Germany: Prisoners, including: Investigation of a report of a reciprocal exchange...

FO 383/205

1916

Germany: Prisoners, including:

Investigation of a report of a reciprocal exchange of twenty thousand French and German interned civilians.

Question regarding the repatriation to Germany at his own expense of Geheimer Secretär Jean Koch.

Capture of Capt James Blaikie of the SS Caledonia by the German Navy on 4 December 1916, including:

• Letter from the Mercantile Marine Service Association, including an article from the Daily Mail of 12 December 1916, describing Capt Blaikie's capture, and referring to the execution of Capt Fryatt for attacking a German submarine.
• Threat of reprisals by the British Government in the event of the execution of Capt Blaikie.
• Report on the circumstances of Capt Blaikie's capture, including the ramming of a German submarine by the SS Caledonia.
• Representations from various organisations to the Prisoners of War Department concerning Capt Blaikie's safety.
• Statement by Andrew Bonar Law, Chancellor of the Exchequer, saying that the German Foreign Office had given a personal assurance that Capt Blaikie's actions were justified, and that he was not under threat of execution.
• Subsequent article in the Cologne Gazette claiming that Mr Bonar Law's statement was unfounded, and that Capt Blaikie was culpable and would stand trial.

Letter from Mr H Higgins protesting about British policy on the exchange of civilian prisoners with Germany.

Summary of articles in the German press relating to the treatment of British prisoners in Germany.

Lists from 29 July 1916 to 9 September 1916 showing discepancies in information provided by the German authorities and the International Red Cross in Geneva relating to deaths of prisoners.

Enquiry regarding an order restricting the contents of letters from British prisoners in Germany.

Request for permission for literature and lantern slides to be sent to German prisoners at Handforth camp.

Enquiry into the deaths of five named British soldiers: request for permission from the German Government for certain British prisoners to provide information to the enquiry.

Information provided by 2nd Lieut J S Poole of the Kings Royal Rifle Corps about the impending court martial of 2nd Lieut J G Robertson of the Royal Flying Corps on a charge of using explosive bullets, including:

• Information from the War Office that the 'Buckingham' bullets in question were standard tracer bullets.
• Proposed British reprisals against a German Flying Corps officer if charges were brought against Lieut Robertson.

Proposed repatriation of fifty troops from the Cameroons, interned in South West Africa, and formerly serving in the German Army.

Refusal to repatriate certain German citizens from Cape Town to Luderitzbucht, South West Africa (Namibia) unless they agreed to sign a parole form. Includes a list (in German) of the names of the citizens.

Suggestion by the French Ambassador that prisoners captured by the British in Africa should be sent to work in Morocco.

Decision not to allow Theodore Kroell, a prisoner interned at Knockaloe camp, to travel to the United States of America instead of being repatriated to Germany.

Allegations by the German Government of the repatriation of unfit prisoners, and of the transfer to Britain from Europe of wounded German prisoners who were unfit to travel.

Report of the alleged escape of Capt A D Stewart and three other British officers from Weilburg Camp in Germany, and of the advance of a sum of money to enable them to travel to Switzerland.

Consideration of the question of compelling German civilian prisoners to work.

Voyage to England of the Reverend E Filschke, a Moravian missionary formerly stationed at Killinek on the Labrador coast, including:

• Report from the Governor of Newfoundland on the activities of Reverend Filschke and his hostility to the British and Allied cause.
• Memorandum on Moravian missions on Labrador.
• Recommendation of the internment or repatriation of Reverend Filschke and his family.

Enquiry about the place of internment of Major General C E Bradley and Colonel Mitchell, and the likelihood of their repatriation.

Mrs Jahourden: enquiry about her son, Capt V R Jahourden, interned at Heidleberg, with a memorandum from Major Parris on the workings of the medical commissioners appointed to examine British prisoners in Germany for possible transfer to Switzerland.

List provided by Hermann Hintze, a prisoner in Amherst Internment Camp in Nova Scotia, of German prisoners aged 45 years or older, and therefore eligible for exchange with British prisoners of a similar age.

Request by the German military authorities for two brothers, Johannes and Otto Utz, to be interned in the same prisoner of war camp in Britain, with assurances that similar provision would be made for British prisoners.

Proposal by the Central Prisoners of War Committee for the issue of postcards to newly captured British prisoners in German camps. Includes a specimen postcard.

Medical report on Otto Veit, a prisoner at Knockaloe Camp on the Isle of Man, following an enquiry about Mr Veit from Mr Linthorst Homan.

Admiral Eisendecker: letter to Mr Weigall, a former employee of the Red Cross, on conditions for British prisoners in German camps.

Enquiry from the German Government concerning the proposed trial at a military tribunal of two German marine officers, Lieutenant of the Reserve Ilges of the Naval Artillery, and Aviation Master Brandt of the Marine Corps.

Advertisements for missing soldiers from The Continental Times of 15 December 1916, and proposal by the Prisoners of War Department for the issue of a press notice warning British subjects not to place similar advertisements in the newspaper.

Enquiries regarding the welfare of

• Capt D J Davies and Chief Engineer D M Evans, following the sinking of the SS Flimston by a German submarine on 18 December 1916.
• Capt Gwyneth Owen, following the sinking of the SS North Wales in October 1916.

Mr A Goldschmidt: letter from Douglas prisoner of war camp in the Isle of Man, requesting permission to remain in Holland in preference to being repatriated to Germany.

Request from the American Embassy for information on the existence of concentration camps in German East Africa.

Johann Georg Furst and Ferdinand Kustner: request for repatriation from Malta to Germany, on the grounds of being German consular employees.

Frau Pastor Frieda Wagener: request for approval of the transmission of a letter, written by her in Cape Town and addressed to the Royal Prussian Landes Konsistorium at Hanover.

Alleged refusal by the British and French authorities to allow German officers and medical officers, captured in the Cameroons and German East Africa, to retain their arms.

Complaint by Major Chillingworth, interned in the Feste Rosenberg Camp at Kronach, about the treatment of prisoners by members of the Swiss Medical Commission.

Recommendation from the Vatican, in a letter from Monsieur le Comte de Salis, Cardinal Secretary of State, for the transfer on health grounds of Baron Ottmar von Gumppenberg from Douglas in the Isle of Man to Switzerland.

Notification to the Foreign Office that parcels received by German prisoners in the care of the French authorities at Le Havre no longer contained food.

Code 1218 Files 241927-264971.

Files 241927-264971.

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