"We
were born in widely separated parts of the globe. We managed to end up at least
for a short time in one place." This is attributed to Arthur Harold Magill Copeland
More from the Schweidnitz POW camp project team…….
This is a project that keeps on giving and also reminds us
that relatives still hold on to the family memorabilia until the time comes to
do something with it. I've always stressed the need to share the one available
letter or small pile of photos or memorabilia before it ends up in the skip bin
by some disinterested member of the family.
A welcome find happened in recent days when the cousins of a couple of our
researchers decided to do the Swedish Death Clean with their artifacts from
their grandfather, Arthur Harold Madill Copeland 1889-1894. They gifted
photos, maps and letters to their cousins, Gail and John Copeland, to be
preserved with our story. For us, it's little bits more of the story, reviving
our interests and reminding us of research done while COVID loomed as a threat,
almost as bad as a world war.
A letter by Copeland back to his parents is a charming account of another
attempt at escape. Despite the hardship in the POW camp, family is never far
from their thoughts. It also has some excellent descriptions of the countryside
encountered en route back to the POW camp after his recapture and seasonal
changes he experiences. He reminisces about camping with his father, sirloin
stanks and camping fires.
“Winter
has again given way to Spring and the weather is now glorious almost like
summer. In some places the country is a regular garden. I remember one section
in particular near the Dutch frontier which reminded me very much of good old
Ontario. Fruit trees and shrubs were in full blossom. There were a number of
large residences set well back from the road and surrounded by well kept
grounds in some cases I should judge two or three acres for lawns and gardens
alone. The road was lined with trees almost as large as our fine old elms. I
should like to see the Black Forests and the Rhine Valley and then I think I
should have some knowledge of out door Germany. Of the cities I have not seen
very much I saw the Liepzig railway station and had lunch there. The station is
I am told, one of the finest in the world. We had a meal at the Dresden station
also but that is not seeing the cities”
In the letter, he talks about an enclosed photo of a
postcard. It's a shot we had seen before and we had dubbed it “The Internationals”.
Apparently, it was a photo of some of the Schweidnitz POWs
taken a few days before they escaped in March 1918. Copeland has marked each
country the group came from.
THE INTERNATIONALS Photo taken at Schweidnitz POW camp
- dated March 1918
Standing
– left to right
Trevor
White (New Zealand)
|James Hine (South Africa) | Arthur Copeland (Canada) | Erik
Walthew (India) | John
Chapman (Scotland)
Sitting
– left to right
John
Samuel/Samuels
(Wales) | Clive Gower (Australia) | Kenneth Gray/Grey (Brazil) |
Fitzerald
Uniacke (Ireland) |
Henry Vereker (England ) | Gilford Holley (Canada)
The Photographer captured this postcard a couple of days
prior to Schweidnitz tunnel escape on 19 March 1918.
In some of the other photos we had, the man had autographed
the photos. Others had simply named them, named those they knew. Such a boon
for future historians.
Photo held
in Frank Bronskill’s photo album with Ottawa Museum, Canada
One thing it highlights is that the men, as well as being brought together as
British subjects to fight war and get captured, are exposed to people from all
over the world. In a time before air travel, before television and before
social media, they were exposed to people with wildly different backgrounds
from different countries with different accents and experiences. Brought
together, living in captivity and plenty of time to talk they became mates.
As Copeland said, "We were born in widely separated parts of the globe. We managed to
end up at least for a short time in one place."
We had also discovered another photo of 10 officers of the RNAS. They were
known as the “RNAS Boys”, which is the Royal Naval Air Services. This photo
contained some of the same people who had autographed their copies and enabled
us to make the connection as to who they were.
“RNAS
Boys” Back Row, Left to Right:
Lieutenant
Henry Connell Vereker,
RNAS, from Somerset, England
Lieutenant
John Clifford Croft,
RNAS, from Leeds-Yorkshire, England
Lieutenant
Edward (Edouard) William Desbarats, RNAS, from Montreal, Canada
Lieutenant
Norman Hall, RNAS,
from Nelson, British Columbia, Canada
Lieutenant
William Seager Green,
Royal Navy, South Norwood, London, England
Lieutenant
Harold Edwards,
RNAS, from Canada
Front
Row, Left to Right:
Lieutenant
Robert Slater,
RNAS, from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Colonel
Charles Rathborne,
RNAS, from Cheltenham, England
Lieutenant
Leo Phillip Paine
(Sinbad), Royal Navy (Seaplane), from Shoreham-by-Sea, England
Lieutenant
Valentine George Austen, RNAS, from Sittingbourne, Kent, England
Thanks to Ruve and her filing system, we soon have a list of
the subjects of each photo and several variations from the collections. So with
the combinations we have pieced together the names of those in the photograph
taken with Copeland 198 years ago. See end of blog for details of the men.
In his letter, Copeland makes the comment, "I can hardly say we were the best
representatives of our respective birthplaces in the camp, but such as we are,
you see us."
