British Prisoners of War in First World War Germany

324 Pages·2019·11.116 MB·English

by  Oliver Wilkinson

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OLIVER WILKINSON is currently a Postdoctoral Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare L Over 185,000 British military servicemen were captured
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Y Research Fellow in History, Politics and War Studies I by the Germans during the First World War and incar-
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M at the University of Wolverhampton, having researched General Editor cerated as POWs. In this original investigation into their
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British captivity experiences in the First World War for a Jay Winter, Yale University O experiences of captivity, Wilkinson uses official and
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E decade. His previous works include contributions to the private British source material to explore how these
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C edited collections War and Displacement in the Twentieth Advisory Editors servicemen were challenged by, and responded to,
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J Century: Global Conflicts and Cultural Heritage (2014) David Blight, Yale University their wartime fate. Examining the psychological anguish
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N and Prisoners of War: Creativity Behind Barbed Wire Richard Bosworth, University of Western Australia N associated with captivity, and physical trials, such as the
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M (2012) and the Journal of War and Culture Studies. Peter Fritzsche, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign controlling camp spaces; harsh routines and regimes;
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E Carol Gluck, Columbia University IT the lack of material necessitates; and, for many, forced
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Benedict Kiernan, Yale University labour demands, he asks if, how, and with what effects
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A Antoine Prost, Université de Paris-Sorbonne SS British POWs were able to respond to such challenges.
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D Robert Wohl, University of California, Los Angeles H The culmination of this research reveals a range of
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R W coping strategies embracing resistance; leadership and
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W In recent years, the field of modern history has been enriched by the organisation; networks of support; and links with ‘home
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T exploration of two parallel histories. These are the social and cultural R worlds’. British Prisoners of War offers an original insight
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R history of armed conflict, and the impact of military events on social and I into First World War captivity, the German POW camps,
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cultural history. and the mentalities and perceptions of the British
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I servicemen held within.
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WA Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare presents WN OLIVER WI LK INSON
F the fruits of this growing area of research, reflecting both the colonization E
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S of military history by cultural historians and the reciprocal interest of RR
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military historians in social and cultural history, to the benefit of both. The
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series offers the latest scholarship in European and non-European events
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4 Jacket illustration: Allied POWs behind the wire at
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9 Baistrup b. Tingleff (1916). From the private collection
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Jacket designed by Hart McLeod Ltd
PRINTED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

BritishPrisonersofWarinFirstWorldWarGermany
Over 185,000 British military servicemen were captured by the
GermansduringtheFirstWorldWarandincarceratedasprisonersof
war (POWs). In this original investigation into their experiences of
captivity,WilkinsonusesofficialandprivateBritishsourcematerialto
explore how these servicemen were challenged by, and responded to,
theirwartimefate.Examiningthepsychologicalanguishassociatedwith
captivity,andphysicaltrials,suchasthecontrollingcampspaces;harsh
routines and regimes; the lack of material necessities; and, for many,
forced labour demands, he asks if, how and with what effects British
POWs were able to respond to such challenges. The culmination of
thisresearchrevealsarangeofcopingstrategiesembracingresistance;
leadershipandorganisation;networksofsupport;andlinkswith‘home
worlds’.BritishPrisonersofWaroffersanoriginalinsightintoFirstWorld
Warcaptivity,theGermanPOWcamps,andthementalitiesandper-
ceptionsoftheBritishservicemenheldwithin.
OliverWilkinsoniscurrentlyaPostdoctoralResearchFellowinHistory,
Politics and War Studies at the University of Wolverhampton, having
researched British captivity experiences in the First World War for
adecade.Hispreviousworksincludecontributionstotheeditedcollec-
tions War and Displacement in the Twentieth Century: Global Conflicts
(2014) and Cultural Heritage and Prisoners of War: Creativity behind
BarbedWire(2012),andtotheJournalofWarandCultureStudies.
StudiesintheSocialandCulturalHistoryofModernWarfare
GeneralEditor
JayWinter,YaleUniversity
AdvisoryEditors
DavidBlight,YaleUniversity
RichardBosworth,UniversityofWesternAustralia
PeterFritzsche,UniversityofIllinois,Urbana-Champaign
CarolGluck,ColumbiaUniversity
BenedictKiernan,YaleUniversity
AntoineProst,UniversitédeParis-Sorbonne
RobertWohl,UniversityofCalifornia,LosAngeles
Inrecentyearsthefieldofmodernhistoryhasbeenenrichedbytheexplorationof
twoparallelhistories.Thesearethesocialandculturalhistoryofarmedconflict,
andtheimpactofmilitaryeventsonsocialandculturalhistory.
StudiesintheSocialandCulturalHistoryofModernWarfarepresentsthefruitsof
thisgrowingareaofresearch,reflectingboththecolonizationofmilitaryhistoryby
culturalhistoriansandthereciprocalinterestofmilitaryhistoriansinsocialand
culturalhistory,tothebenefitofboth.Theseriesoffersthelatestscholarshipin
Europeanandnon-Europeaneventsfromthe1850stothepresentday.
Afulllistoftitlesintheseriescanbefoundat:
www.cambridge.org/modernwarfare
British Prisoners of War in First
World War Germany
Oliver Wilkinson
UniversityofWolverhampton
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www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107199422
DOI:10.1017/9781108185677
©OliverWilkinson2017
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2017
PrintedintheUnitedKingdombyClays,StIvesplc
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Wilkinson,Oliver,author.
Title:BritishprisonersofwarinFirstWorldWarGermany/OliverWilkinson,
ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity.
Description:Cambridge;NewYork,NY:CambridgeUniversityPress,2017.|
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2017008763|ISBN9781107199422
Subjects:LCSH:WorldWar,1914–1918–Prisonersandprisons,German.|
Prisonersofwar–GreatBritain.|Prisonersofwar–Germany.
Classification:LCCD627.G3W482017|DDC940.4/724308921–dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2017008763
ISBN978-1-107-19942-2Hardback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof
URLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication
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accurateorappropriate.
To ‘Willie Wilk’
Private William Wilkinson (1883–1982)

