Search Constraints
« Previous |
201 - 300 of 1,304
|
Next »
Search Results
- Notes:
- A group of British non-commissioned officers and enlisted men pose for a group photograph in the prison camp at Goettingen. Some of the POW's wear numbers over their right breast pockets and most have white identification badges on their upper right arms.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- French and colonial prisoners of war march through a French town to a railroad station for transportation to prison camps in Germany. They are guarded by a squad of German Uhlans.
- Date Created:
- 1917-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- An American bugler plays taps in the POW cemetery in Rastatt for two dead comrades. The American YMCA band, to the rear at the left, was part of the funeral entourage. Note the German civilians, including a child, in attendance to the right.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Russian officers attempt to rally their fleeing men before a German attack in this 1917 drawing. The disheartened Russian soldiers are striving to avoid capture by the Germans so they can return home to their families.
- Date Created:
- 1917-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- The same four Russian prisoners after they went through the disinfection process in a German prison camp. At the disinfection station, German doctors inspected the men for any illnesses and would have assigned those suspected of carrying disease to a quarantine ward. Healthy men then surrendered their clothing and took showers or chemical baths to clean their bodies. The next step in the process was a visit to a barber who shaved off their hair and beards to prevent the introduction of lice into the camp. Before departing the disinfection station, the POW's received their disinfected uniforms or new clothing if their uniforms were unsalvageable.
- Date Created:
- 1914-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A French POW and two British prisoners stand outside a building at the Notre Dame Hospital in October 1914. The two British POW's have arm wounds.
- Date Created:
- 1914-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Prisoners are locked in a wrestling competition in the prison compound at Zossen-Wuensdorf. A group of Indian POW's spectators enjoy the match. The Germans encouraged Indian soldiers to practice their religion and culture, including games, in the propaganda camp.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Prisoners of war at Goerlitz work in a decorative garden outside of their barracks under the supervision of a German non-commissioned officer. Gardening provided prisoners with a hobby to help break the monotony of prison camp life and improved the general appearance of the camp.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- These French prisoners of war are Protestant and live in very comfortable quarters. Two are writing letters on a table covered with a cloth and their bookcases are decorated with curtains. In addition, the walls of their room are decorated with wall paper and paintings.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A train from Germany carrying American prisoners of war arrives at a train station in Switzerland where they are met by American Red Cross nurses and Allied officials. They will soon reboard another train for their official release in France.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A pair of Allied prisoners, a French soldier and a Belgian trooper, pose for a photograph for a WPA secretary in Germany.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Portrait photograph of a Tatar prisoner of war who had served in the tsarist army.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Italian POW's began to arrive in German prison camps after Italy declared war against Germany in August 1916 (Italy and Austria-Hungary had been fighting since May 1915). This is the portrait of a typical Italian prisoner at Muensingen.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A considerable number of British internees took advantage of the fine weather to walk along the race track at Ruhleben during the summer. Others were content to socialize in the grand stands behind the strollers.
- Date Created:
- 1917-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- German officers observe a Muslim outdoor service at the prison camp at Zossen-Wuensdorf. Two iman kneel under a tent while thousands of faithful behind them pray towards Mecca. The Germans encouraged their Muslim POW's to practice their religion freely and strove to attract recruits for the Turkish Army to fight against the Allied infidels.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- French prisoners play an interesting ball game on the backs of their comrades in the prison compound at Darmstadt. It is interesting to note that several of the "horses" are smoking pipes while their "jockeys" prepare to play.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- French and Belgian prisoners route letters to their comrades in the prison post office at Grafenwoehr under the supervision of a German non-commissioned officer. These letters have been approved by the German censors for distribution. Censors also worked as interpreters between prisoners, German officials, War Prisoners' Aid secretaries, and neutral visitors.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- " "Onze Taal" was a newspaper published for Flemish-speaking prisoners of war at Goettingen. This is a copy of the front page of the 3 March 1915 issue. The Germans developed Goettingen as a propaganda camp for Flemish prisoners of war, in which these POW's received special privileges. The Germans sought to cultivate good relations with these men during the war in anticipation of their post-war occupation goals for Belgium.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A French band of stringed instruments (three violins, one cello, a guitar, a mandolin, and a banjo) plays a tune near the compound fence at Koenigsbrueck. At least three of the instruments were self-made by the prisoners in the camp. Skilled carpenters could produce musical instruments to provide entertainment for the war prisoners.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- These British prisoners of war arrived in England in December 1915 as part of an exchange program which sent German POW's home to Germany. These men have suffered from serious wounds and can no longer serve as combatants. Because these men were unable to work, they became a burden for their captors.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- The examples of Lagergeld (prison camp script) on this page come from the XIV Army Corps Inspector General's office in Carlsruhe, the 100 Mark note from the officers' prison camp in Villingen (this was an especially large bank note), and the 1 Mark script note from the officers' prison camp in Heidelberg. All three of these prison camps were located in the Grand Duchy of Baden.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Fifteen-thousand Russian prisoners of war line up for a meal in Augustowo, in Russian Poland. The feeding and care of millions of Allied POW's placed a tremendous strain on the German war economy. The author suggests that the burden of feeding millions of Entente POWs would help the Allies win the war.
