Crich Parish Prisoners of War

Of the Crich Parish men who served abroad, twenty-three were captured and variously interned in sixteen prisoner of war camps in Germany.
James William Butler of the Royal Munster Fusiliers was the first to be captured, on the retreat from Mons on 27 August 1914 – known as the ‘Rearguard Affair of Étreux’. He was interned for the remainder of the war.

On 21 March 1918, six Crich Parish men were taken captive in the Bullecourt and Écoust-Saint-Mein areas, this was the first day of the German Spring Offensive. This was the second worst day in British military history, surpassed only by 1 July 1916: the first day of the Battle of the Somme. William Brown, George Cooper, Alexander Donaldson, Austin Ellis Radford, Arthur Smith and Levi Stinson were all captured on 21 March.
Some of the internees of the camps were set to work in quarries, mines and on farms. One camp in particular, Langensalza, had a reputation of being a ‘dirty’ camp with harsh guards.

George Wragg and a Canadian friend managed to escape from their imprisonment at Langensalza whilst working on a farm. For eleven days they kept their freedom, and were about 60 miles from the Swiss border when they were re-captured. Six months imprisonment was the result, and both Wragg and his Canadian friend were sent to work on the Austrian front.

Names with * were imprisoned in more than one camp

Dülmen Camp
Jesse Barratt* (captured at Laventie, 9 April 1918)
Samuel Bates* (captured at Wyscheate, 15 April 1918)
Stephen Bollington (captured at Lens, 1 July 1917)
William Brown (captured at Bullecourt, Somme, 21 March 1918)
George Cooper* (captured at Bullecourt, Somme, 21 March 1918)
George Eric Lee* (captured at Messines, 10 April 1918)
James Swindell* (captured St-Quentin, 23 March 1918)

Friedrichsfield Camp
James Key (captured at Coury, 27 May 1918)
Charles Arthur Walters (captured at Feiry, 29 May 1918)

Gardelegen Camp
Jesse Barratt* (captured at Laventie, 9 April 1918)

Giessen Camp
Jesse Barratt* (captured at Laventie, 9 April 1918)
James William Butler* (captured at Étreux, Mons, 27 August 1914)

Hameln Camp
Abraham Litchfield (captured at Lille, 20 October 1914)

Langensalza Camp
John Clarke (captured at Gommecourt, 1 July 1916)
George Wragg* (captured at Ypres, 9 April 1917)

Limberg an der Lahn Camp
James William Butler* (captured at Étreux, Mons, 27 August 1914)
George Cooper* (captured at Bullecourt, Somme, 21 March 1918)
Jonathan Levi Stinson (captured at Jeancourt 21 March 1918)
George Wragg* (captured at Ypres, 9 April 1917)

Minden Camp
Austin Ellis Radford (captured at Ecourt, 21 March 1918)
Arthur Smith* (captured at Bullecourt, Somme, 21 March 1918)
James Swindell* (captured at St-Quentin, 23 March 1918)

Münster Camps
Samuel Bates* (captured at Wyscheate, 15 April 1918)
William Enoch Burr (captured at Gommecourt, 1 July 1916)
Arthur Smith* (captured at Bullecourt, Somme, 21 March 1918)
George Wilson (captured at Bapaume, 24 March 1918)

Parchim Camp
Norman Smith (captured at Aveloy, 5 April 1918)

Quedlinburg Camp
Jonathan Levi Stinson (captured at Jeancourt, 21 March 1918)

Sennelager Camp
George Eric Lee* (captured at Messines, 10 April 1918)
Arthur Smith* (captured at Bullecourt, Somme, 21 March 1918)

Soltau Camp
Walter Mellows aka Mellors (captured at Gommecourt, 1 July 1916)

Stendal Camp
Alexander Donaldson* (captured at Moy, 21 March 1918)
William Henry Gaunt (captured at Messines, 11 April 1918)

Wittenberg Camp
Alexander Donaldson* (captured at Moy, 21 March 1918)

Zerbst Camp
Percy Travis Walker (captured at Mons, 23 March 1918)