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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Dulmen POW Camp


wyndham

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Just catching up with this enormously helpful forum. My father, Pte Gordon Wilcox, a Londoner assigned to the North Staffords and transferred during training to the Royal Guernseys, was taken prisoner at Doulieu on 12th April 1918 and held at Dulmen; he too came home on the Takada. Like most, he spoke little - and was in his 40s when I was born - but did write some laconic notes before he died, and had brought home about 20 postcards of the camp - all now posted here! - plus a few of the town. There's almost nothing to see at the site, but the Stadtarchiv staff were incredibly helpful when my son and I visited, laying out all their relevant material on tables for us to see and supplying copies of the site plan, Bonsey (in German) and Rudolf Hermanns' archaeology report. Thank you for opening up further research avenues.

Thanks for posting that information Tony. I would love to visit the area someday. Many of the men just staged through Dulmen and were transferred to other camps. My granddad was there from late 1917 and doesn't seem to have been transferred but the other 11 men that were captured and moved there with him, all moved on to other camps quite quickly. The archaeology report sounds interesting, I wonder if they found any dog bones?! In the soup, apparently.

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The archaeology report can be found by Googling 'Rudolf Hermanns'. The excavations seem all to have taken place in the area occupied by the German guards, so no reference to dog bones! The Karnickelhausen.de site has some interesting snippets; a lengthy page on the Camp includes many of the now-familiar photographs, the camp site plan, and a number of British PoWs' diaries and postcards (translated into German). There is also an account of how the cemetery came to be moved, pages on the geography, pre-history and history of the area, and much on present-day activities, both industrial and leisure. Probably worth a glance if anyone is planning a visit. Afterthought: are they sure they weren't rabbit bones?

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The archaeology report can be found by Googling 'Rudolf Hermanns'. The excavations seem all to have taken place in the area occupied by the German guards, so no reference to dog bones! The Karnickelhausen.de site has some interesting snippets; a lengthy page on the Camp includes many of the now-familiar photographs, the camp site plan, and a number of British PoWs' diaries and postcards (translated into German). There is also an account of how the cemetery came to be moved, pages on the geography, pre-history and history of the area, and much on present-day activities, both industrial and leisure. Probably worth a glance if anyone is planning a visit. Afterthought: are they sure they weren't rabbit bones?

Thanks for that snippet. Yes, agree, Karnickelhausen has some great information. Dog meat was on the menu back then, for the Germans as well - as confirmed by another forum member. Unless the rabbits were the size of a small daschund...and bearing in mind that the British were no strangers to rabbit meat, I'm guessing many would know rabbit bones.

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  • 2 years later...

I know this is an old thread but was hoping there might be a list of POW's for this camp somewhere.  It seems my 2x great uncle (Francis/Frank Trenham) was held captive here, plus a number of other camps.  

Gent, Dulmen, Munster II, Soltau and Hameln.

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Kind regards

Jo

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  • 8 months later...
On 27/11/2007 at 15:36, philg said:

Wyndham,

I have quite a lot of stuff on Dulmen including a (roughly) translated version (by me) of the website you mention above and other POW accounts of that particular camp. If you PM me your email, I'll send it all over to you.

best regards

Phil

Could you send it to me?

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  • 5 months later...

Just looking at the US National Archives site and in particular at PoW camp inspection reports by US representatives. I see that the Oct 1915 and March 1916 Reports have been mentioned in earlier posts but I Thought I would add the July 1916 Report link here  images 266-275.

 

Charlie962

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  • 1 year later...

I would be very interested in any accounts of life in Dulmen POW camp as my grandfather was held there and I am trying to get more idea of his time there.

He was William McNaught and was taken there after being picked up by Germans from torpedoing of HMS WArner in 13/3/17.

I would be very grateful for any information.

Thank you

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On 27/11/2007 at 15:36, philg said:

Wyndham,

I have quite a lot of stuff on Dulmen including a (roughly) translated version (by me) of the website you mention above and other POW accounts of that particular camp. If you PM me your email, I'll send it all over to you.

best regards

Phil

I would be very interested to read this as my grandfather was in Dulmen after sinking of HMS warner in 1917. I am trying to get as much information about him as I can.

thanks

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  • 6 months later...

I have just (today) found out that my great grandfather was a POW here. We knew he was a POW but not where. My mother says that he spoke of a visit from the Kaiser to the camp while he was imprisoned. Does anyone else know anything that would confirm the visit?

He was in the band and had some sort of badge that others didn't have and the Kaiser asked him about it. As he walked away, he turned back to my great grandfather and said, "You won't know this, but your women have just been given the vote!" 

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24 minutes ago, Kristy Ward said:

"You won't know this, but your women have just been given the vote!" 

If correct the date would have been sometime after Feb 1918

 
The Representation of the People Act is passed on 6 February 1918 giving women the vote provided they are aged over 30 and either they, or their husband, meet a property qualification

it took until 1928 before the age was reduced to 21 

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4 hours ago, RaySearching said:

If correct the date would have been sometime after Feb 1918

 
The Representation of the People Act is passed on 6 February 1918 giving women the vote provided they are aged over 30 and either they, or their husband, meet a property qualification

it took until 1928 before the age was reduced to 21 

So I read. At least it was a step in the right direction! He was captured in April 1918, so possible. It's such a great story! 

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  • 1 year later...

Bit late to the party, but Albert Leslie Bonsey is my  great uncle. He is my nans brother.  Does any one gave a copy of his diary..there was a copy in the old priest house in West Hoathly. He got his friends to write it after the war. His grave is in St. Margaret's  down on the terraces.

Many thanks in advance 

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  • Admin

Welcome to the forum. Do you mean the diary referred to by @seaforths? If so, I’ve tagged them, which may alert them to your post. 

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  • 5 months later...

Just discovering this very informative, long running thread about Dulmen camp.

My Great Uncle L Cpl J P McCambridge of Royal Irish Fusiliers spent about a year in Dulmen after being captured on 8th May 1917 at the Second Battle of Arras.

I note with interest the Australian connections with this camp-the battle of Bullecourt by the 4th Australian and 62nd British Divisions occurred around the same location and time- on 11 April 1917 which could explain the connection?

I think I may have identified JP Mc Cambridge from the photo of the Theatre group at the camp.

I understand that he played the accordion which may explain his role.

Would love to know if anyone has more detail- his name is not mentioned on the program.

L Cpl J P McCambridge  Royal Irish Fusiliers Captured at Second battle of Arras on 8th May 1917.jpg

Dulmen POW Camp Theatre Group 1918.jpg

German POW Records.jpg

Dulmen Theatre Group Programme Cover.jpg

Dulmen Theatre Group Programme.jpg

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