11/11/1918 Armistice at Holzminden (Repatriation part 2 )
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| Holzminden Officers' Camp |
At the announcement of Armistice most of our men were in Holzminden POW camp where the men had been held since being rounded up after their escape from Schweidnitz. Some had been involved in prisoner transfer and were being held in Holland.
Holzminden, located in Lower Saxony, was the location of largest POW escape of the war. Our men had arrived there and were in solitary confinement when it occurred. On the night of 23rd/ 24th July 1918, 24 POWs escaped through a tunnel that was 9 months in the making and 10 of those escaped recapture. This did not sit well with the Commandant Hauptman Karl Niemeyer who until then had a perfect record for escapes.
Margaret Clarke and family, relatives of Eric Fulton one of the recaptured Schweidnitz POWs from Australia have generously shared his memoir and photographs which contained some recollections of his time there and his departure at Armistice. Jaqueline Cook in her book “The Real Great Escape” also wrote about the days surrounding the men leaving the camp.
Prior to the news of pending Armistice, the men were bored by their idleness but managed to break this boredom by playing football, hockey and tennis. Although better fed than the local Germans and the staff they were malnourished. However, sometimes the prisoners could use their food items supplied by the Red Cross to bribe the guards for better treatment or contraband items.
Realising the end was nigh, the very unpopular and possibly evil Commandant Niemeyer commissioned a photographer to portray the camp in a most favourable light. The allied officers posed in a series of casual scenes. You could say he was preparing the propaganda. Eric Fulton in his memoir described Niemeyer as a “particularly nasty piece of work “.
Some shots made it look like the men were just killing time or enjoying sport. These shots of our men standing around posing for the photographer were not just commemorative shots for Niemeyer, several shots were purchased by the officers to collect their friends’ signatures etc.
In the weeks leading up to the end of the war there were very real fears that the lager would be stormed by the villages desperate for food. Some of the guards began to arm themselves against the event.
After the announcement of Armistice delivery of over 2000 Red Cross parcels of food for the POWs was raided by townsfolk and only 200 made it to the camp in one week alone. Our men relied on the Red Cross for food. However, release was not immediate and the reality was that times were tough both in and outside the camp. Food was running short and winter approaching.
Our men and other POWs were suffering from malnutrition and were being struck down by the presence of Spanish influenza which had been in the camp since January 1918. Their immune system from this influenza pandemic was certainly compromised.
Niemeyer fled the camp two days after Armistice. He never got to answer for his war time behaviour.
Fulton in his memoir told of a love story between a female staff member and his Aussie mate ‘Brolga’ Hill. “After declaration of peace” when the men had added freedoms, he says “Brolga got out and met his Fräulein and had a whale of a time.”
When there are more than 300,000 prisoners to repatriate from Europe It was always going to be a logistics nightmare. There were significant delays for Holzminden man who arrived home much later than their colleagues who were interned in Holland. By Mid- November they expected to know that they would leave any day or by the end of November at the latest. However, it was a period of delays, discomfort and frustration.
Jacqueline Cook in her book “The Real Great Escape” states that the POWs celebrated with Armistice dinners with printed menus. Some of the menus remain as they were passed around to each other for signing. While the men waited, they had freedoms to take photos and leave the camp “on parole” during their free time. They explored the river and the town which was already decorated in anticipation of their own troops returning from the war. Some POWs left the prison deciding to walk themselves to the nearest exit point.
Here is Rickards Parole card issued in July 1918.
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| Rickard's Parole Document Holzminden |
One night, in anticipation of the repatriation orders, the man had a good night on the town using up the camp currency on alcohol. This was around the 4th and 5th of December. However, the departure date was extended. Soon they were running out of food with the Red Cross parcels drying up and the letters from home not getting through. Next, they were told they were to leave on the 9th and 10th of December by train. That didn’t come to fruition. When they didn’t leave there was some discontent. Camp items were smashed up and bonfires lit. The POWs sabotaged the fire hoses by cutting them and in all it was not a good look.
