Berlin Gasworks POW Camp

If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.

Want to know more about Berlin Gasworks POW Camp?

There are:-1 items tagged Berlin Gasworks POW Camp available in our Library

These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.

Those known to have been held in
Berlin Gasworks POW Camp
during the Great War 1914-1918.

Summerson Joseph Richardson. Pte. Durham Light Infantry

All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please. Add a Name to this List

Records from Berlin Gasworks POW Camp other sources.

The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

1st of September 2023 marks 24 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time.

Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the Great War? Our Library contains many many diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text.

Looking for help with Family History Research?
Please see Family History FAQ's

Please note: We are unable to provide individual research.

Can you help?
The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors.
If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.

Announcements

22nd April 2024
Please note we currently have a massive backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 263973 your submission is still in the queue, please do not resubmit.

Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to the Great War. If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted.

We are now on Facebook. Like this page to receive our updates, add a comment or ask a question.

If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page.

World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great battalion regiment artillery
Did you know? We also have a section on World War Two. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.

204543

Pte. Joseph Richardson Summerson 6th Btn. Durham Light Infantry

Joseph Richardson Summerson was born 7th April 1892 at Kirk Merrington, County Durham to parents Thomas and Mary Jane, nee Richardson, at the time of his enlistment on the 28th September 1914 was living at 51 Lincoln Street, Leeholme, County Durham.
On the 29th September 1914 he was posted to the 6th Reserve Battalion, 19th April 1915 posted to France, 26th August 1918 posted to the 15th Battalion. On the 9th Sept 1918 reported as a prisoner of war in Germany , Then on the 12th January 1919 was posted to the Depot and on the 18th April 1919 discharged.
My grandfather was gassed during the war and was captured by the Germans and imprisoned in a forced labour camp which was Berlin Gasworks , most of the time he had to just live on potatoes as also had to eat the potato skins just to survive.
I remember my grandfather could speak some French and would often play his harmonica,one of the story's of his time during the great was that he on one occasion slipped in to the French lines for a drink and drank schnapps with the French and would sing with them, but was caught by a commanding officer on his way back to the British lines , no mention of any disciplinary action given for this either from his story's or in his army records, so am guessing that it was not an unusual occurrence in the war at that time?
Grandad sitting on the front row second man in on the left,stripes on his right forearm.
I have two photos of him taken in the prisoner of war camp, on the group photo he is the second man sitting on the first row on the left hand side, second man in with the stripes on his forearm, there is a story that he was offered promotion in the ranks but later refused it as he did not want to be a higher rank to his pals, but there is no mention of this promotion in his army records? On the photo you will see that the words Berlin Gasworks is chalked on the shovel.
The second photo is one of him with a friend and is standing on the left of the photo,don't know of a name of his friend all I do know is that he died of Pneumonia on the return trip to England?
Second photo was taken just before he departed England for France in 1915, story goes that he and a few others got soaked in the rain that day and decided to get their photo taken before they boarded the ship?

This picture is the Roll Of Honour that mentions my grandfather and is for the men of Coundon and Leeholme, that fought in the Great War, the men listed with stars along with the names are ones that died in service, this Roll of Honour hangs in the entrance to Coundon Workingman's Club, Coundon, near Bishop Auckland, Durham.
Colin Summerson

Add to this record.

Recomended Reading.

Available at discounted prices.

The Wartime Memories Project - Berlin Gasworks POW Camp during the Great War -

Berlin Gasworks POW Camp

Want to know more about Berlin Gasworks POW Camp?

Those known to have been held inBerlin Gasworks POW Campduring the Great War 1914-1918.

Can you help?

If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.

Announcements

Recomended Reading.

The Wartime Memories Project
- Berlin Gasworks POW Camp during the Great War -

Those known to have been held in
Berlin Gasworks POW Camp
during the Great War 1914-1918.