J T Gray Posted 1 July , 2004 Share Posted 1 July , 2004 I've been lucky enough recently to come across some postcards sent by my grandfather dating to the time of his service, capture and then nine long months waiting for demob after the armistice and his release. They include a photo of a barracks at Wahn with a note saying "these barracks are where we are" - Googling suggests that there was a large PoW camp at Wahn. Can anyone tell me more about it, or suggest a source of further information? Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Noble Posted 1 July , 2004 Share Posted 1 July , 2004 Hi Adrian. I've used this web site a couple of times. It's in French, but i do believe there is translation available on the site. http://prisonniers-de-guerre-1914-1918.chez.tiscali.fr/ Regards, Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J T Gray Posted 1 July , 2004 Author Share Posted 1 July , 2004 Chris, I can't get it to translate into anything other than back into French! Any ideas? (I am currently using an iMac - could that be why?) Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Noble Posted 1 July , 2004 Share Posted 1 July , 2004 Try this link Adrian. http://babelfish.altavista.com/ Just type in the web page in the appropriate box, choose translation, i.e. French to English. Regards, Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J T Gray Posted 1 July , 2004 Author Share Posted 1 July , 2004 Much better! Thank you very much! It's also told me that there was a camp at Frankfurt an der Oder - which is great, as that's where his POW card was sent fom! Many thanks, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Noble Posted 1 July , 2004 Share Posted 1 July , 2004 Glad i could help Adrian. All the best, Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank_East Posted 1 July , 2004 Share Posted 1 July , 2004 I think Wahn was a POW camp in the Great War which accomodated British and French captives. An airfield was contructed on the site as Germany rearmed in the 1930s and it was captured in 1945 as a Luftwaffe base.The Royal Air Force 2nd Tactical Air Force used the airfield as RAF Wahn,handing it back to the Germans in the late 1950s.From about 1961 it became the now Cologne /Bonn civil airport. Never served there but I know somebody who did. Regards Frank East Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted 2 July , 2004 Share Posted 2 July , 2004 There's a picture of British & Australian inmates and their German guards at Wahn on the Australian War Memorial website. Just go to Collection Databases and type in Wahn http://cas.awm.gov.au/pls/PictionPRD1/cst....lorer&bos=Win32 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenwoodman Posted 2 July , 2004 Share Posted 2 July , 2004 I was an Army brat there in the late fifties - we lived in flats close to the camp. My father was in the Air Force Signals det. there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 2 July , 2004 Share Posted 2 July , 2004 for some history see also: http://www.porz-am-rhein.de/potrup.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 2 July , 2004 Share Posted 2 July , 2004 There's a picture of British & Australian inmates and their German guards at Wahn on the Australian War Memorial website. Just go to Collection Databases and type in Wahn http://cas.awm.gov.au/pls/PictionPRD1/cst....lorer&bos=Win32 Andrew Your link doesn't work at all! Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 3 July , 2004 Share Posted 3 July , 2004 pic: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted 3 July , 2004 Share Posted 3 July , 2004 Andrew Your link doesn't work at all! Any suggestions? Hi Egbert Oh well might have to try the longer way. Go to the main page http://www.awm.gov.au Then click on Collection databases, then Collections search, which will bring up the search screen and then type in Wahn. This will show the WW1 photo. There are several other references to Wahn post WW2 but unfortunately none of the photos are on the site. Just tried it out and it seems the collection database may not be working at present. Hopefully it will be fixed shortly. Regards Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 25 August , 2004 Share Posted 25 August , 2004 Today I will try to take some pictures of the old buildings from the WW1 area Wahn POW camp which is located within today's Wahn A.F.B. Hope the weather permits and it finds some interest since I will have to take a considerable detour from my present European travel itinerary for pals like Adrian . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christine liava'a Posted 25 August , 2004 Share Posted 25 August , 2004 interview with Joe Marrinon AIF; POW at Wahn After Douai Marrinon was sent to theWestphalia district and had an experience of several prison camps. The food in general was not fit for pigs to eat, and but for the Red Cross many a man would not have existed. No clothing was served out to the British Tommies. The Russians who were employed oftener behind the lines received suits made of paper. They looked like common cloth, and were alright in fine weather, but once wet they were done. The general treatment of prisoners on the whole was cruel although some of the guards were fair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chip Minx Posted 26 August , 2004 Share Posted 26 August , 2004 All, Thought you might like to see a WWI period armband (brassard) of the type worn by some POWs at Wahn. Chip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chip Minx Posted 26 August , 2004 Share Posted 26 August , 2004 Picture of Wahn camp. This photo shows a grouping of French soldiers lined up to be fed. Near the gate is the German sentry house and behind it what could be a barracks building. The caption is in both German and French. The date is 1914 and judging from the look of the soldiers and their uniforms, they have not been prisoners for very long. Chip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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