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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: Red Tom on Thursday 24 September 15 08:03 BST (UK)
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Good morning folks, I wonder if I can ask for some help? I have an ancestor,who was reported as missing, and later found to be P.O.W,at what point would his n.o.k. have been informed A- re his being missing, B- his internment?,
Thanks,Tom.
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Hi,
There is no definitive answer to your question. Notification of 'missing in action' usually came through within days or weeks, however notification of internment could take months depending on circumstances as this would come from the POW camp through various channels.
Have you seen his service record?
K8T
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The War Office used the term 'Missing'.
Next of Kin would receive a note from the War Office than the soldier was missing. This may have been followed by a letter from his platoon commander giving more details. At the same time the War Office would ask the Red Cross if he was listed amongst the POWs. It might have taken several months to get a reply. If he was not amongst the POWs his death was assumed from the date he went missing.
You should check the ICRC site. They have cards which often say when he was captured and when they contacted his NoK.
Ken
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Hello K8T, thank you for replying. Yes I have that info, he was reported missing on 24/12/14 by 'o.c. Bn', a later report from the War Office dated 18/03/'15 stating that he was in Wittenburg (and later transferred to Zerbst), what I was hoping to discover was how long his wife would have had to wait to learn of his fate? I'm attempting to write his (and 3 other ancestors) miltary history for private facebook groups I run,and would have liked to show the strain his family must have been under.I'm still trying to sift through all the info I have to pinpoint the date of his capture, and am almost there I think (or as close as I can get).
One thing puzzling me is a reference to his being in a British camp on 08/01/'19, and leaving this place later in Jan?
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The War Office used the term 'Missing'.
Next of Kin would receive a note from the War Office than the soldier was missing. This may have been followed by a letter from his platoon commander giving more details. At the same time the War Office would ask the Red Cross if he was listed amongst the POWs. It might have taken several months to get a reply. If he was not amongst the POWs his death was assumed from the date he went missing.
You should check the ICRC site. They have cards which often say when he was captured and when they contacted his NoK.
Ken
Hello again Ken, the info I have came from the ICRC site, but apart from the date of capture,I didn't see any mention of Nok notification, that would have been very useful.....
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I am presently researching the names on the local war memorial in order to publish biographies on each person. One particular soldier had a letter within his service record from his wife to the War Office She had been told that he was missing in action and waited three months before writing to the war office asking for more information as the suspense was too much to bear. Unfortunately she was told that he had been killed, so this is some indication of how the family suffered back home waiting for news.
K8T
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Hi Tom
You could check his local newspapers. Killed, wounded and missing were usually recorded.
Ken
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I am presently researching the names on the local war memorial in order to publish biographies on each person. One particular soldier had a letter within his service record from his wife to the War Office She had been told that he was missing in action and waited three months before writing to the war office asking for more information as the suspense was too much to bear. Unfortunately she was told that he had been killed, so this is some indication of how the family suffered back home waiting for news.
K8T
...and I thought I had a job on !!.....
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Hi Tom
You could check his local newspapers. Killed, wounded and missing were usually recorded.
Ken
Thanks Ken, a good idea,I'll look into that.
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I found details for my grandfather's being reported missing on the Forces War Records site. The delay between capture and the next of kin being informed could be very long. My grandfather was captured on the first or second day of the German counteroffensive on the Aisne so around the 27th May 1918 however he was not reported as missing until 27th July 1918. A further three months passed before he was reported as a POW on 28th October.
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I found details for my grandfather's being reported missing on the Forces War Records site. The delay between capture and the next of kin being informed could be very long. My grandfather was captured on the first or second day of the German counteroffensive on the Aisne so around the 27th May 1918 however he was not reported as missing until 27th July 1918. A further three months passed before he was reported as a POW on 28th October.
Paul104,I'm sorry,I seem to missed your reply to this post,so a belated thank you for responding. This is very similar to my man's predicament (or should I say his wife's?),hard times indeed for those left waiting at home. Tom.
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In the meantime I have read "British Prisoners of War in First World War Germany" by Oliver Wilkinson. In it the author states: "In theory, as soon as a man was captured he was given a postcard to send home which... conveyed his name, number, regiment and nature of wounds (if any)." How soon any of these cards might reach the next of kin is unclear and notice he writes "in theory". No one in our family has seen any such card if indeed one was sent by my grandfather.
The book is an interesting read if you are interested in finding out more about how POWs were treated and how they coped with captivity.
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In the meantime I have read "British Prisoners of War in First World War Germany" by Oliver Wilkinson. In it the author states: "In theory, as soon as a man was captured he was given a postcard to send home which... conveyed his name, number, regiment and nature of wounds (if any)." How soon any of these cards might reach the next of kin is unclear and notice he writes "in theory". No one in our family has seen any such card if indeed one was sent by my grandfather.
The book is an interesting read if you are interested in finding out more about how POWs were treated and how they coped with captivity.
Hi Paul,that sounds like a good read,I'll have a mooch on Amazon,thanks for the tip.