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Denton Prisoners of War, 1914-1918

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

On 21 August 1914, the ICRC established the International Prisoners-of-War Agency in Geneva, to which the warring states submitted, more or less regularly, lists of prisoners. The Agency received some 400,000 pages of documents listing the names of prisoners and records of capture, of transfers between camps and of deaths in detention. These lists were sent to the Agency by the Kriegsministerium (Ministry of War) in Berlin.

The Germans founded two types of camp for military prisoners of war and these were the Offizierslager (Officer Camp) for Commissioned Officers and Mannschaftslager (Enlisted Men’s Camp) for other ranks, that is, private soldiers and NCOs. Accurate figures for British POWs during the Great War are not known but it is estimated that some 7,335 officers and 174,490 other ranks of the British Army were imprisoned by the enemy.

Abbreviations:
Battalion, Bn; Battery, Bty; Company, Coy; Regiment, Regt.
Lance, L; Air Mechanic, Amn; Corporal, Cpl; Company Serjeant Major, CSM; Gunner, Gnr; Lieutenant, Lieut; Private Pte; Sapper, Spr; Serjeant, Sjt.

NameRankService
No.		Unit/RegimentResidence
ASTON Alan Pte 35717 1/4th Bn, King's Shropshire Light Infantry Hyde Rd
BLACKSHAW Joseph Pte GS/51289 7th Bn, Royal Fusiliers Two Trees Ln
BURGESS Frederick Pte 23736 11th Bn, Manchester Regt Taylor St
COSGROVE James Albert Sjt 7092 16th Bn, Manchester Regt Mount Pleasant Rd
DAY Fred Amn 109301 11th Wing, Royal Air Force Died Germany,
26 Mar 1919
FOX Fred Pte 268465
late 6985		 3rd Bn, The King's (Liverpool Regt) Two Trees Ln
GASKELL Samuel Pte 50477 16th Bn, Manchester Regt Dane St
HIRST Tom Pte 290809 7th Bn, Gordon Highlanders Died Limburg, Germany,
30 May 1918
JACKSON John Pte 38944 23rd Bn, Manchester Regt Holland St
JONES Thomas Sjt 10861 2nd Bn, Manchester Regt Died Duke St, Denton,
31 Jan 1919
MALPAS Ellis Spr 146450 226th Field Coy, Royal Engineers Died Germany,
25 May 1919
OLLERENSHAW William Pte GS/125172
late 574497,
350439 & 1844		 Royal Fusiliers late Labour Corps
& 1/9th Bn, Manchester Regt		 Gibraltar Ln then
Whitelands Rd,
Ashton-u-Lyne
PICKERING James Pte 401445 18th Bn, Manchester Regt Grange Farm
POLLITT Fred Sjt 266301 "D" Coy, 11th Bn, Cheshire Regt Gibraltar Ln
REEVES Charles Hastings 2nd Lieut
late Cpl & Pte		 None late
104858 & 7572		 Machine Gun Corps late
28th Bn, Royal Fusiliers		 Stockport Rd
ROYLE James Pte 35408 16th Bn, Manchester Regt Angel St
SHEPLEY Samuel Pte 10568 1st Bn, Cheshire Regt Died Germany,
19 May 1915
TAYLOR Arthur Sjt 351642 1/9th Bn, Manchester Regt Ivy Cottages
WHITEHEAD John Robert Pte 7423 1st Bn, Cheshire Regt Market St
WILDE Fred Pte 35414 Manchester Regt Hyde Rd
WOOD John (Jack) Gnr Unknown 132nd Siege Bty,
Royal Garrison Artillery		 Grosvenor St
Extract from German POW lists for 35717 Private Alan Aston
The last but one column records two place names; Messines, with the date 11 April 1918, and Hautmont. Messines, in Belgium, was the site of the Battle of Messines Ridge, 7 – 14 June 1917, while Hautmont is in northern France in the valley of the river Sambre. It was captured by the Germans in the early days of the Great War and it remained in German hands until it was retaken by the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division on the 8 November 1918. The last column records Alan Aston's date and town of birth with his next-of-kin and address. That is the 21 January 1889 (truly 21 January 1899), Benton (Denton), R Aston and Hyde Road, Denton, Manchester, Lancs, respectively.
Alan Aston was held at the Meschede POW Camp which was just outside the town of that name situated in the Hochsauerland district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. This was a Mannschaftslager and it could house about 10,000 prisoners.
He was born at Denton on the 21 January 1899 to Richard Aston and Mary Hannah Woolley who were married at St Anne’s Church, Haughton, Denton, in 1894. In 1911 he was resident with his father (a grocer), stepmother, Alice, and siblings on Hyde Road, Denton, still at school.
Extract from German POW lists for 50477 Private Samuel Gaskell
He was held at the Lechfeld POW Camp in Germany which was a Mannschaftslager. It could hold about 10,500 prisoners.
Samuel Gaskell was born at Denton on the 19 January 1890 to Thomas Gaskell and Sarah Ann Dilkes who were married at St Mary's Church, Droylsden, in 1889. He married Mary Elizabeth Stopford at St George's Church, Hyde, in 1912.
Extract from German POW lists for 290809 Private Tom Hirst
He was held at the Limburg an der Lahn POW Camp in Germany which was a Mannschaftslager. It could hold about 12,000 prisoners. He died of wounds while in detention on the 30 May 1918, aged 24 years. He is buried in Cologne Southern Cemetery, Germany.
Extract from German POW lists for 10861 Serjeant Thomas Jones
He was held at the Stendal POW Camp in Germany which was a Mannschaftslager. It was the parent camp to a number of nearby work camps holding about 15,000 prisoners. He died of pneumonia at the Red Cross Hospital on Duke Street, Denton, on the 31 January 1919, aged 23 years. He is buried in Denton Cemetery.
Extract from German POW lists for 266301 Serjeant Fred Pollitt
He was held at the Parchim POW Camp in Germany which was a Mannschaftslager. It could hold about 25,500 prisoners and it was also the parent camp to nearby work camps holding 45,000.
Extract from German POW lists for 351642 Serjeant Arthur Taylor
He was held at the Kassel POW Camp in Germany which was a Mannschaftslager. It could hold about 20,000 prisoners. He enlisted in the army on the 13 April 1915 and he was discharged on the 26 March 1919. He was awarded Silver War Badge No. 456412.