- Date Created:
- 1914-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This 50-Pfennig bill was used by Allied POW's in the prison camp in Oberhausen in the Rheinland. Prison camp script could only be used to make purchases inside this camp. The issuing of script was a security measure to prevent the financing of POW escapes or bribery of the guards.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This photograph shows the main gate of the prison camp at Celle, showing two sentry stands and the prison barracks. While Allied officers enjoyed the luxuries of living in a castle at Celle, Allied enlisted men were assigned to this facility.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Scottish, Irish, and Canadian prisoners were not the only soldiers who carried bagpipes into battle. These two Serbian prisoners of war stand outside of their one-story wooden barracks at Koenigsbrueck with the bagpipes in hand. Note the identification badges on their field caps and the right breasts of their tunics.
- Date Created:
- 1917-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Prisoners of war take showers at Limburg; the ever present German guard stands in the center background. The picture is staged; the prisoners do not appear to have any soap and are modestly dressed for the photograph. However, weekly showers were important to maintain healthy conditions inside prison camps and German authorities would close showers and baths as a form of punishment for captives.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This drawing shows the prison cells at Fort Hirson from an outdoors perspective. A civilian looks out of his cell, holding the bars which prevent his escape.
- Date Created:
- 1914-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Cover of the "Bibliotheque des prisonniers de guerre," published by the World's Alliance of YMCA's. This book listed the contents of the different series of traveling libraries available to prisoners of war working on Arbeitskommandos, far from prison camp libraries. The books which composed these libraries were published before the war and focused on history, literature, natural science, and vocational works.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- For entertainment and to keep in shape, athletic matches became popular at the prison camp at Darmstadt. These French POW's are playing soccer on the athletic field at the camp.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Entente prisoners read books, journals, and newspapers in the reading room at the prison camp at Giessen. The room is well attended and features a clock, several paintings, and two statues. All of the seats at the table are taken by prisoners who pass they idle hours by reading.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- French prisoners climb aboard a railway freight car at an unidentified German prison camp to return to France after the declaration of the Armistice in November 1918.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This photograph depicts instruments which prisoners could use in escape attempts from German prisons smuggled via food parcels. The Germans discovered a number of tubes baked into a cake sent by the French Red Cross. The tubes contained materials which could be used to help prisoners escape.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- An overview of Bastion XII at the old fortress at Rastatt for civilian internees. The prisoners were housed in semi-circular barracks surrounded by walls.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- POW's struggled to build any kind of shelter to protect themselves from the elements when the Germans first opened the prison camp at Sennelager. In this sketch, the prisoners have improvised using earth dugouts and pieces of wood to construct crude shelters.
