Catalogue description Miscellaneous (General) and America: Prisoners, including: MISCELLANEOUS (GENERAL):...

Miscellaneous (General) and America: Prisoners, including:

MISCELLANEOUS (GENERAL):

Proposal by the Swedish Red Cross for the internment of Austrian and Russian invalid prisoners.

Approval for the Admiralty to buy boot-blacking brushes made by prisoners at Knockaloe Camp from Messrs W M Strachan and Co Ltd.

Correspondence between the British Consul at Lourenco Marques, Mozambique, and the Governor General of Pretoria, concerning the movements of two German nationals, Pauline Wagenblast and Ella Laganke.

Miss Margaret Lawrence: enquiries about her brother, Captain Humphrey Lawrence, a passenger on the SS Persia, believed to have been captured by Arabs on the coast of North Africa following the sinking of the ship.

Enquiry by the Army Council about rates of pay received by officers of the Indian Army interned in Germany and Turkey.

Memorandum on objections by the War Office and the Admiralty to certain proposals for the release or transfer of prisoners.

Enquiry from the Admiralty about Captain Richard James Longridge, master of SS Laristan, who was taken prisoner following the sinking of the ship in the Mediterranean.

Enquiry about a licence for the export of boots to British prisoners by the Army and Navy Auxiliary Co-operative Supply Limited.

Enquiry from the Admiralty about the whereabouts and welfare of twelve naval ratings from HMS Alert and twenty eight ratings who were part of the force which surrendered at Kut-el-Amara.

Advice from the Army Council on the contents of parcels to be sent to prisoners abroad.

Prohibition on the sending of blankets to prisoners.

Discontinuation by the General Post Office of the provision of insurance on parcels sent to prisoners abroad.

Capture of Captain A Elliott and two naval gunners from SS Charterhouse; enquiry from the Admiralty about their whereabouts and welfare; names of the prisoners (in docket no.209087).

Enquiries regarding the crew of British ships sunk by enemy action, including:

• Enquiry about Captain Arthur Martin Hayward and the crew of SS Bronwen, with names of some of the crew members (in docket no.199285); receipt of a letter by Mrs Hayward from Captain Hayward; denial by the German Government that the ship was sunk by a German submarine.
• Information provided to the Admiralty regarding officers and men from SS Bronwen, SS Roddam, and SS Thurso.
• Enquiry from the Imperial Merchant Service Guild about Captain S Wood and Chief Engineer B Wilson of the SS Thurso; information that they were interned at Brandenburg Camp.
• Edward J Phelan: enquiries about his father, Captain Thomas Phelan, believed to be interned in Germany following the sinking of SS Rowanmore; receipt of a letter from Captain Phelan interned at Fredburg Camp in Germany.
• Enquiry about Captain Cornelius James Leggett of SS Morazan.
• Enquiry about Captain Arthur Pattison of SS Seatonia.
• Mr S W Perry: enquiry about Mr E H Perry of SS Sheldrake.
• Mrs M J Davies: enquiry about Captain Herbert Davies of SS King Malcolm.
• Enquiry about Captain J E Williams of SS Reapwell.
• Enquiry about Captain Frank Thomas Moynihan of SS Britannia.
• Enquiry about David Boughton, Chief Engineer of SS Istrar.
• Enquiry about Captain Davies and Chief Engineer Evans of SS Flimston.
• Archibald C Munton: enquiry about Captain Francis William Henry Sircom of SS Bayhall.

Proposal for the internment of sick and wounded prisoners in Norway, including:

• Parliamentary question from Mr Malcolm MP about the Government's response to the proposal.
• Agreement by the British Government to surrender the share of places allocated to British prisoners to the Russians.
• Information from the Norwegian Government on the cost of maintenance of prisoners, payable by their respective governments.

Proposal for formal recognition by the British Government of assistance provided by representatives of neutral countries to British prisoners, including:

• Information that Colonel Hanser, the Swiss Medical Officer, would not be allowed to receive a present for services rendered in the course of his duties.
• Recommendation for a presentation to be made to Dr Frederick Hijmans of the Netherlands Red Cross; subsequent decision to send him a letter of thanks, and question of writing in similar terms to Monsieur van Loon.

Printed list (in docket no.211445) of British merchant seamen interned in Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey.

Proposal for William Bonnelmann, an invalid prisoner interned in Barbados, to be transferred to the USA.

Relief measures for the civilian population of Serbia and interned Serbian prisoners, including:

• Request from the Serbian Embassy for the provision of money by the British Government to provide food and clothing for Serbian prisoners.
• Proposal for an advance of money by the Treasury to the Serbian Relief Fund.
• Request by the Serbian Red Cross for permission to buy second-hand clothing in the UK for despatch to Serbian prisoners.

Correspondence regarding the interception of letters alleging ill-treatment of Austrian prisoners interned in France.

Notification of a conference of the International Red Cross Committee, to be held in Stockholm.

Resolution by the Women's International League recommending the exchange or deportation of interned prisoners.

Report on the treatment of Italian prisoners in Austria.

AMERICA:

Reported escape of German officers from SS Dresden interned on Quiriquina Island off the coast of Chile, including:

• Claim by the Chilean authorities that the report was unfounded.
• Advice from the British consulates at Santiago and Talcahuano that prisoners on the island should be guarded more closely.
• Confirmation that three of the crew members had escaped from the island.
• Enquiry about two missing bags of mail sent to the interned crew of SS Dresden from Berlin.
• Information that two of the petty officers who escaped from the island had arrived at Kiel in Germany.

Reported intention of the Argentinian Government to relax restrictions on German sailors from the auxiliary cruisers Cap Trafalgar and Eber interned on the island of Martin Garcia, including:

• Expression of concern by the British Government about the report.
• Subsequent assurance by the Argentinian Government that existing conditions of internment on Martin Garcia would be maintained.

Code 1250 Miscellaneous (General): Files 174095-255663. America: Files 54101-258645 (complete).