Red Cross Archives come up trumps with POW info on my GGFather!

[John490]

Members may be interested to know that after I submitted an online form in December to the International Committee of the Red Cross re POW records I received the following reply:

The letter is from Geneva and dated 28 Feb

ATTESTATION

The Central Tracing Agency has received the following information:

ROTHWELL Joseph

DOB: 19.11.1893

Place of birth: Manchester

Rank: Private

Unit: 2nd Manchester Regiment Comp. 4

Service No: 9671 or 24526

Date and place of capture: 26.8.1914 at Le Cateau

Places of internment:

Prisoner of war in Germany, present in the camp of Senne (according to one list dated 13.10.1914 and one list received on 16.1.1915

Present in the Camp of Hameln (according to a list received on 13.3.1916)

Transferred to the camp of Soltau coming from the camp of Hameln (according to a list dated 15.5.1916)

Present in the camp of Munster (according to a list dated 9.12.1916)

Transferred to the camp of Hameln coming from the camp of Munster (according to a list dated 2.5.1917

From : six lists from the German authorities

I can now look for info on the camps in question and it also tells me his whereabouts - unknown to the family for over 90 yrs! Amazingly I have been garrisoned near many of those places whilst in Germany, if only I'd known at the time. I'm assuming the 24526 number was a pow issued number? If anyone has any info, pictures etc on these camps please let me know.

[Coldstreamer]

what was the ££ cost ?

This other number isnt shown on his medal index card(mic)

[John84]

He doesn't appear to named as being taken POW with the 1st or 2nd Machesters in 1914 on there POW lists. However there is a John Rothwell on the list, service number as 4426. Home address: 50 Pole Lane, Failsworth, Manchester.

John.

[stiletto_33853]

Gald that the information came through. Hell, I am still awaiting a report from them from last September, oh well !!

Andy

[wyndham]

I wrote to the IRC Geneva about my father who had been a prisoner in Dulmen. I was slightly taken aback when they virtually repeated the same details as I had sent them. In fact it was even less than I had originally sent. I definitely felt it just was not worth the money!! I accept they can only send you what they have, but it would be far more 'honest' if they told you they could not add to what you sent; even so I would be quite prepared to pay a reasonable amount but not 2 hours work!! for nothing extra.

[Doug Johnson]

The unidentified number is unlikely to be a PoW number. These numbers, when issued, were camp specific and were not necessarily permanently attached to one individual. The same person could have more than one number issued for the same camp, though not at the same time. The numbers do not appear to have been reported on the German lists so the Red Cross would not be aware of them.

It is important to understand that the list is only a framework. All the camps are well known head camps so it is possible that he spent little time in any of them, being out on working assignments and probably in other smaller camps which are unlikely to have been reported to the Red Cross. It is also posible that some of the camps he may never have actually been in, the transfer there being on paper when he was transferred between working camps. For some it is possible to identify the work camps but usually only by chance.

Is the camp Munster or Münster? There is a difference between the two or to be more precise, four.

Doug

Known work camps attached to Soltau;

Ehmen Salt Mine

Gräfteniederung, Bohmte

Hakenmoor

Königsmoor

Lüneburg Ironworks

[John490]

He doesn't appear to named as being taken POW with the 1st or 2nd Machesters in 1914 on there POW lists. However there is a John Rothwell on the list, service number as 4426. Home address: 50 Pole Lane, Failsworth, Manchester.

John.

He is on the list in www.themanchesters.org and I have a clipping from the Manchester Regiment Gazette and The Times which lists him. The info has been forwarded to me by my wife as I am currently in Afghanistan, she did not mention any thing about payment - and I'm sure she would have! I know that while he was in Hameln he was supposed to be doing agricultural work but did it as slowly as possible! I have two postcards that he sent home though - one from Staumuhle and one from Lichtenhorst - neither of which are mention by the ICRC. A similar thread on the aboave forum has generated some interesting replies. Thanks for your unput guys.