- Date Created:
- 1914-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Russian prisoners-of-war stand near an artistic garden plot which depicts a German iron cross with oak leaf clusters. The garden is located near the wall which surrounded part of the prison camp at Neuhammer and a German non-commissioned officer sits on a horse. POW's could pass the time working in these types of gardens which decorated the prison camp.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- German non-commissioned officers, guards, and Russian prisoners congregate on a street in the prison camp at Aschaffenburg in Bavaria. Prisoners lived in wooden barracks, which they decorated with flower boxes under the windows. Note the child to the extreme right of the photograph, possibly a visitor to the camp.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A group of Russian prisoners, along with German NCO's, pose for a photograph in the prison compound in Czersk. Many of the prisoners are standing on the roof of a barrack (note the window), which was one of the earthen dug out type in this camp.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Russian prisoners hang clothing in an outdoors disinfection chamber under the supervision of German NCO's in the prison camp at Guben. To prevent the introduction of infectious diseases, all new prisoners entering a prison camp had their clothing disinfected in these types of chambers. They operated using high temperature steam to kill any vermin or microbes.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- German guards escort a column of British prisoners assigned to an Arbeitskommando somewhere in Germany early in the war.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Serbian POW's march into captivity as a German transport train advances to the front during the Serbian retreat of 1915.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Russian prisoners who just arrived in the prison compound at Schneidemuehl line up for their first dinner in the camp. They will be organized and assigned accommodations in the barracks similar to the buildings behind them.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A prisoner of war loads clothing into the disinfection oven at Muensingen. The potential for epidemics within prison camps due to lice and other vermin forced the Germans to regularly disinfect prisoner clothing. Live steam, provided by the boiler to the left of the oven, killed vermin and decontaminated uniforms.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Comical ad in "The Ruhleben Camp Magazine" for the Cubbie Temperance Hall. The facility is ideally located for tourists seeking relaxation. The ad shows various views of the camp and the many conveniences patrols enjoy, including a view of the artificial lake and the construction of the building above sea level (drainage was a problem for parts of the camp).
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Two Allied officers enter the entrance to the prison building at Wiesa bei Annaberg, a facility located in the Erzbirge in Saxony. The walkways are well tended with flowers and the YMCA constructed a chapel for Allied POW's at Wiesa.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This drawing shows the interior of the French theater (the Theatre de la Détente Cordiale) in the Celle Schloss (Palace). The theater's name is play on the pre-war political agreement, the Entente Cordial, between Britain and France. The theater features a stage with scenes and props. Allied officers viewed performances from the comfort of chairs.
- Date Created:
- 1917-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- The Germans captured a number of interesting prisoners during the war. This Siberian couple is actually a man and his wife--the "soldier" in the Russian uniform on the right. She apparently disguised herself as a soldier to join her husband in military service. German authorities apparently decided to keep the couple together at Hammerstein instead of sending the woman to a civilian camp with a female population.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Scottish soldiers were not the only troops in the British Army to wear kilts. These Canadian prisoners of war at Goettingen talk outside of their barrack.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Prison camps required the services of skilled craftsmen to help the facility operate properly. Four French prisoners work outside of their shop in Landau-Ebenberg weaving baskets. Often POW's apprenticed with experienced craftsmen in prison and learned a new trade which they could practice after their repatriation.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A German officer meets with Romanian officers under a white flag of truce to negotiate the Romanian surrender of Bucharest in December 1916. The German officer delivers the terms of the surrender in the offered envelope.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- American POWs continued to play baseball, football, and volleyball in German prison camps with sports equipment supplied by the YMCA. U.S. soldiers are in the middle of a football game on the compound at Rastatt with a sizeable crowd of spectators cheering them on. The POWs barracks stand in the background.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This is an example of a 50-Pfennig bill used by prisoners in the camp at Merseberg. POWs could make purchases in the camp using this script.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A cricket team prepares for a match on the pitch on the infield of the race track at Ruhleben. One of the grand stands can be seen in the back of the photograph.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Members of a Russian choir perform a hymn in front of the altar at the prison chapel at Worms. While there is a Greek Orthodox cross on top of the altar, a Roman cross is stiched on the altar cloth which suggests that his chapel was also used by Catholic and Protestant prisoners as well. Note the arm bands on the upper left arms of the POW's to designate their prisoner status.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Smiling French and Belgian prisoners pose for a photograph with their bowls of soup in hand at the prison camp at Zossen (including one French North African POW standing on the left side of the photo). These pictures of content prisoners with lots of soup were distributed in the West to counter Allied accusations of starvation in German prisons.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Aerial view of the prison camp facility at the thermal springs at Bad Colberg. Allied officers lived in the building marked with the "X" to the left of the picture. The drawing depicts the Kurhaus near the town in the Thueringian Forest, amid the rolling hills.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Photograph of the well-tended prison camp cemetery at the officers' camp at Koenigstein. Most of the graves are decorated with flowers and plants and protected by iron railings.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Queen Mary of Great Britain has a conversation with British prisoners who just arrived in London. She volunteered her time to serve at the YMCA hut at the Cannon Street Station.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A labor detachment of British prisoners plane the bark off trees and dig trenches under the direction of German guards early in the war. This work was illegal under the Hague Conventions since the labor supported the German war effort.
