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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: chrispaton on Wednesday 02 January 08 16:17 GMT (UK)
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Hi all,
I've spent the last week doing a huge update on my Ruhleben Story website at http://ruhleben.tripod.com , with over 1700 British civilians now identified as having been interned at the Ruhleben civilian POW camp on the outskirts of Berlin. It is believed that about 5,500 POWs were held here from 1914 to 1918, including my great uncle John Paton. Many of them were merchant seamen, and most of them were from the British Isles, arrested upon the outbreak of hostiltiies in Europe and interned, in response to the British arrests of German nationals in Britain.
The site is free to access, and if you had a relative interned there I would love to hear from you!
Chris Paton BA (Hons), HND, PgCert Genealogical Studies
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Hi Chris and welcome to RootsChat ! :)
My oh my !! .... what an undertaking your site is !!
I'm amazed at the amount of detail you have gone into ..... I can imagine the hours and hours you have put in there ..... and I'm so very glad you chose to share it with us ! .... thank you !
What a treasure for us to have access to ........ !
Annie :)
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Hi Annie,
The site was started about three years ago as it was virtually impossible to find out anything about the camp up here in Scotland. Now it not only acts as a genealogical source, it also acts as a resource tool for others with relatives who were interned. For example, one gent contacted me two years ago with a copy of a document showing when my great uncle was arrested! So it both helps me and hopefully others as well.
I have a lot still to do on the site, with a major part of the project being to construct a detailed chronology on the camp's existence and to upload many dozens of photos that I have been sent - but one thing at a time! :)
Chris
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Well it's a wonderful body of work and obviously a labour of love Chris ! :) :) :)
Funny isn't it that we can start off with something small and like "Topsy " it just grows ??!!
I want to be able to just sit and browse through it .... when I have no interruptions !!
Annie :)
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My Great Great Grandfather was a POW at Ruhleben. He was a merchant seaman on the Juno. He was released on 22/12/1915, apparently because he was 60 at the time. Your site has been very useful - thankyou.
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Hello Chris,
You've done a fantastic job. My husband is a descendant of Oscar Pedersen who did the narrative in the Gloucester Citizen on Thursday 29th July 1915 and we just found out that he was on the ship the Sapho when it left Gloucester for Hamburg on July 31, 1914. "On August 5, while taking in a general cargo at Hamburg, the crew first heard that war had broken out between Great Britain and Germany. The chief of the dock police boarded the vessel and informed the master that his ship was under detention. Five days later on August 10 a police guard was put on board the ship and the officers and crew were detained as prisoners aboard the vessel until August 15 when they were removed to a prison hulk in the harbour and the Sapho was taken possession of by the harbour authorities They remained on board the hulk close prisoners until November 6 when they were taken ashore, put on a train and carried to Ruhleben, where Mr Pedersen remained a prisoner until July 6 on the present year, when, on account of his age (he is 67) and ill-health, he was released under the scheme of exchange of prisoners"
I would enjoy hearing from you or other descendants of Oscar Pedersen of Gloucester.
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Not my area of interest but congratulations on a great effort!
Bernard
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My great uncle Max Berliner was interned in Ruhleben camp and after his release died from Rhumatic Fever in or around 1915
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I have recently discovered that a family member was interned at Ruhleben. He was William Neale Jones, Chief Officer of the SS Winterton which was seized in Hamburg in August 1914. While Chris Paton's excellent site has been useful and Marcus Bateman's Index of Merchant Seamen POWs has provided the release dates of other crew members I have been unable to ascertain a release date for William. Given his age, 52 at the time of capture, his wife's sudden death early in 1915 and later camp conditions I am wondering if he died there.
Can anyone recommend where I look next?
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Have you ruled out the William Neal Jones whose probate shows died 13 2 1921? Address in Middlesborough. The downside on that one is slight variation in middle name and that the probate was granted to Elizabeth, his widow.
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Death report of Elizabeth Jones wife of Capt William Neale Jones (currently in captivity) in Middlesborough Daily Gazette 21 1 1915 strengthens the link to the Probate?
But.
GRO Death Index in 1921 of William N Jones at Middlesborough District puts age at 50. This might be a typo for 60?
edit: probate address = 43 Clifton Street
newspaper article address = 64 Parliament Street
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Thank you Gwil. Interestingly the family did live at Clifton St some years earlier. However I have just found a marriage of William N Jones to Elizabeth Petch/Patch in 1919 so that might provide the answer. As always all it needs is another pair of eyes! On the case again....
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Hi,
I'm working on the story and work of Etcher / Painter Bernard Schumacher (1872-1932).
He was growing up in London and he was becoming a Member of the Royal Academy of Art.
At the beginning of the 20th century his Family (from Bremen) returned to Germany.
From his family I learned, that he was detained at the beginning of the WWI "near Berlin".
From the nice http://ruhleben.tripod.com/ site I found out that he was in Ruhleben until his departure. Back in Berlin he found his studio robbed - especially all his copper plates. He had shortly got a German Passport and was short after he was in the German Army and was then again prisoner of war - as a German in Bucharest.
If you are interested, a Picture of Bernard Schumacher can be found at https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Schumacher ...
(Sorry the wiki entry I made is only available in German - need to be translated).
Some pictures of his work can be found at https://www.pinterest.com/ifxquest/bernard-schumacher-werke/
Let me know if anything else if of interest for you and the Ruhleben Story.
I'd be interested if there is way to get a scan of the original entry - mentioned on the tripod site - from MT 9/1094. List 10 "Camp Changes including removals etc. since 29th November 1916".
Regards
Kai
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Hi Kai
Appreciate your message was from some years ago but if you get read could you contact me; i too am researching Bernard Schumacher as I may have an artwork he produced while in Ruhleben.
I am keen to know more and to establish who the subject is.
Thanks.
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BernardSch,
You may send an email to info<at>bernard-schumacher.de if this is off topic. I've found in between some documents where in some exhibitions during his stay in Ruhleben some work is listed. if you may send me a picture of your artwork would be great. You may also check out the list under:
http://www.bernard-schumacher.info/werke.html
The #199 - 214 are ones I found listed in these documents ....
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Hi
I have just found this site when searching for Ruhleben.
My husband’s grandfather was interned with Bernard Schumacher and we have a couple of drawings he did whilst in the camp of my husband’s grandfather, Elias Schneider, and one drawn from a photograph of my husband’s father as a little boy. They are beautiful drawings.
Thought you would be interested if you are researching Bernard Schumacher.
Tania
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Hi Tania,
That are great news for my research.
I'm very interested in any detail you may be able to offer.
As many of the work B.S. has done for individuals it's very hard to find at least examples of the work.
May you please contact me via the email info<at>bernard-schumacher.de ?
So we can follow up with the details ?
Many thanks
Kai
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Hi
Yes of course. I will send you photos of the pics of my husband’s father and grandfather.
I also have an etching (I think it’s called that) of The Smoker which I bought on eBay from America. It’s supposed to be original but I’m not sure, although it is very old and in fragile condition.
I’ll be in touch with you.
Kind regards,
Tania
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Yes, "The Smoker" is an etching. I've seen it a couple of times offered. It was always the one published as frontispiece in the Pall Mall Magazine, Vol. XVI containing the Magazine Sep to Dec 1898. Not sure if it was in the Sep 1898 Magazine itself. In the Book it is the first page even before the title page.
Regards
Kai
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Hello Kai
Sorry I didn’t follow up on our correspondence. Are you still interested in Bernard Schumacher?
Regards,
Tania
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Hello Tania, Thanks for follow up,
I'm still interested in any detail you may provide.
Please contact me via (*)
Many thanks
Kai
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