Just searched CWGC for 'Poland'. I get a result of 24 civilians. CWGC :: Cemetery Details Reporting authority is listed as poland but no info on a burial or comemoration. I'm a bit confused by this. Some of them have French wives[eg Holton] , could they be ex-WW1 soldiers who were interned & died in captivity? 1 BRISBANE , P Civilian Civilian War Dead07/07/1942Unknown 2 BROWN , W F Civilian Civilian War Dead09/11/1942Unknown 3 BRUNING , C F Civilian Civilian War Dead17/08/1942Unknown 4 CHATEL , R Civilian Civilian War Dead10/11/194156 EDWARDS , J Civilian Civilian War Dead05/07/194252 1 GARE , A L Civilian Civilian War Dead08/05/1942Unknown 2 GRILLS , T Civilian Civilian War Dead26/05/194359 3 HAWKINS , H S C Civilian Civilian War Dead01/12/1941Unknown HOLTON, CHARLES HENRY, C H Civilian Civilian War Dead24/04/194145 1 MELLER, WILLIAM ROBERT, W R Civilian Civilian War Dead13/06/194243 2 MOORE, ARTHUR, A Civilian Civilian War Dead09/06/1942Unknown 3 NEALE , S Civilian Civilian War Dead03/09/193948 4 ORRELL, WILLIAM, W Civilian Civilian War Dead25/09/194365 PALMER , J Civilian Civilian War Dead15/10/1943Unknown 2 PRICE, WILLIAM G., W G Civilian Civilian War Dead12/02/194431 3 ROGERS , F H Civilian Civilian War Dead03/01/1941Unknown SCHLUTER , A E E Civilian Civilian War Dead18/03/1942Unknown 2 SEGRUE , J C Civilian Civilian War Dead11/09/1942Unknown 3 STEER , P Civilian Civilian War Dead21/01/1943Unknown 4 TALBOT , W Civilian Civilian War Dead28/12/1940Unknown 5 TAYLOR , P C Civilian Civilian War Dead01/05/1942Unknown 6 UNWIN , P Civilian Civilian War Dead06/08/1942Unknown ZADIG , A Civilian Civilian War Dead21/05/1944Unknown 2 ZIFF , M Civilian Civilian War Dead01/12/1941Unknown edit I wonder if this is the same CH Holton ex-Gunner Officer? The National Archives | DocumentsOnline | Image Details also an R Chatel here a Canadian WW1 soldier. The National Archives | DocumentsOnline | Search Results=*
I notice that a few of them have foreign surnames and/or were living abroad ie in France. Could they have been of dual-nationality, or have been living abroad having married? That they were registered in Poland makes me think they might have either died in the Holocaust or as slave labourers in Poland?
Very interesting - I bet they are indeed British ex-pats who were interned and died in captivity, possibly some of them in concentration camps. Given the addresses of some of them, I also wonder whether they were IWGC workers as well?
That what I thinking Paul. eg. Husband of Madame Meller, of Ecoiviers, Mont St. Eloi, Pas-de-Calais, France. Husband of Louise Neale, of 123 Rue Hove-Mont, Theux, Belgium. Husband of Mrs. Holton, of Hebuterne, par Foncquevillers, Pas-de-Calais, France. Husband of Madame Caron-Fouret (formerly Chatel), of Hersin-Coupigny, near Barlin, Pas-de-Calais, France. etc etc
http://callisto.ggsrv.com/imgsrv/Fetch?banner=4b40e825&digest=86935993dbae0f8fe477aef3b71d831a&contentSet=LT&recordID=0FFO-1942-OCT20-006-F&highlight=ff99ff+1+3724+5954+187+45+3590+6004+119+40+3950+6128+119+38&format=png&scale=0.330&crop=1119+1957+229+211
Weren't some inhabitants of Channel Islands also taken to camps and used for forced labour ... just wondering if perhaps some of those names listed were from there ..?
The grave of British civilian Clement Bruning killed in 1942. Interestingly, if you type “Cracow war cemetery” into the Google search engine, the first hit that is listed is actually a site dedicated to the memory of Blackshirts, members of Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists. This begs the question what Bruning was doing in Krakow in 1942. He is listed as a civilian prisoner of war who was killed on August 17th 1942 aged 31. He worked at the BUF’s national headquarters and was one of five Blackshirt brothers. An interesting discussion about Anti-Semitism and British dabblings with fascism could spring forth as a result. See www.oswaldmosley.com . SOURCE PAGE 28 : http://www.theirpast-yourfuture.org/upload/package/71/Links/Krakow%20Tour.pdf
Look who Geoff found for me with his wonderful search engine. Name: HOLTON, CHARLES HENRY Initials: C H Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Civilian (Gardener) Regiment: Imperial War Graves Commission Age: 45 Date of Death: 24/04/1941 Casualty Type: Non-War (Staff) Grave/Memorial Reference: Plot 6 Row A Grave 13. Cemetery: KRAKOW RAKOWICKI CEMETERY Name: MELLER, WILLIAM ROBERT Initials: W R Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Civilian (Gardener) Regiment: Imperial War Graves Commission Age: 43 Date of Death: 13/06/1942 Casualty Type: Non-War (Staff) Grave/Memorial Reference: Plot 6 Row B Grave 4. Cemetery: KRAKOW RAKOWICKI CEMETERY
Holton Mellor That's interesting. This data is from 2007/8 and they have been changed from non-war dead to civilian war dead, and their occupation (gardener) removed. Edit: Also the burial place replaced with a 'Reporting Authority'
Husband of Mrs. Holton, of Hebuterne, par Foncquevillers, Pas-de-Calais, France. etc etc He's not listed on the Hebuterne war memorial. Monument aux morts d'Hébuterne or at Foncquevillers: Monuments aux morts et lieux de mémoire de Foncquevillers
So the CWGC are making their own staff unsearchable & unremembered ? Along with several thousand, in total, of German, Polish, Belgian, French, a few other nationalities and all UK service men and women buried in cemeteries in their care who are not qualified as Commonwealth War Dead, or Civilian War Dead. (died before 1914, or between 1922 to 1938 or after 1947) They do not have to do this, its not in their Royal Charter. ( I have quite a few in my database, before the loophole was closed-_- )
So the CWGC are making their own staff unsearchable & unremembered ? Just found 88, buried in various places, from 1920s to 1990s. Quite a few at Longuenesse.