- Date Created:
- 1914-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- German officers inspect the entrance to an unidentified prison camp in Germany. The building to the left in the rear of the photograph is the YMCA hall, while the building to the right is probably the prison camp church.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A group of Greek officers and Polish Legionaires pose for a photograph at Werl. Polish officers who refused to take an oath to the new Regency government in Warsaw in 1916 were sent to prison camps in Germany and Austria-Hungary to serve the remainder of the war in captivity.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- French, British, and Russian prisoners sit on prayer rugs facing Mecca outside of the mosque. The Germans hoped to recruit Muslim POW's to fight on behalf of the Turkish Sultan by showing their support for subject Muslims in the French, British, and Russian Empires.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A group of Russian prisoners enjoy a soccer match at the prison camp at Cassel. Sports helped keep POW's in physical shape and provided entertainment for spectators.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Fires in crowded prison camps were a constant danger to the POW's. These French prisoners are conducting a fire drill in Darmstadt in which the prisoners practice training their fire hose on the roof of one of the barracks.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A Belgian prisoner of war peruses the bookshelves in the Flemish library at Goettingen. The library is well stocked with furniture and pictures decorate the wall. The YMCA made every effort to obtain books for POW's in a wide range of languages.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A group of Russian prisoners of war turn over the soil in a field in Spring 1915 in preparation for the planting of potatoes. The Germans began to recognize that idle prisoners in camps were a drain on the war economy and these labor detachments, especially in agricultural production, would become very common across Germany.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Wounded Romanian prisoners sit at a German first aid station at Jaroslaw after having their wounds bandaged. German medics stand in the street next to a horse-driven field ambulance.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This is a photograph of the original letter, written in French; when exposed to certain chemicals, a secret message appeared. The Germans discovered the letter and were able to expose the secret message.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This is a photograph of the kitchen in the officers' prison camp at Mainz. Officers enjoyed fresh fruit and canned vegetables with their meals. Meals were prepared in the large vats to the left. Note the day's menu written on the chalk board at the foot of the pressure cooker.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This photograph shows the interior of the mosque at Zossen-Wunsdorf, a gift to Islamic prisoners from Kaiser Wilhelm II. Several men are studying the Koran inside the building. Arabic inscriptions from the Koran decorate the walls of the building. This was first practicing mosque in Germany (others had been moved as war trophies in earlier wars against the Turks and rebuilt in German states).
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This photograph shows a Polish Jewish prisoner in the Russian Army, in captivity in the prison camp at Altdamm. Jewish POW's were free to practice their religion in synagogues in German prison camps during World War I.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- French and Russian prisoners read books and newspapers in the reading room and library at Cassel. They sit at benches and will be warmed in the winter by the large oven in the middle of the room. The rear wall is decorated with a variety of pictures. Given the large number of POW's in the room, reading was important for inmates in terms of education and entertainment during the prisoners' free time.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Two Japanese prisoners wrestle in a competition in the prison compound at Frankfurt-an-der-Oder under the supervision of a referee. This match is very popular, given the number of spectators sitting the perimeter of the wrestling ring.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany talks to a Serbian boy surrounded by German staff officers (note the military chaplains wearing the crosses in the background). A German regiment "adopted" this boy and provided him with a German uniform. The Russian and Serbian armies had large numbers of boys in their ranks (they usually followed their fathers into military service) and they provided a wide range of services from drummers to powder monkies.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- World Alliance secretaries prepare books for shipment to prisoners of war in Allied and Central Power prison camps from the Geneva headquarters. Prisoners could request books, usually Scriptures or religious tracts, directly from the World's Alliance. Rudolf Horner directed the Book Forwarding Department for the World's Alliance.
