Entertainment at POW Camp Schweidnitz

By Gail Copeland, granddaughter of Arthur Copeland – POW (prisoner of war) at Schweidnitz Camp WWI from early December 1917 until April 1918.

Original Photo  Paul Kuntz Schweidnitz

 

With the Covid 19 outbreak around the world, we all know what it’s like to be cooped up in our homes, waiting for the all clear so we can get back to our previous lives. We’ve taken up sewing, baking and renovations. We sing, play our instruments and engage in a little make believe with our children. We do whatever we can, so as not to get bored or down-hearted.

Now, imagine yourselves to be in a prison camp in WWI. You spend weeks, months or years behind barbed wire. Adolph Lukas Vischer was a Swiss physician who published a paper, in German, discussing the psychological harm done to men through wartime captivity in POW and internment camps. Vischer noted that those who had been in enemy captivity for extended periods, suffered from a particular kind of mental illness characterized by irritability,  a disinterest in life outside the camp, a restlessness and  an inability to concentrate. (1)

In May 1918, Arthur Copeland sent a letter to his future bride in Canada. In it he said, “Should I go over any of the ground covered in my last letter put it down to “Barbedwireitis” which all kriegsgefangeneners (Prisoners of War) contract after an eighteen months stay in an enemy’s country.”

The orchestra (From the album of Lieut. C.H.F. Nobbs – courtesy of Christopher Nobbs)

 

So, how does one entertain oneself while behind bars? In many of the officer camps, German camp officials supported theatrical and musical entertainment for the POW’s. Some prisoners were actors and musicians who continued to practice their trades at Schweidnitz. There was not only an orchestra, but a large theatrical presence. The two often performed together.

When the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) first began, it’s purpose was religious and spiritual. In 1918, the Red Triangle represented Body, Mind and Spirit…the three sides of the triangle. To this end, the Red Cross strived to provide prisoners with supplies to help improve their physical and mental health while behind barbed wire. The Association obtained musical instruments and sheet music. Prisoners themselves could draw up wish lists of instruments and musical scores.

The YMCA also supported the development of the theatre, by providing play scripts, costumes, and other props needed to produce plays. Professional musicians and actors were able to practice their art, so they could resume their careers after the war, and beginners could receive instruction. While a POW at Schweidnitz, Captain Herbert Grimwood produced and played the lead role in “His Excellency, the Governor.” Prior to the war, in 1914, he had been an original cast member in the London stage production of “Kismet.” In the October 1918 edition of the camp magazine, ‘The Barb,’ the following was said about Herbert Grimwood. “his acting and the results of his instruction in the dramatic art were a splendid feature of most of the camp productions.”

 

In this same magazine issue, there was a lengthy article called ‘Stageland’.  It stated, “When the Schweidnitz lager was opened last winter, one of the first efforts of the officers, who were among the early arrivals, was the building of a stage.” The prisoners called the theatre ‘Elysium’. The word Elysium originated in early mythology, but came to mean ‘a state of great happiness’ (Cambridge Dictionary) or ‘any place or state of bliss or delight’. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) It was obviously used in camp to indicate a place for enjoyment.

The stage was set up in one of the wooden lagers. As you can imagine, these barracks were already overcrowded. Every show performed before a packed audience. It was often necessary to have two or three performances, so that all the officers could see each production. The German officers and guards would also attend. Even they enjoyed a change from the monotony of prison life.

The workshop (courtesy of the Norman Barlow Collection)

 

The theatre was under the management of S.A.D.S. (Schweidnitz Amateur Dramatic Society) The production would require not only actors, but set and costume designers, make-up artists, scenery painters and those in charge of lighting. Prisoners were allowed to use camp tools to build the sets as long as they promised not to use them for escape purposes. In another of my grandfather’s letters written home to his future bride, he said “the theatre is again in full swing. The first show was quite a success. On the program were such acts as the Strong Man from Montenegro, Mr. and Mrs. Turanyastle – world famous dancers - magicians, comic singers and an impersonator. The stage manager lives on one side of me, the electrician – my mess mate – on the other and several actors and musicians are scattered about so you see that I am moving in theatrical circles these days.”

Apparently actors could rehearse up to six hours a day for as many as three months. Musicals were the most popular, with comedies following close behind. In between the major productions, they would have some smaller forms of entertainment such as pierrot, or music hall shows. Pierrot is a French pantomime in which a male character paints himself with a sad white-face.

 

The Theatre cover (Barb Magazine, Oct 1918)

The men who played the part of women would shave their legs, pluck their eyebrows, grow their hair long, paint their nails and make up their faces with grease paint and cosmetics. The female impersonators were truly impressive.

The Cast of a Play (Daily Mail.com, December 21, 2018, “Theatre of War.”)

Glen Pearl, a specialist at Lacy, Scott & Knight auction house, once sold a photo album which included several pictures of theatrical productions from Schweidnitz. I recommend clicking on the link below to see the elaborate costumes and sets.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6519481/British-officers-dress-damsels-distress-German-World-War-prisoner-camp.html

In October 1918, the ‘Barb’ magazine stated, “The story of the theatre is not really complete without some mention of the Cinema. The cinema machine was brought here by the officers from Trier and since then, from four to six performances have been given every month.”

If a camp did not have access to a projector, often YMCA secretaries brought mobile motion picture projectors to camps, set up sheets on the side of a barrack, and showed movies in the open air. The secretaries might also bring a gramophone and records to set up an impromptu concert.

 

The card playing (from ‘Your Place and Mine’, https://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/yourplaceandmine/topics/war/A755345.shtml

From the reading of several prisoner memoirs, it is apparent that the game of Bridge was very big at Schweidnitz. In the memoirs of F.W. Winterbotham, he said, “There was a bridge foursome with Jim Stevenson, two others and myself, who shared a corner of the big dormitory. We played nearly every evening of the year we were in camp.”

Edward Desbarats was a prisoner at Schweidnitz. In his memoirs he wrote, “My closest friends and mess mates were Col. Rathbone(sic), Tiny White from New Zealand, and MacMillan from New Brunswick. Every evening we played bridge. We soon gave up playing for money as we found out that we were coming out even.”

In a letter home, in January 1918, Arthur Copeland said, “We spend a good many evenings playing bridge. Just now there is a tournament on. So far I have won three matches and lost three with one more to play. With any luck I won’t take the consolation prize but that is about all I can hope for.”

In her blog of December 3, Robyn introduced visitors to the twenty-four men who tunneled their way out of Schweidntz in March of 1918, thus inspiring a hunt for the whole story. I’ll start off 2021 with the story of that escape.

(1)   Barbed wire disease : a psychological study of the prisoner of war / by A.L. Vischer.

 

Courtesy of POW private collection