ESCAPE FROM SCHWEIDNITZ – March 19, 1918

 

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

 

POW officers constantly schemed and planned on how they could escape. Many felt it was their duty to try. Perhaps they needed to return to fighting in the war; maybe the conditions of confinement were intolerable, or they just wanted to return home to loved ones. According to Eric Fulton, one of the twenty-four men who made it out on the night of March 19, 1918, each camp set up an escape committee. If someone came up with an idea for an escape that seemed viable, the entire camp would start to collect whatever necessary equipment they could find. If there was an escape plan in progress, prisoners had to get permission, from the committee, to start another plan. This ensured that if one escape attempt was discovered and a camp search was undertaken, they would not inadvertently discover another scheme in the works.

If your ancestors were claustrophobic or perhaps carried a few extra pounds, then rest assured, they were unlikely to have chosen to escape through a twenty-inch diameter tunnel. The tunnel used in this escape was made just wide enough that a man could crawl on his belly, using his elbows and knees. To make it larger would mean a longer completion time and the likelihood of collapse was greater. My grandfather, Arthur Copeland, would have made a good candidate since he was about five feet, eight inches tall and weighed one hundred and twenty-five pounds. The flimsy aircraft in use in WWI could not carry a lot of weight, so the Royal Flying Corps tended to recruit men of smaller stature. It was not surprising that more than half the escapees were from the Flying Corps.

I think you’ll find it helpful to look at the map below. The locations of several structures mentioned in this article can be found. This map was drawn by Aubrey Rickards, complete with escape routes.

Camp map by Rickards (permission given by James Offer)

 

Prior to the successful tunnel, located under Barracks 4, there had been several others started and discarded. According to escapee, Aubrey Rickards, the first tunnel was started in the church, a second tunnel originated in the well, located in the middle of the exercise area, and a third tunnel was located under the floor of the kitchen.

To allow diggers access to the cellar of Barracks 4, two floorboards were pried up. The cellar was mostly used for potatoes, vegetables and some crated goods. After removing some bricks from the walls, they started to dig. Some of the dirt could be dispersed in the cellar and some was discarded outside. The hole was dug in shifts by one man at a time. Other men stood guard in case a sentry came by. The air in the tunnel was very bad, so the shifts were short. Great care had to be taken to limit contact with the sides of the tunnel. No one wanted a cave-in. When they emerged from the hole, covered in dirt, they had to be able to change quickly into clean clothing. Aubrey Rickards said their only tools were a screwdriver and a tin plate. After six weeks, it was felt that the tunnel was long enough, at twenty-four feet. Having gotten past the outer wall that surrounded the entire prison yard, it was time to tunnel upward. Their first attempt to reach the surface was unsuccessful, as they came to a concrete obstruction and had to dig a slight detour. It turned out that the blockage was the floor of the pigsty. On their second attempt to break through, they were successful. Of course the exit was in the middle of the pigsty!

A Sketch of the Escape Route and the  Infamous Pigpen (Courtesy James Offer)

                                 

Although the actual digging was only conducted by a handful of officers, there were many more who had helped to disperse dirt from the tunnel, stood guard during tunnelling, and found materials needed for the escape.  Forty-eight men hoped to escape on the night of March 19, 1918. Throughout the day, these men brought their kits over to Barracks 4. The kits consisted of rucksacks that held all the supplies they’d need once they were free. Studying the German language was a popular past time for prisoners. If you were planning on escaping and spoke passable German, you’d have far better luck than those who only spoke English.

Those men, who regularly slept in Barracks 4, but weren’t involved in the escape, traded places with the potential escapees.  By the 8 p.m. roll call, all the escapees were under one roof. The working parties went out first. Unfortunately, only twenty-four of the forty-eight hopefuls, managed to escape, as the twenty-fifth man got stuck in the tunnel. It was decided that everyone would travel in groups of twos. As no shots were fired after the first party went through, the second group started out. This continued, at ten minute intervals, until early in the morning of the 20^th. There were many delays as men would get stuck and have to be pushed and pulled from both ends.

The weather was cold at that time of year and there was still snow on the ground. It was a daunting challenge to set out for neutral frontiers, almost eight hundred kilometers away. Twenty-four men emerged from the tunnel and disappeared into the night. Some were captured the next day, while others lasted weeks. By March 28^th, there were only two men still on the loose. Many were captured at train stations, others while walking in towns, or hiding in the forests. They dispersed in all directions. Some headed toward Switzerland, while others headed for Holland. Records indicate that several men made it close to two hundred kilometers before being captured. Just think about how hard that would have been to do, while travelling mostly at night. Sadly, by early April 1918, all had been recaptured. If only we had all their stories.

                 The list of escapees recaptured - Later recaptured are George Tarn Harker and George Atkins

 If you have a relative included in this escape please contact us.

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