Finally, it took a senior officer to get action from the local train station. It worked, and on 11th December the men marched in formation out of the Holzminden compound to their train home.
As Fulton recounts the happy day when they were released men from Holzminden. They were moved by train to Holland. Imagine their excitement to be greeted at the border by some English ladies who have travelled from England to ensure the first people to greet them upon leaving captivity were some of their own. Each was presented with a small silken Union Jack as a memento. Next, they spent three days in Holland, visiting shops and mixing and drinking with the excited Dutch who treated them quite hospitably.
From Rotterdam, they boarded ships and were escorted around under- sea mines to the estuary at Hull. As with the Schweidnitz POWs, they were met with a declaration from the King on the wharf and a banquet of delicious delicacies provided by the local women. Of our 24 tunnellers, 6 returned via the internment camp and the rest returned between 14th December and 6th January.
Wearne in a short memoir wrote
“On the 10th December 1918, we entrained for Holland. We arrived at Rotterdam on the 12th December 1918, and embarked on the S.S. Takada on the 15th December 1918 arriving at Hull on the 14th December 1918.”
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| Upon return to Britain each man received a King's welcome home letter, 2 pounds and a voucher for two months leave. |
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| Extract from Fulton's memoir c 1980 |
They were given leave while they awaited demobilisation. After giving their “capture statements” and contemplating whether they would reenlist or re-join their units everyone went their separate ways.
For Australia and New Zealand Royal Flying Corps members demobilisation was slower due to their being no longer attached to the AIF or the New Zealand Infantry. Passage home was going to be slow so the men took advantage of the time and hospitality of various friends and relatives around England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. All those addresses and signatures became invitations to “see my home town ”. A trip back to the “old country” would be a long time coming for most. Eventually passage home for the Canadians, Aussies and NZers was available by ship via a long sea journey home. A lot of returning men didn’t make it back to the Antipodes until mid-1919.
Fulton tells of one last retaliation at the camp for their treatment by the Germans. Some cans were hidden in the wall of their prison home. Think of unwanted cans of soup, cabbage etc which were punctured and put back into the wall cavity. Fulton’s plan was that they would announce themselves at some later stage to those military personnel who are going to be housed there sometime in the future.
So, what became of our tunnelers post war? As we’ve seen from our “tunneller” stories some remained with their units and continued have a career in the Military, Air Force, Navy or Merchant Marines. Some went back to start their careers or marry their sweethearts after they were demobbed. One died of Spanish Flu. It is interesting to see who returned to their homelands for good and who moved to the countries of their POW friends they had met in camp in either Canada, New Zealand, Australia or England.
Some of our research has revealed friendships which were fond and rekindled. For some and not unusually they never talked of their time in the POW camp or indeed the war to family. Many never wanted to join in regimental reunions such as Anzac Day etc. As with a lot of WWI soldiers- best forgotten or experiences never understood by their families. There have been reports of reunion dinners organised by the English and Canadian men. As for ANZAC reunions, these have generally been in their battalions or district marches and events rather than POW groups.
Some like Fulton , Howes, Wearne, Copeland and Harker we have found have been open about their war time experiences of flying, planning escapes and life at the POW camp. We have fine examples of some very articulate memoirs that they have been persuaded to write much later in life.
We are mindful of the fact that so much has been preserved and needs to continue to be preserved by the many generations in between the 1914 and now. Their story needs telling. One of our team is in the process of writing it based on the research of many who share the passion.
Thankfully we’ve had the opportunity to pull together this part of history. Thanks to all those generations who have jealously guarded the relics of this story and who have shared with us and researched with us to give insights into the story of capture, transfers, POW life, escapes, repatriation and other antics.
Repatriation Part three follows ......
Remembering Armistice 11/11/1918 Remembrance Day 2022
