrison in Ireland.

A considerably reduced 1st Manchesters was in Palestine at this time, reformed at Blackdown in July 1919 and did NOT go to Rhine Army.

The 51st, 52nd and 53rd Young Soldiers Battalions went to Rhine Army and the Cologne area in February 1919, remaing there until disbandment in February 1920.

Without knowing their battalion I think it is probable that they were ex POWs.

Let me have their names and I will search.

Robert

[robert bonner]

1st Manchesters did eventually go to Rhine Army but not until October 1924, leaving in November 1927.

[bernardmcilwaine]

robert,your info has cleared up one of them,j j fletcher 41428,died on 13-11-1918,he must have died as a POW he was with the 2nd batt,another one is a,w brewer,21842,died 1-3-19,12th battalion,i am not sure about him robert,does the manchesters museum have a list of all those taken POW,i have a small list of 200 who were captured on the somme in 1916,mostly with next of kin+address,i havent been able to find out how many manchesters were taken POW in the war,any help would be fantastic,many thanks,bernard

[Tom Morgan]

The Cologne Cemetery contains quite a few burials from 1919 but not all from the immediate area of Cologne. This is because in 1922 (I think) it was decided to move the graves of all British servicemen who had died in Southern Germany, into one of four cemeteries and Cologne was one of these four. It now contains graves of soldiers brought from quite a lot of cemeteries, many of which contained 1919 burials.

Among the cemeteries where the burials were relocated to Cologne was one at Bonn where, as Robert says, the 2nd Battalion was based in 1919. The 47th General Hospital and the 21st Casualty Clearing Station were in Bonn for part of 1919.

Tom

[bernardmcilwaine]

thanks tom,i think i will leave him at the back till i find out if he died as a POW or not,bernard

[Manitoba]

Bernard,

A large number of British and allied POWs died under the command of Generalmajor Leo Cederholm, Lager-Commandant at Friedrichsfeld 1916-1918.

The Cemetery at Friedrichsfeld Lager registered 70 POW burials during his command.

The bodies were later transferred to Cologne Southern Cemetery, in 1922, by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The Commission transferred many POW bodies in the Rhine-Westphalia region to Cologne South between 1919-1922.

Hope this is of some help.

Manitoba