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General => Armed Forces => Armed Forces Resources => Topic started by: sarah on Monday 04 August 14 20:32 BST (UK)

Title: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: sarah on Monday 04 August 14 20:32 BST (UK)
WW1 Prisoner of War records now online for free. Index includes Military and Civilian personal.

http://grandeguerre.icrc.org (http://grandeguerre.icrc.org)
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: Rudolf H B on Monday 04 August 14 23:22 BST (UK)
Thank you Sarah,

just found out that my granduncle has been Prisoner of War in Dartford.

Regards
Rudolf
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: Treetotal on Monday 04 August 14 23:53 BST (UK)
Hoping to find my rellie John Capes in Soltau Prison Camp in Germany but no joy.....Good site though...thanks for posting.
Carol
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: Nanna52 on Monday 04 August 14 23:57 BST (UK)
Can't find my cousin either, but will keep looking.  It was a bit late last night when I was looking, but they are telling me no Vincent's were captured.    ??? ??? ???
Papers say different.
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: mmm45 on Tuesday 05 August 14 00:27 BST (UK)
Carol was john capes Hull and East yorkshire regiment?

Ady
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: Rudolf H B on Tuesday 05 August 14 01:07 BST (UK)
@ Carol,

"Soltau Camp (Lager Soltau), the largest German prisoner-of-war camp of the First World War was built in 1914."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soltau#Modern_era (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soltau#Modern_era)

Best regards
Rudolf

Added 1:13:
http://www.geschichtsspuren.de/artikel/lager-zwangsarbeit-/92-lager-soltau.html (http://www.geschichtsspuren.de/artikel/lager-zwangsarbeit-/92-lager-soltau.html)
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lager_Soltau (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lager_Soltau)
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: Treetotal on Tuesday 05 August 14 08:19 BST (UK)
Yes Ady he was.

Thanks for that Rudolph.

Carol
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: mmm45 on Tuesday 05 August 14 08:51 BST (UK)
Carol
Search is a bit fiddly!
He is on there if he lived at Elgin Terrace,Bean Street Hessle

http://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Search/#/3/2/107/0/British%20and%20Commonwealth/Military/capes%20john


Put in surname,first name and you get given a start place.Validate that then scroll through the list until you find him.
Once you find him click on the further info.
You then get the PA number off the archive put that in box and it brings up further archives.

Hope that helps

Ady
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: Treetotal on Tuesday 05 August 14 09:13 BST (UK)
Oh Yes....John Christopher Capes...Found him  8)....You are so good at this Ady...Thanks so much  :-*
His three Brothers were in France at the time and one of them was awarded the M.M. I found out about them from the FindMyPast newspapers. You have made my day  ;D
Carol
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: jaywit on Tuesday 05 August 14 09:20 BST (UK)
I can find the man I am looking for ( Reuben Percy Whitworth) and it gives a number of PA 25956 but when I enter that number it throws up various different pages not PA 25956. Am I doing something wrong?
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: Nanna52 on Tuesday 05 August 14 10:32 BST (UK)
Sometimes I don't like my ancestors.  I have tried every way I can think of to find my cousin Edwin William Barrett Vincent and he is staying hidden.  I have seen a newspaper report that he was a POW, but can't find him in the lists.   :-X :-X
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: Rudolf H B on Tuesday 05 August 14 11:56 BST (UK)
Hello jaywit,

here is a link for you PA 25956:
http://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/List/4580349/1562/25956/ (http://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/List/4580349/1562/25956/)

POW in Giessen, wounded: left knee, ...


Thanks to Ady (mmm45) for his explanation!

On problems go to reply #7.

Regards
Rudolf
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: jaywit on Tuesday 05 August 14 12:38 BST (UK)
Rudolf Absolutely brilliant.

Percy as he was known lived in a tiny village which was known after WW1 as a 'Thankful Village'

Two men from the village went to war and they both returned safely, so no War memorial.


