POW registration system

Hi, I would be grateful for any information about how the German authorities organised the registration of POWs. Did they use a standard registration card or did some cards also have the photos and fingerprints of the POWs? Were the POWs registered several times at different camps? How was this information about capture sent back to Britain? Did the Red Cross gather this information and send it to Britain and did the Red Cross have their own registration system? Is all this registration information now with either The National Archive, the Red Cross or the Arolsen Archive or could it be elsewhere? I am particularly interested in British soldiers captured in northern France in 1940 and sent to Trier in Germany for initial registration. Sorry for so many questions! Any insight into how this was organised would be gratefully appreciated.

 

Hello Paul111.

Yes to all of the above, but you may also want to look at "Frontstalag" and "Frontstammlager" too.

I've attached a pdf (courtesy of and all thanks to UHMM Project Muse) by way of an example.

Also, one of our Germany based forum members may be able to give you a heads-up on what the Bundesarchiv may hold on POWs still. And French archives will hold information too, but my previous searching of same was in relation to French POWs.

Good luck with your research, kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

And Paul111, should you not have read through this before.

British and Commonwealth prisoners of the Second World War and the Korean War - The National Archives

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

Also see this previous forum thread Paul111, and mentions of Trier.

Route of 2 KRRC POW’s after Calais, May 26 1940.

Note forum member Rich Payne reference to Cambrai. In 1940 this was Frontstalag 101.

I don't doubt British POWs there would have been registered prior to being moved on to Trier, no matter how quickly that may have occured (unless they escaped beforehand as Rich's Uncle did!)

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

EDIT: Cambrai to Trier mentioned here too:

BBC - WW2 People's War - POW in Poland

 

Hi Jim,
Thank you so much for giving me some pointers in regard to my question.
You mentioned maybe contacting some German based forum members in regard to potential POW records in the Bundesarchive. As I am relatively new to the forum, did you have anyone in particular in mind who might have some advice?
Thank again for your help.
Kind regards,
Paul

 

Hello Paul 111,
what Jim said is certainly true for the POW camp for officers OFLAG Vb in Biberach.
If you need help with the Bundesarchiv, let me know. Or better, give us the name and rank of the prisoner in question.
I might find the person on the German Internet free of charge.
Cheers, Stefan.

 

Hi,

German POW Index Cards for UK servicemen are in UK National Archives File series WO416.

Swiss Red Cross still retain records for WW2 POW communicated to them.

Requests for information about people held during Spanish Civil War or Second World War: Quarterly limit reached

Steve

 

Hello Paul, apologies for late reply, out of touch for much of the day.

Stefan (forum member Lindele) has already replied, and is a top chap, as is his compatriot Olli (forum member ITDan).

These good fellows are native German speakers so would be more helpful to you regarding the Bundesarchiv than I could ever be! (if they are able to spare the time, always, of course).

Steve (Tullybrone) has given you some top guidance too. It's what the forum is all about, and a good thing.

Kind regards, good luck with your research, always,

Jim.

 

Dear Stefan,
Thank you so much for your offer to help with the Bundesarchiv. This is greatly appreciated. My dad's name was Ernest Booth. His rank was a Gunner in the Royal Artillery. He was born on 15/4/1919. His service number was 1513970. His POW number was 10745.
He was held in camp E21 Petershofen (Petrkovice) in Czechoslovakia and later in camp E596 Jaworzno in Poland (a sub-camp of VIIIB Lamsdorf).
His friend in both these camps was Dennis Hustler who was a Signaller/Rifleman in the Royal Corps of Signals. His Service Number was 2583182. His POW number was 10933. His date of birth was 2/1/1921. I am in contact with Dennis' daughter so she would also be absolutely delighted if you could find any information about him.
Thank you again if you could spare any of your time to help.
With Kind Regards,
Paul

 

Dear Paul,
I will try to find both chaps.
Stefan.

 

So far I did not find them on Internet, but I will call The German Archives tomorrow. (closed now).
Lets see what they tell me foc

 

Interesting e-mail response by the Archives.
They will look into it, but it could take several months.
So, lets now prepare the dinner, select the wine & all of you have a great time until they get back to me.

Cheers Stefan.

 

Gunner Ernest Booth appears in the National Archives in Kew as follows:

Do you happen to know which Regiment of the Royal Artillery he served with?

Name: Ernest James Booth.

Date of Birth: 15/4/1919.

Place of Birth: Barking, Essex.

Service: British Army.

Rank: Gunner.

Regiment/Unit/Squadron: [Royal Artillery].

Service Number: 1513970.

Date of Capture: [unspecified].

Theatre of Capture: [unspecified].

Camp Name/Number: Stalag VIII B Lamsdorf.

PoW number: 10745.

Date of Death: [unspecified].

Number of Photographs: 0.

Number of Fingerprints: 0.

Number of X-rays: 0.

Number of Cards: 1.

 

Ancestry.co.uk have this:

Name E J Booth
Rank Gunner
Army Number 1513970
Regiment Royal Artillery
POW Number 10745
Camp Type Stalag
Camp Number 344
Camp Location Lambinowice, Poland
Record Office Royal Artillery (Coast and Searchlight), Corps of Military Police and Military Provost Staff Corps Record Office, Savoy Hotel, Bournemouth
Record Office Number 8

 

Dennis Hustler has a Liberation Questionanaire:

 

Your question;

"Do you happen to know which Regiment of the Royal Artillery he served with?"

From the three Casualty Lists that E J Booth is listed within his RA unit is recorded (on all three lists) as "2/1 S.L.R.".

"S.L.R." being Searchlight Regiment.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

Thank you Jim,
So Gunner Booth may have been involved in the fracas at Hondeghem perhaps?
Cassel 26th-27th May 1940 – 140th (5th London) Army Field Regiment, Royal Artillery

 

The date of E J Booth being recorded as Missing on Casualty List No.280 gives a date span of 10th May to 16th June 1940 so no certainty as to the actual day he went in the bag.

Said casualty list below, three images.

List header.



Full pertinent page.



And close-up of same.



Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

I ask because the place of capture is given as ' Cassels' ( sic)

 

Dear Stefan, Thats really very kind of you. Your help is gratefully appreciated by Mary (Dennis's father) and I.
We will both look forward to hearing any information they can offer.
With kind regards,
Paul