- Date Created:
- 1917-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Captain Derwent Wood sculpted this German atrocity during World War I--the cruxifiction of a Canadian prisoner of war. The prisoner was depicted hanging with extended arms, impaled with bayonets, while German soldiers stood by and taunted the victim. It is highly unlikely that this cruxification ever occurred, but was instead a rumor propagated by Allied publicists to denounce the Germans.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Like many prison camps, the inmates at Mainz played the roles of women in theatrical productions. This is a drawing of a leading "lady" who stole the hearts of several men in a performance.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This photograph shows the cast of the Jack Harris Pierrot Troupe on stage on the theater at Rennbahn (Muenster II), which served as the basis for the British Social Club. A Pierrot is a character in French pantomine who dressed in a white floppy outfit. The performing troupe included two "ladies" from the prison camp. Theatrical performances were an important social diversion and welcomed entertainment from the dullness of prison camp life.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- French prisoners line up outside a barrack to receive their noon meals at Koenigsbrueck. Soup is on the menu as demonstrated by the meal on the table to the right of the door. Note the unidentified civilian in the foreground of the photograph.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This train filled with American prisoners is greeted by American and Allied officers at a railroad station in Switzerland.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This is a group photograph of the American WPA secretaries and their families who had just left Germany in February 1917, after the United States broke off diplomatic relations with the German Empire. The group traveled to Lausanne where some continued WPA work with the World's Alliance and others transferred to war work with the Allied armies. The individuals in the photograph included: 1) Lewis Dunn; 2) Mrs. Alfred Lowry; 3) Alfred Lowry; 4) Louis Wolferz; 5) Mrs. Lewis Dunn and Betty Dunn; 6) Joseph Wehner; 7) A. R. Siebens; 8) Mrs. Conrad Hoffman and Louise Hoffman (holding the teddy bear); 9) Spencer Kennard; 10) J. Gustav White; 11) Carl Michel; and 12) Mrs. Gustav White. It is interesting that the WPA secretaries were able to bring their wives and daughters with them to Germany in support of their mission. Of the transfers, Wehner was killed in France in 1918.
- Date Created:
- 1917-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Members of the World's Committee met for the last time before the war at Windsor Castle in England in early Summer 1914. They planned an extensive global campaign, which collapsed with the outbreak of the Great War. The war would pit many of these men against each other in support of their nation's military efforts.
- Date Created:
- 1914-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- African workers transport an invalid under the direction of German YMCA missionaries (the missionaries are standing in front of the litter). The Red Triangle secretaries sought to improve medical conditions in Africa as well as evangelize the Africans as part of their program.
- Date Created:
- 1908-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A detachment of French prisoners of war stand at attention in a German town, enroute to a prison camp. A number of German civilians stop to investigate the group out of curiosity, as these men may be their first view of the enemy. Germans would see a great many more Allied prisoners pass through their towns.
- Date Created:
- 1914-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- The Frankfurter Zeitung published these graphs in July 1915 showing the losses in battleship tonnage and the nationality of Allied prisoners of war in Central Power hands. The number of Russian POW's (1.5 million) dwarfed the numbers of other Allied countries.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- When the prison camp at Ruhleben experienced heavy rains, the pond in the infield of the race track increased greatly in size and patrons of the Pondside Stores had to use wooden planks to make their purchases. Entrepreneurs could turn a profit even in prison camps, especially if they excelled in a trade.
