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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: Sinann on Sunday 19 August 18 23:39 BST (UK)
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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Bit more about Father Crotty here http://www.irishbrigade.eu/other-men/priests/crotty.html brief mention of Giessen visit
MaxD
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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.
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Looks like a Shamrock on the ball.