Author Topic: Football team, Army camp or POW camp?  (Read 986 times)

Offline Sinann

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Football team, Army camp or POW camp?
« on: Sunday 19 August 18 23:39 BST (UK) »
Any thoughts on this please?
One of the men in this photo/postcard sent it to his mother.
He was with the Irish Guards and spent most of the war as a POW, in Giessen Camp Germany.
I wondered if this postcard could be from the POW camp as it seems to have mix of uniforms or is it more likely to be from before they embarked for France.
Were priests allowed to visit the camps?
There is nothing on the back in the way of postage, censor mark or POW camp marks like another postcard he sent from Giessen.
He enlisted in 1908 so it could be from before the war.

Offline tonepad

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Re: Football team, Army camp or POW camp?
« Reply #1 on: Monday 20 August 18 06:50 BST (UK) »
This looks like the same Priest in Giessen POW Camp:

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/savagery-and-brutality-of-the-worst-kind-stories-of-the-irish-held-in-german-pow-camps-1.2156512

Click on Images to see photo of "Irish PoWs in Giessen camp, Germany, during the first World War"

Tony



Added:

From the newspaper article:

"The men’s spiritual needs were met by Fr Thomas J Crotty, a Dominican priest from Kilkenny who was sent by the Vatican to minister to allied POWs in German camps."
Aucock/Aukett~Kent/Sussex, Broadway~Oxfordshire, Danks~Warwickshire, Fenn~Kent/Norfolk, Goatham~Kent, Hunt~Kent, Parker~Middlesex, Perry~Kent, Sellers~Kent/Yorkshire, Sladden~Kent, Wright~Kent/Essex

Offline Sinann

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Re: Football team, Army camp or POW camp?
« Reply #2 on: Monday 20 August 18 07:38 BST (UK) »
 Oh yes, I think your right and also the other younger clergy man beside him is in the back row of the football photo.
That's brilliant Tony, Thank you.

Offline Sinann

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Re: Football team, Army camp or POW camp?
« Reply #3 on: Monday 20 August 18 08:50 BST (UK) »
Comparing the two photos on a bigger screen and I'm convinced it is Giessen Camp.

Excellent find by you Tony, thank you so much.


Offline MaxD

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Re: Football team, Army camp or POW camp?
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 23 August 18 15:54 BST (UK) »
Bit more about Father Crotty here http://www.irishbrigade.eu/other-men/priests/crotty.html  brief mention of Giessen visit

MaxD
I am Zoe Northeast, granddaughter of Maximilian Double.
 
It is with great difficulty I share with you that in the early hours of 07 August 2021, Maximilian passed away unexpectedly but peacefully.

With deep sadness,
Zoe



Double  Essex/Suffolk
Randle/Millington Warwicks
Sokser/Klingler Austria/Croatia

Offline Sinann

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Re: Football team, Army camp or POW camp?
« Reply #5 on: Thursday 23 August 18 16:39 BST (UK) »
Thank you MaxD

Know now he was there in August 1917.
I have another postcard from the camp dated 1917 but it's from the hospital wing and my grand uncle is in hospital clothes, he had TB. so the card above may be from a different visit of Fr.Crotty than his 1917 visit.
An interesting man Fr. Crotty.

Offline barryd

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Re: Football team, Army camp or POW camp?
« Reply #6 on: Thursday 23 August 18 18:46 BST (UK) »
Looks like a Shamrock on the ball.