Denton Recipients of the
Wound Stripe, 1914-1918

The British Army began awarding a brass Wound Stripe in 1916 with approval by King George V. It was first authorised on the 6 July 1916 under Army Order 204 and it was awarded to all officers and soldiers who were wounded in action in any of the campaigns since 4 August 1914. The stripe was worn vertically on the left cuff of the service dress tunic. It was secured to an embossed backing plate inside the cuff by two loops and a split pin. Additional stripes were granted for subsequent wounds.

Wound Stripe.

These Denton soldiers were documented as being awarded the wound stripe. They are representative of a much larger number of soldiers who were wounded in action.

NameRankService
No.		Unit/RegimentStripesResidenceComments
CATLOW Harry L/Cpl 52566 13th Bn, Royal Welsh Fusiliers 1 Ashton Rd Died of Wounds
3-5-1918
COPP Harold Pte 204804 late
354		 Royal Welsh Fusiliers late
Welsh Horse Yeomanry		 1 Princess Ave Discharged 6-1-1919
DEAN James William Pte 39990 4th Bn, Manchester Regt 1 Princess Ave Awarded Silver War Badge
B213057
Enlisted 26-10-1916,
discharged from 2/6th Bn,
Manchester Regt, 18-5-1919
DUNKERLEY James Pte 24346 8th Bn, Cheshire Regt 1 Princess Ave Demobilised 4-6-1919
EATON Harry Pte 48126 late
54743 & 79464		 13th Bn, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers late
Labour Corps & The King's (Liverpool) Regt		 1 Town Ln Awarded the Silver War Badge.
Enlisted 25-11-1916,
discharged 16-1-1919
FAIRHURST John Thomas CSM 200028 late
337		 1/5th Bn, Manchester Regt 1 Stockport Rd Awarded the Silver War Badge.
Enlisted 1-4-1908,
discharged 2-5-1918
HEAP Fred Pte 79027
late 45431		 1st Bn, Northumberland Fusiliers late
Manchester Regt		 1 Town Ln
HYDE John William Cpl G/41296 late
35339		 16th Bn, Duke of Cambridge's Own
(Middlesex) Regt late Manchester Regt		 2 Kynder St
McCONNELL William
Thomas		 Pte 75653
(or 95653)		 3rd Bn, Manchester Regt 1 Town Ln
WILSON Harry Pte 50364 late
4591		 15th Bn, Cheshire Regt 1 Acre St

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