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Remembered Today:

WWI POW Lists ?


MissingInAction

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Hello

A quick trawl through the archives didn't reveal anything, but can anyone tell me if the POW lists for British Soldiers in WWI are available on-line at all ?

Cheers

Michael

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Hello Michael.

I don't believe (and I may be wrong) that the NA retain these details. I think it was down to the Red Cross. GO to the following link (from the mother site) and you'll see what I mean. Also there's a good list of officers & men that were taken POW as compiled by members of this forum.

POW page on Long Long Trail

Les.

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The only on-line list of POWs relates to those who are mentioned in a collection of documents held at the National Archives. Guess what? They are on this site and the list was compiled by our own pals: http://www.1914-1918.net/pow.htm. Click on "Behind the wire".

But don't do it just yet! I am doing some work on it!

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Michael,

If you have access to The Times online (available through some Libraries - I can gain access by logging in with my Devon Library card number) then you can search for a particular name amongst the Casualty Lists issued by The War Office which were reproduced by said paper. It's a long, slow process, but with a bit of luck, patience and especially an idea of when and what you are looking for, one I have found quite rewarding.

Regards

Steve

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Michael

The National Archives 'documents online' has a number of POW interviews that are catalogued with the names of the men mentioned in each interview.

To access these you can use the 'Quick Search' and enter either your favourite Regiment or name of man/men. The results appear under the family history 'results summary'.

Mike

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The only on-line list of POWs relates to those who are mentioned in a collection of documents held at the National Archives. Guess what? They are on this site and the list was compiled by our own pals: http://www.1914-1918.net/pow.htm. Click on "Behind the wire".

But don't do it just yet! I am doing some work on it!

Chris

How do you put names forward for the list? as I have a local candidate

Hambo

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Thanks for all your help, chaps.

I just picked up a lone Victory Medal recently and on getting his MIC he's noted as being a POW, never seen that before on a MIC, so I just wondered if there were any 'Rolls' for want of a better word in existance.

Cheers

Michael

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Chris

How do you put names forward for the list? as I have a local candidate

Hambo

I suppose Chris should have my chaps name for the list as well.

I'll PM it to you.

Cheers

Michael

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When I try to search the database by clicking on the first letter of the soldier's surname I receive the following error message: "Can't create/write to file '/tmp/#sql_1142_1.MYI' (Errcode: 28)."

I'd also like to know how to submit a soldier's details for addtion to the list.

Thank you,

Noel

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Its a list of soldiers in a specific file at the NA , WO 161- so you cant add his name in the sense that you'd like

Whats his name and Regiment? More chance of you finding out then

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Michael,

If you have access to The Times online (available through some Libraries - I can gain access by logging in with my Devon Library card number) then you can search for a particular name amongst the Casualty Lists issued by The War Office which were reproduced by said paper. It's a long, slow process, but with a bit of luck, patience and especially an idea of when and what you are looking for, one I have found quite rewarding.

Regards

Steve

This sounds interesting...is it possible to search the archives, or do you literally have to read four years worth of newspapers?

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search by name or number - any one in particular ?

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search by name or number - any one in particular ?

I'd be looking for my great-grandfathers....

James Mulley, Rifle Brigade #206876 (previously #819)

Thomas Patmore, Royal Horse Artillery #88637

William James Archer, Middlesex Regiment #34388 and Labour Corps #368681

I dont think the first two were wounded or anything but it couldn't hurt to check.

William Archer was transferred to the Labour Corps sometime prior to 1917 so I guess he may have been wounded or something.

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Well I know of at least one prominent rifle brigade researcher on the forum who will hopefully see your request

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I've been on TimesOnline, but as far as I can see their archive only goes back to 1985...how do I access the casualty lists?

John - that is just the current crop. If you ask your local library they will probably have on line access to the earlier stuff (make it clear its the Times Archive you're after). It can be hit and miss but I have found obituaries and court cases (plus other stuff) by using the search for Swansea Bn officers (less chance with other ranks, I guess). You may have to enrol for the library service but after that you're laughing!

