# Ruhleben Camp, Germany, WWII



## Goole Museum Volunteers

*Ruhleben Camp, Germany, WWI*

At Goole Museum we have a small collection of artefacts from Ruhleben Camp in Germany. The camp was a concentration camp for British civilian prisoners and was situated near Berlin. During the course of WWI, thousands of British civilians and merchant seamen were interned at the camp, including Goole seamen who were serving on board the SS Edwin Hunter. Details of our Ruhleben collection, including a picture of one of the barracks at the camp, painted by a Goole internee, can be seen on our website at www.thegooleexperience.co.uk under the "Telling Tales" tab. If you have any further information about the camp or know of anyone who was interned there, we would love to hear from you!


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## Union Jack

On a point of detail, I believe that it may be worth amending the main title to match the secondary title and the text, in that it was during indeed World War I that Ruhleben existed, and, perhaps more importantly, the post should surely reflect that it was an internment camp rather than a concentration camp - there's quite a difference.

That said, well done the Goole Museum Volunteers on drawing attention to a very interesting and little-known aspect of history.(Thumb)

Jack


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## stan mayes

Strange name for a prison camp..Ruhleben means Quiet Life.


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## Roger Griffiths

I don't know if you have seen this link. http://wanborough.ukuhost.co.uk/POW/POW.htm 
The narrative page makes reference to Ruhleben. You would need a list of all the vessels who's crews were taken prisoner. Unless someone here can give you such a list, try a post on the Great War forum.
http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?act=idx
Keep up your invaluable work preserving the memory of those Merchant Seamen who were incarcerated by the Central Powers 1914-1918


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## Goole Museum Volunteers

Thank you for your messages and suggestions. You're absolutely right, Union Jack, it was an internment camp, rather than a concentration camp. However, at the museum we have a postcard published by an internee at the camp on which he refers to Ruhleben as a 'Concentration Camp for British Civilian Prisoners of War'. We have a scan of the card here: http://www.thegooleexperience.co.uk/ruhleben-camp-germany. Perhaps this is how the internees (incorrectly) referred to the camp? 

On the point about the heading being incorrect - WWII instead of WWI - sorry, that was a typo ... but I have no idea how to edit it? Any ideas, please?


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## george jackson

Goole Museum Volunteers said:


> At Goole Museum we have a small collection of artefacts from Ruhleben Camp in Germany. The camp was a concentration camp for British civilian prisoners and was situated near Berlin. During the course of WWI, thousands of British civilians and merchant seamen were interned at the camp, including Goole seamen who were serving on board the SS Edwin Hunter. Details of our Ruhleben collection, including a picture of one of the barracks at the camp, painted by a Goole internee, can be seen on our website at www.thegooleexperience.co.uk under the "Telling Tales" tab. If you have any further information about the camp or know of anyone who was interned there, we would love to hear from you!


My grandfather's brother, William Jackson, an engineer from North Shields was known to have died in the camp in 1915. I have no knowledge of which ship he was on or even if he was working in Germany as a civilian and was interned at the commencement of hostilities. I would be very grateful for any information that you may have. Kind regards from George Jackson


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## Goole Museum Volunteers

Hi George. There is a William Jackson mentioned on here: http://ruhleben.tripod.com/id8.html and also, his brother, Alfred Jackson. However, they appear to have been from Newry, not North Shields. They were both professional golfers. I have also just found this free ebook online about the camp: http://archive.org/stream/ruhlebenprisonca00coheuoft#page/n9/mode/2up. However, a quick search doesn't appear to bring up anything about William Jackson. Looks an interesting read, though. If I come across anything about your William, I will let you know.


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## Roger Griffiths

Hello George,
There is a W Jackson Chief Engineer deceased from the ship BURY official number 132093.
Very strange. BURY was a ferry owned by the Great Central Railway operating between the Humber ports and the Baltic and was not lost or damaged in WW1. She was broken up in 1958.
So how come William became a POW? Her 1915 Logbook and crew agreement may give an answer. If they are anywhere it will be in NMM Greenwich. To view you would need to visit NMM after filling out this form.
http://www.rmg.co.uk/researchers/library/crew-lists-agreements-and-official-logs-request-form

regards
Roger


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## Goole Museum Volunteers

Hi Roger. It may have been the same as the case of the SS Edwin Hunter which just happened to be in Kiel, Germany, at the outbreak of the war. The crew were interned, just for being there, I believe. Wrong place ... wrong time!! The ship wasn't broken up, as it sailed again on 14th April 1919, at which point, according to The Thames Star newspaper of the time, the crew members were apparently paid in full for the whole period of the ship's (and their) captivity!


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## Roger Griffiths

Yes. I was thinking the same re internment. Her 1914 crew agreements are in Newfoundland and I can find nothing in the papers of the day. 
regards
Roger


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## Goole Museum Volunteers

There's a William Jackson listed on The National Archives catalogue as a British civilian prisoner, interned at Ruhleben, died in the Dr Weill Sanatorium, Schlachtensee, Berlin. I understand that prisoners who were very sick were usually removed from Ruhleben to a hospital, so that they wouldn't be noted on the records as having died in the camp.

A wonderful collection of artefacts from the Camp can be seen online here: http://pds.lib.harvard.edu/pds/view...nails=no&jp2Res=.25&imagesize=1200&rotation=0


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## Roger Griffiths

Here's the link if George needs to take a look by visting the national archive.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/...dSearchNumber=125333&fldInvert=0&SearchInit=6

Roger


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## Goole Museum Volunteers

Sorry, Roger, that link didn't seem to work! Hopefully, might have more luck with this one: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/...ails.asp?CATID=3354850&CATLN=6&accessmethod=5


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## george jackson

Goole Museum Volunteers said:


> There's a William Jackson listed on The National Archives catalogue as a British civilian prisoner, interned at Ruhleben, died in the Dr Weill Sanatorium, Schlachtensee, Berlin. I understand that prisoners who were very sick were usually removed from Ruhleben to a hospital, so that they wouldn't be noted on the records as having died in the camp.
> 
> A wonderful collection of artefacts from the Camp can be seen online here: http://pds.lib.harvard.edu/pds/view...nails=no&jp2Res=.25&imagesize=1200&rotation=0


Thank you for the information , I now have something to go on and Roger's help is also much appreciated. I can also send it on to relatives in the UK who had come to a stone wall as regards William.
Regards, George Jackson


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## george jackson

Goole Museum Volunteers said:


> Hi Roger. It may have been the same as the case of the SS Edwin Hunter which just happened to be in Kiel, Germany, at the outbreak of the war. The crew were interned, just for being there, I believe. Wrong place ... wrong time!! The ship wasn't broken up, as it sailed again on 14th April 1919, at which point, according to The Thames Star newspaper of the time, the crew members were apparently paid in full for the whole period of the ship's (and their) captivity!


I Googled GCR Bury and found that she was at Hamburg when War started in August 1914 and by 1915 she was requisitioned into the Imperial German Navy as an accommodation ship for Naval Pilots at Wilhelmshaven and eventually returned to GCR in January 1919Everything seems to be coming together thanks to everyone.


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## Goole Museum Volunteers

Great!


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