Miscellaneous (General). Prisoners, including: Allocation to government departments...

Miscellaneous (General). Prisoners, including:

Allocation to government departments of responsibilities relating to prisoners, including:

• Agreement for the Prisoners Department to deal with questions concerning British prisoners in neutral and hostile territory.
• Agreement for the War Office to deal with questions of internment, repatriation and the exchange of civilian and military prisoners.
• Parliamentary question by Mr Macolm regarding responsibilities for issues relating to prisoners.
• Minutes of an interdepartmental conference held at the War Office on 20 October 1916 on procedures for the transfer of responsibilities from the Foreign Office to the War Office.
• Memoranda on the work of the Prisoners Department, with a copy of a printed circular letter announcing the formation of the Prisoners of War Department.
• Parliamentary questions from Mr Malcolm, Mr Butcher and Sir Edwin Cornwall on responsibilities for issues relating to prisoners.
• Proposal for an interdepartmental meeting to discuss the despatch by ship to Mersina of supplies for British prisoners in Turkey.
• Liaison with the Russian Embassy in London, including a (French language) questionnaire from M André Mandelstam on official responsibilities for issues relating to prisoners, and a printed copy of Missing Officers and Men, issued by the War Office in October 1916.
• Procedures on parliamentary questions relating to prisoners.
• Extract from the Proceedings of the War Committee Meeting held on 26 October, 1916, relating to responsibilities of the Prisoners of War Department.

Questions relating to the repatriation of interned German Catholic priests, who had been transferred from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to Australia.

Communication from the Vatican about a proposed agreement between the Austro-Hungarian and Italian governments for the internment of sick and wounded prisoners in Switzerland.

Parliamentary questions from Mr Malcolm enquiring about the inspection of camps in Turkey and Bulgaria containing British prisoners; request for permission to publish notes from the American Embassy in Constantinople relating to the camps.

Allegations in an article from the Neue Zürcher Nachtrichten of 10 March 1916 of the ill-treatment of German and Austro-Hungarian Roman Catholic missionaries interned in India, with copies of printed correspondence between the Foreign Office, the India Office and other departments on policy regarding German and Austrian missionaries in India, and a printed copy of an article by Father J Stosch on the Gossner Mission.

Two petitions from German mercantile marine officers interned at Knockaloe Camp on the Isle of Man, protesting about the conditions of their internment, with photostat copies of the officers' names (in docket no.52926); question of their eligibility for repatriation.

Enquiry from Lord Ronaldshay about efforts to secure the release of British civilian prisoners held by the Tangistani at Shiraz in Persia (South West Iran).

Provision of reading material to British prisoners interned in Austria-Hungary, including:

• Proposals for the supply of magazines and newspapers, including pre-war editions.
• Proposal for the distribution of educational books, following a similar scheme at Ruhleben Camp.
• Consideration of the proposals by the Prisoners of War Help Committee.
• Printed circular titled British Prisoners Of War Interned Abroad, produced by the Board of Education, March 1916.
• Offer by the Danish Red Cross Society to distribute books to British prisoners in Germany; information on work already done by the Society in distributing books to Russian prisoners.
• Recommendation for educational literature for British prisoners in Austria and Hungary to be sent via the American Embassy in Vienna.
• Correspondence on the preparation of circulars to be distributed in prison camps in Austria and Hungary.
• Lieutenant Eddis, interned at Aarhus, Denmary: correspondence relating to a list of books which he had requested.
• Mr Richard Graham: enquiry about the provision of educational literature to Mr David Ross, interned in Austria.
• Liaison with the American Embassy at Sofia, Bulgaria, about the supply of educational books to interned British prisoners; information that parcels of books of fiction were being sent regularly to Lieutenant Gilliland at Philippopolis for distribution within the camp.
• Confirmation by the American Embassy in Berlin that books were being distributed to prisoners in Ruhleben and Doeberitz Camps.
• Requests for books from camps at Afion Kara Hissar and Broussa in Turkey.
• Printed leaflet titled Books Books Books!, produced by the British Prisoners of War Book Scheme in Octover 1916, for distribution to all prisoners of war camps in Germany and Austria.
• Proposal to extend the scheme to Switzerland, and to arrange study courses at Swiss universities for British prisoners .
• Arrangements for sending books to British prisoners interned in Norway.

Enquiry by the Italian authorities about the possible exchange of the painter, Guilio Aristides Sartorio, for a British prisoner.

Expenses arising from the repatriation of German and Austrian subjects from the United Kingdom.

Arrangements for payment of the costs of repatriation of invalid enemy civilian and military prisoners; advice to the Government of India.

Code 1250 Files 47212-62612.

Topics

Internment

International

Litigation

Army

Europe and Russia

Australia and Pacific

Nationality

Navy

Middle East

Education

Armed Forces (General Administration)

Operations, battles and campaigns

Prisons