The Camp and its facilities
449
The entrance area of Hameln camp with German soldiers standing to attention. German regular NCO heads the left
hand column. Typically for camp guards when manpower needs for the front line were great; the rest of his men are
Landsturm indicated: some by their oiled caps’, others wear a shako head dress and a few much lighter coloured
tunics, these stand out from those wearing the later more grey-green uniform. Also the Landsturm guard heading
the right column appears to be wearing the obsolete Model 1889 cartridge box; and although holding a Mauser G98
rifle it has attached the obsolete S98a ‘long’ bayonet, poor for use in the trenches. The sentry boxes in this
apparently newly constructed camp are white with red stripes.
451
The hut of the POW camp administration. It carries the marking "Lager Offizier" – Officer of the Camp and
"Lagerkommandantur" – the headquarters of the camp. Also it seems to be the only building with brick foundations
and a colour coating.
450
A view of the garden in front of the headquarters, seen on the right.
452
A view of the garden surrounded with huts for the POWs
484
Role call to check on prisoner numbers
485
As above
465
General view of the camp
486
Another general view
477
Prison camp huts and garden. Indicated by the writing on the walls, the huts function as post office (left: "Postamt")
and school (right: "Schule").
478
Huts for the POWs and the garden
479
A large plot for growing vegetables with an arriving carriage loaded with packages on the right.
480
Not only vegetables were planted but also trees and flowers.
483
Possibly Officers quarters. Both sides wished to continue the status of officers, even the enemy. Here you notice a
garden has been provided in the space outside the huts in keeping with the spirit of the Geneva Convention but also
soldiers who garden may be more compliant and less ready to try and escape.
453
The garden; with an excellent and very stylish garden room, slightly spoilt by the (understandable) barbed wire fence
on the left.
454
The inside of a hut with stove for winter warmth.
455
Cookhouse
456
Probably laundry staff with officers, the barrels being the washing-machines.
457
Laundry with facility for drying and probably also pressing the sheets.
458
The camp shop. Well stocked with tobacco products, and even pipes and cigars. Along with apparently three civilians
there are three French soldiers in the darker uniforms with kepis and a Russian wearing the typical green/khaki shirttunic, the gymnastiorka and large peaked cap.
The French soldier on the extreme left appears to be wearing a kepi with piping that indicates he was in the Light
Infantry (Chasseurs a’ Pied) as opposed to the middle figure who wear the plainer ordinary Regiment d’Infantrie (RI)
kepi and infantry tunic. By this time in military history Light Infantry was merely an historical name, it meant nothing
as both carried an equally large burden. The French soldier on the right could be either of the artillery or the logistics
corps, (Escadron du Train) with his sculpted cuffs and pocket-less tunic. It is possible that both he and the middle
infantryman wear the red (bleu cerise) trousers famously (or infamously) associated with French forces during the
early years of the war.
459
Possibly the same camp shop. Besides the two civilians there are two French and one Russian soldier. The latter
stands in front of the counter in his rather worn peaked cap and soldiers’ version of the officers’ double breasted
tunic without breast pockets, his shoulder straps carry no elaborate devices which probably indicate that he is an
infantryman. The French soldier on the right appears to be wearing the artillery pocket-less tunic while the man on
the left with the lighter tunic may be a soldier from one of France’s many colonial regiments such as the (ethnically
European) Regiment de Marche de Tirailleurs Algerien or (European officered) Regiment de Chasseurs d’Afrique the
majority of whom wore light khaki/mustard coloured uniforms.
462
POW hut with a fire hydrant and garden. POWs’ were encouraged to grow food both for recreational purposes and to
partially relieve the burden of feeding them.
463
The camp medical centre/hospital
464
A staged photograph taken within the medical centre with on the right a French medical orderly with his Red Cross
armband. The soldier lying down on the examination table would appear to be a cavalryman by the cut of his
trousers and I suspect may be a Pole belonging to a Polish Lancer unit with their blue trousers and wide red stripe.
There are other Russian troops in attendance wearing their distinctive high peaked cap, along with French soldiers in
kepis while two are standing by the ‘patient’s’ legs wearing their distinctive French Bonnet de Police fore and aft
cap. Their colonial African colleague most probably from Senegal stands on the right. The senior medical staff are
German with the officer in the centre of the photograph wearing the ribbon of the Iron Cross.
503
Dental facilities
466
Workshop for the P.O.Ws’ to spend their time making small object, possible examples of which are the small boxes
made with the help of the marquetry saw hanging on the side of the table. All of these men appear to be French with
kepis, bonnet de police and berets.
467
A P.O.W. art class taken in 1916; all the uniforms French.
473
The camp chapel. From its iconography it appears Catholic, appealing mainly to the French as it also has the emblem
of their flag to the right of the shrine.
474
The Russian Orthodox chapel.
482
The coat of arms of Hannover in which state the POW camp was situated
509
German NCOs’ supervising the creation of a display (The horse of Hannover) watched by several French soldiers.
521 This reverse side of a photograph bears the stamp "Photogr. Anstalt im Gefangenenlager Hameln" – indicating that
there was a facility for developing photograph in the camp.
Everett Sharp
Oxford University