Bernard

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I've found the following man in the on-line list:

"Surname First names Rank Regiment Unit Camp, hospital, etc Index page Details Pages

WATCHAM WILLIAM HARRY L/CPL ROYAL BERKSHIRE 5th No location given 69 REPORT '2756' "

Can anyone who might have looked at records in File WO 161 at TNA tell

me what information might be contained in the report in the file?

Thank you,

Noel

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John,

Your R.B. relation was not wounded but did get Malaria and Sandfly Fever in India (check your disembodied thread).

Andy

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Can anyone who might have looked at records in File WO 161 at TNA tell

me what information might be contained in the report in the file?

Thank you,

Noel

Noel,

I have downloaded individuals files from WO 161 rather than obtained the file at the NA. What I received was a pdf file of the debrief interview of the soldier. This could run from a single page to up to a dozen or so. It mainly gives details of how they were treated whilst POWs and what they did, but it can also pinpoint exactly when (and to a limited extent how) they were taken prisoner, and occasionally they make reference to other soldiers either of the same unit or different.

Regards

Steve

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This sounds interesting...is it possible to search the archives, or do you literally have to read four years worth of newspapers?

John,

The advanced search page allows you to define your search criteria to a very high degree. It is possible to select a single date and view the entire paper, or select just certain sections (such as deaths). The input -such as a surname - can be selected as text, title, keyword etc. Text will return the most responses. The weak point of the system is the ability of the software to 'read' the words on the page, which can be blurred or in various formats, which can lead to an entry being missed. It is hit and miss, but knowing roughly when you want to look is a help.

That said, I have been very successful, and have found many entries to those I've been researching.

And yes, it goes back to the 1700s!

Regards

Steve

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Steve,

Thanks for your advice.

The image detail seemed pretty promising as per the following:

Name(s): Watcham, W H

Page no: 3332

Corps: 5th Royal Berks - Report Not Printed.

Regiment No: 45023

Rank: Lance Corporal

Date 01 January 1914 - 31 December 1918

Catalogue reference WO 161/100/527

Dept Records created or inherited by the War Office, Armed Forces, Judge Advocate General, and related bodies

Series War Office: Miscellaneous Unregistered Papers, First World War

Piece Other ranks reports: pages 2403-4177 containing report numbers 1126-3037.

Image contains 1 item for the catalogue reference

so full of anticipation I coughed up my 3.50 GBP...

...but all I received is a page with just single line entry referring to William Henry Watcham.

Seems I misunderstood the phrase "report not printed" (which I took to mean that the report was hand-written!). What it really means is that what you get is, in this case (and some others), NOT an image of a report at all, merely an image of an index entry.

Ah well, we live and learn every day.

Noel

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Seems I misunderstood the phrase "report not printed" (which I took to mean that the report was hand-written!). What it really means is that what you get is, in this case (and some others), NOT an image of a report at all, merely an image of an index entry.

Ah well, we live and learn every day.

Noel

Noel,

Argh!! I could have/should have saved you the expense, as I have also been caught out by this in the past. As you say, it is a valuable lesson to anyone considering ordering a file online. It does beg the question as to why it was not considered worth detailing the file in full, when one obviously does exist.

Apologies,

Steve

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Steve, no need to apologise at all.

What I should have done, and this is perhaps sound advice for others, is to go aand look at the details shown in the catalogue for this particular file.

That is, when looking at the "image details" that result from the search, click on the link to "Catalogue Reference" - in this case WO 161/100/527 where a list of names of individuals, including W H. Watcham, appears.

The list is preceded by the words "The reports given by the following men are not printed in these records. Their names are listed on pages 3331-3332." Now I still do not think that this is very clear. I think that it should say something like "Reports on these men are not held in this file. Only their names and regimental details are listed, one line per man."

Incidentally, the reports must exist somewhere. In the list of POWs on "The Long Long Trail" as signposted by Chris Baker in this thread, my man is named as "William Harry Watcham" rather than plain old "W. H." So, somewhere his file exists. The question is, where?

Noel

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John,

Your R.B. relation was not wounded but did get Malaria and Sandfly Fever in India (check your disembodied thread).

Andy

knew you'd know something

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