You see, these men are in various stages of disguising
themselves as was usual for those contemplating escape. They grew their hair
long, exchanged uniforms and clothing and grew facial hair.
Now from the international to the ANZACs as its almost ANZAC day 2026.
This photo supplied from the collection of Eric Paul
Fulton Courtesy of Margaret Clark was
taken c Jan/ Feb 1918
Here's another shot taken of an Aussie, a New Zealander,
another man and a Norfolk Islander. This shot was taken on the 3rd of March 1918
and sent by Alan Barrington “Brolga” Hill to Brolga's sister Nan who was
serving in a military hospital in England. Hill mentions "longing for the
smell of a mob of jumbucks," Aussie talk for male sheep. As it was taken days
before the escape from Schweidnitz, the boys were preparing their escape looks.
With their longer hair, beards and moustaches. A devilish lot they look too.
This ANZAC Day, we remember these crazy scruffy men and make the most of making
the most of their wait for escape or the end of the war. I’ve written about the
Aussie, NZ escapees previously https://schweidnitzpowcampwwi.blogspot.com/2020/10/anzac-day-2020-remembering-schweidnitz.html
Make sure you preserve the artefacts, share the stories and
drop us a line. In Australia and NZ we commemorate ANZAC Day this week. It is the Anniversary of the
Gallipoli Campaign World War I but we
reflect on all Defence Force Personnel, past and present and sacrifices they
have made.
Lest We Forget.
An ANZAC Day Tit bit.
Ever wondered why there are so many photos around of these
POWs?
Apparently in 1912, Kodak introduced a folding camera small
enough to be slipped into the vest or coat pocket. These compact devices were
popular during World War I with many soldiers and nurses using them to record
their memories and experiences.
Further information on
The Internationals supplied by Ruve Baker
Ltn.
Trevor Watts 'Tiny' WHITE
R.F.C. DOB:
19.10.1893 in Canterbury, New Zealand
PA
18392 Holzminden to Schweidnitz. Date stamp 19 JAN 1918. Batch of 90 POWs DOD: 1979 in New Zealand
Ltn.
James Burnett HINE
R.F.C. DOB:
10.04.1898 South Africa
PA
18421 Neubrandenburg to Schweidnitz. Date stamp 19 JAN 1918. Batch of 72
POWs DOD: 1977 in Ramsey, Ayre, Isle
of Man
Ltn.
Arthur Harold Madill COPELAND
R.F.C. DOB:
27.08.1889 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
PA
18419 Neubrandenburg to Schweidnitz. Date stamp 19 JAN 1918. Batch of 72
POWs DOD 1984 in Toronto, Canada
2nd
Ltn. Frederick Selby 'Erik' WALTHEW
Hertfordshire Rgt. DOB:
10.12.1893 in Madras, India
PA
18392 Holzminden to Schweidnitz. Date stamp 19 JAN 1918. Batch of 90 POWs DOD: 1952 in Surrey, England
2nd
Ltn. John Mitchell CHAPMAN
R.F.C. DOB:
26.05.1895 in Paisley, Scotland
PA
18386 Holzminden to Schweidnitz. Date stamp 19 JAN 1918. Batch of 90 POWs DOD: 1979 in California, USA
Oblt.
John Rees SAMUEL
R.F.C. Welsh Regt. DOB:
21.09.1895 in Neath, Glamorgan, Wales
PA
18391 Holzminden to Schweidnitz. Date stamp 19 JAN 1918. Batch of 90 POWs DOD: 1964 in Neath, Wales
Ltn
Okto 'Clive' Dhroslyn GOWER
DOB: 18.01.1881 Withbourgh, Melbourne, Australia
PA
18421 Neubrandenburg to Schweidnitz. Date stamp 19 JAN 1918. Batch of 72
POWs DOD: 1968 in Melbourne,
Australia
Ltn.
Kenneth Whitmarsh GRAY
R.F.C.
DOB: 10.03.1897 in Sao Paulo, Brazil
PA
18426 Dobeln + Freiburg to Schweidnitz. Date stamp 19 JAN 1918. Batch of 9
POWs Marriage: 1924 in Sao Paulo,
Brazil
2nd
Ltn. Desmond Percival ‘Fitzerald’ UNIACKE
R.F.C. DOB:18.12.1895 in
Chelsea, Middlesex, England
PA
21174 Trier to Schweidnitz. Date stamp 12 APRIL 1918. Batch of 31 POWs DOD: 25.03.1933 in Middlesex,
England
Ltn.
Henry Connell VEREKER
R.F.C.
DOB: 11.04.1895 in Curry-Rivel, Somerset, UK
PA
18424 Neubrandenburg to Schweidnitz. Date stamp 19 JAN 1918. Batch of 72
POWs DOD: 1993 in Berkshire,
England
Ltn.
Thomas Gilford ‘Gil’ HOLLEY
R.F.C.
DOB: 07.11.96 in Winnipeg, Canada
PA
18421 Neubrandenburg to Schweidnitz. Date stamp 19 JAN 1918. Batch of 72
POWs DOD: 1987 in Canada