Contents
ListofIllustrations pageviii
Acknowledgements x
ListofAbbreviations xiii
Introduction 1
PartIBehindtheWire 21
1 Capture 23
2 TheCamps 43
3 Routine,WorkandDiscipline 78
4 NecessitiesofLife 104
PartIIPrisonerResponses 133
5 Resistance 135
6 LeadershipandOrganisation 163
7 FriendsandFeuds 190
8 LinkingwithHome 226
PartIIIConclusion 259
9 Repatriation,FuturesandMyths 261
Bibliography 284
Index 302
vii
Illustrations
2.1 MrsPope-Hennessy,MapoftheMainPrisonCampsin
GermanyandAustria(London:NisbetandCo.Ltd.,1916).
ImagecourtesyoftheIWM.Reproducedwiththekind
permissionoftheEstateofUnaPope-Hennessyc/o
ArtellusLtd. page48
2.2 Sentries’gazesatHalleonSaaleOffiziersgefangenenlager.
DrawnbyauthorbasedonReportbyCaptainA.J.G.
Hargreaves,TNA,WO161/95,O.16. 65
2.3 ‘TheCampCentreandWatchToweratCrossen,Germany’,
ForMillionsofMenNowUnderArms,1,3(24/6/15).Image
courtesyofColumbiaUniversityLibraries. 67
2.4 FriedrichsfeldKriegsgefangenenlager(May1915),TNA,FO
383/43. 69
2.5 OrganisationalbreakdownofabattalionatDarmstadt.Drawn
byauthor. 71
2.6 PlanofWittenbergCamp(1915)inReportofTreatmentof
BritishPrisonersofWarinFranceandGermanybyMajor
H.E.Priestley,TNA,WO161/97/29,M.O.30. 73
3.1 CoverofTheQueue,POWcampmagazineproducedatMainz
Offiziersgefangenenlager,August–September1918.Author’s
collection. 81
3.2 ThecommandantofSoltaupassingPOWstiedtoposts,Le
régimedesprisonniersdeguerreenFranceatenAllemagneau
regarddesconventionsinternationales1914–1916(Paris,1916),
precedingp.71.ImagecourtesyoftheBibliothèqueNationale
deFrance. 100
4.1 RepatriatedPOWPrivateNormanA.Veitch,Yorkshire
Regiment,captured27May1918,IWM,Q31277. 113
5.1 ExcavatedentrancetotheHolzmindentunnel,1918,AWM,
P03473.005. 144
5.2 ExposedsectionoftheHolzmindentunnel,1918,AWM,
P03473.006. 144
viii