Edit  Link from local newspaper about the Thankful villages.

http://newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Maplebeck-gives-thanks-for-safe-return-of-all
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: Sinann on Tuesday 05 August 14 12:44 BST (UK)
Spent ages looking and reading how to search but I still can't find my Grand Uncle.  :-[
Can anyone help please?
Daniel Rourke (the u is often missing)
3214
Irish Guards
POW from Aug 1914
Know he spent time in Giessen Camp.
Got TB while a POW
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: missmolly on Tuesday 05 August 14 20:41 BST (UK)
could someone translate the heading on column 5 please

Thanks Mo
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: Rudolf H B on Tuesday 05 August 14 22:16 BST (UK)
POW in Soltau or Giessen?

Here is a report. "A report by National Councillor A. Eugster on his visit to 19 prisoner of war camps in Germany":
http://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/Camps/Soltau-Hanovre-/479/ge/ (http://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/Camps/Soltau-Hanovre-/479/ge/)

- Soltau on page 59 (French) & 122 (German).
- Giessen on page 67 (French) & 130 (German).

Regards
Rudolf
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: Rudolf H B on Tuesday 05 August 14 22:32 BST (UK)
"Staying hidden" & "can't find my Grand Uncle" ...

I am not amused and I would like to ban the software designer of ICRC site in a POW-Camp for lifetime.

It is almost impossible for me to do lookups on this site, my screen is too small (10" Netbook) and I have no mouse ...

IMPORTANT: ICRC used a very special ABC and the cards might be posted in disorder!

"TZ" is sorted as "Z", you read "SPATZ voir SPAZ" - voir is French for go to, have a look at ...
"SPAN..." might be sorted after "SPAT..."

Look around the name you are searching for ...

Good luck & happy findings
Rudolf
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: Sinann on Tuesday 05 August 14 22:46 BST (UK)
Spent 3 hours this evening, I've looked at all the Ro's all the R names with Irish for the reginment, still can't find him, eyes hurt now.
I won't give up yet but no more tonight.
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: mmm45 on Tuesday 05 August 14 23:18 BST (UK)
Just seen on Great War Forum that at present there are still 20% of records still to be uploaded...with the anniversary ICRC decided to go with putting the 80% online so your man must be in the 20 to be uploaded.

Ady
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: Sinann on Tuesday 05 August 14 23:21 BST (UK)
Oh that is good news, thank you. It was really bugging me.
Fingers crossed he'll be in that group.
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: Rudolf H B on Tuesday 05 August 14 23:38 BST (UK)
It is always the same, a database went online,
but nobody says on the site, if 20, 80 or 100% of the data are entered ...

Rudolf
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: Pheno on Monday 11 August 14 22:13 BST (UK)
Hi, have found my grandfather and deciphered that PA means a member of the British Army but can't find the further info.

Can anybody help please.  The number is P.A. 12/2/88

Ernest Wray (6710)

Thanks, Pheno
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: mmm45 on Monday 11 August 14 22:41 BST (UK)
Try 14488 and look at entry 176 :)

Ady
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: Pheno on Tuesday 12 August 14 17:14 BST (UK)
Brilliant thanks Ady for this post and your similar response on the other thread.

As soon as I looked at it again I could see what I had thought of as 12/2/ was actually 144.

I guess you are familiar with that numerical style.

Thanks, Pheno
Title: Re: Link: 1914-1918 Prisonsers of the First World War ICRC Historical Records
Post by: NickF on Wednesday 05 October 16 09:50 BST (UK)
It is clear to me that, although it is very useful, this listing is not complete as a number of known POWs are not on it.

Note that only internees in Switzerland are listed, so it may be that the cards of internees in the Netherlands were moved to a different file ?

That would explain why my Great Grandfather 6812 Lance Corporal Charles Dennis Tyrrell, 1st Battalion, Norfolk Regiment, captured 24.8.1914, imprisoned Soltau, interned The Hague (1917), repatriated January 1919, isn't listed.

However, it doesn't explain why Arthur Whitten Brown (of Alcock & Brown fame, shot down and captured 1915) isn't on the list of British POWs or Swiss internees under either Whitten (his mother's name) or Brown. Indeed there is no one listed with the surname Brown...