- Date Created:
- 1917-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- British Indian Muslim troops prepare to slaughter three sheep for dinner at the Muslim camp kitchen in Zossen while French North African POWs watch the processing. Note the pile of potatoes in the background on the ground. Zossen-Wuensdorf was a propaganda camp in which Muslim prisoners enjoyed special privileges. The Germans planned to recruit Muslim POW's to fight for the Sultan in the jihad against the Allies.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Exterior view of the Russian church constructed by the prisoners at Frankfurt-an-der Oder. Craftsman produced ornate doors for the church and prisoners planted trees in front of the building. Many of the Russian POW's were devout Orthodox Christians.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- French prisoners of war work under the supervision of a German non-commissioned officer folding and stacking linen in a storeroom at Giessen. Clean bed linen helped reduce vermin infestation and promoted healthier standards in the camp.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A World's Alliance secretary is compiling a list of books which will be sorted into traveling libraries and forwarded to prisoners assigned to labor detachments. The Association scoured Europe in search of pre-war books (which would receive faster approval from prison camp censors) in exotic languages (such as Russian, Serbian, and Georgian).
- Date Created:
- 1917-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- French prisoners line up with the recently-acquired parcels and Liebesgaben from their family and friends at home. German censors carefully searched these parcels for contraband before releasing them to the prisoners. These parcels contained foods unavailable in the prison camps and greatly improved the diet of the recipients. The camp recently received considerable rain, given the size of the puddles in front of the building.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- In this interesting wood block print, a Russian prisoner holding two birds is conversing through the camp fence with a German woman and a boy, under the scrutiny of a German guard. The Russian prisoner and German woman appear to be conducting some kind of transaction that involves the exchange of the poultry. Prisoners had time to produce a wide range of goods that could be bartered, although the process would not usually be conducted so openly in public.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A German Landsturm sentry walks his rounds along the prison fence at night at Muensingen in this wood block print. The prison guard in most camps consisted of older or moderately wounded men who could not be deployed in front line units. By the end of the war, the Germans employed women and Russians (the Bolsheviks surrendered in February 1918) as sentries in many prison camps to maintain security.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Ruhleben was a segregated prison camp and imperial prisoners from Africa and the West Indies lived in separate barracks. Several of these men have musical instruments (guitars and an accordion), while the man seated at the right is enjoying his lunch. A German guard stands at the back of the room.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Front page of the "El Dschihad" ("The Jihad"), the newspaper for Muslim POW's at Zossen-Wuensdorf. This was issue Number 45 (31 October 1916) and was printed in Berlin. The Germans issued this newspaper as a propaganda tool in Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Urdu, and Hindi to influence Muslim prisoners.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This British prisoner wrote home about his experiences in a German lazeret at Duelmen on 18 January 1918. He praised the German nurses and doctors and the good care they provided during this three-month illness. He wrote the letter on official prison stationery and it received the censor's stamp of approval.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This diagram depicts how the German army cared for wounded soldiers during World War I. Troops wounded on the firing line (1) or in the trenches received first aid at the Truppenverbandplatz (2). After an initial diagnosis, the wounded would travel by ambulance (automobile or horse-driven) to the (3) Hauptverbandplatz, a medical facility close to the front lines where the wounded would receive more intensive care. The doctors would transfer seriously wounded to the (4) Feldlazarette, which was further behind the lines. The most seriously wounded or permanently wounded troops would travel to the (5) Kriegslazarette, hospitals located in Germany by (6A) special hospital trains (Lazarettzug) or by (6B) ambulance (Lazarettauto). Seriously wounded prisoners would be discharged or allowed to convalesce at (7) home until they could return to duty. Allied wounded followed the same procedure for treatment, except that seriously wounded POW's might have been repatriated to neutral Switzerland or Holland to recover from their wounds.
- Date Created:
- 1914-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- German censors found sabotage material in a rubber balloon found inside a can of marmelade preservatives sent to the prison camp at Puchheim from a French POW relief organization in Avignon. The photographs show the address label, the French relief agency stamp, the original can, and the rubber balloon and band which contained the sabotage materials.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This illustration shows the interior of the barracks of a reprisal camp operated by the German Army at Szczuezyn in Lithuania in 1916. The Germans assigned thirty-seven French officers to this punishment facility from 16 June to 4 October 1916.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- French and Belgian workers deported from their homes by the Germans to relieve the empire's labor shortage used this type of post card to communicate with their families. This type of post card was used by workers in German-occupied France.
- Date Created:
- 1917-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A group of French and Belgian POW's stand outside the church in Sennelager II under a very light German guard. War prisoners often converted barracks into chapels or even constructed church buildings within the confines of the prison facility.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries