York Prisoner of war interviews

Returning prisoners of war were often interviewed to see what conditions had been like in the camps, how the men had been treated and what complaints they had. Three returning York prisoners were interviewed, transcripts of their interviews are held in the National Archives. The three solider were Harry Judson, William Wadsworth and Edward Pardon, each man was repatriated before the end of the war.

Harry Judson’s interview has the National Archives reference number WO/161/100/107 and is Report number 1596.

Name, Rank, No. And Regiment:
Judson, Harry, Private, No. 32944 15th West Yorks

Home address:
2, Alexandra Street, York

Place and date of Capture:
3rd May 1917. St Cavelle, near Arras

Nature of Wound if any:
Shrapnel wound 3 inches below left elbow. I was wounded about four in the morning. I was knocked into a shell hole, and the Germans found me about 6 o’clock and took me to their trench. They left me there till 12 o’clock and then took me to a dressing station 7 kilometres behind. I had to walk all the way. They just put a dressing on and sent me in a motor about 10 minutes to another station, where I got a proper dressing. I was taken the same afternoon to Douai. There they took all my clothes away and I was put in a bed without any shirt. My wound was dressed there once.

Journey. May 6 -9, 1917
I was taken on the 6th May to Lübeck. They put me on a stretcher with only a blanket over me. I had no clothes on at all, not even a shirt. I was three days on the journey. It was a hospital train; it was heated. I felt the cold, otherwise I was treated pretty well on the train. My arm was not dressed on the train.
Lübeck, Laz. III, May 9 – Aug. 24, 1917:
The hospital was Lazarett3, Lübeck. About 17 English soldiers, a fair number of French and Russians. There were wooden huts, good. Sanitary arrangements pretty good. I do not know the name of the P. M.O. The under-officer, who came when I had been there five or six weeks, was a bully. One morning he came and threw a mug of cold water over all the Englishmen who were not up at 6.15. He called us swine, and would shout at us. Otherwise Lübeck was not so bad. I had my arm off there. They gave me an anaesthetic. They seemed to do it all right.

Parchim. Aug. 24-31 1917:
From Lübeck I went to Parchim Camp. I was only there about eight days. The treatment there was pretty fair.

Limburg. Aug. 31 1917 – Jan 7. 1918
I was taken to Limburg at the end of August. They put me into an isolation place where they inoculated me five times and vaccinated me once. I was in the isolation camp five weeks. I was in No. 29 Barrack, No. 3 Block. The beds and blankets were very dirty. We had two blankets – it was not enough – no sheets. I had shirts of my own sent in parcels. Some of the men had lice. It was worse in the isolation place than in the camp.

The captain of the camp was called Snowball by the men. I do not know his right name. The huts were hardly warm enough. Sanitary arrangements satisfactory. Plenty of facilities for washing. No soap except from the parcels. No towels. German food very poor. We lived on our parcels. There was a help committee in the camp. Two letters allowed a month and one post-card a week. Our letters would arrive at the camp, but would take 10 or 12 weeks coming.
Gunner Kidd at Limburg told me that he had been bayoneted while a prisoner on a working party. He didn’t know what for. This was before I was sent there. My clothes were sent from England. Several Australians came into the camp at Limburg and said they had been working behind the lines, and had been invalided in the camp. They looked very pale and ill. They said conditions were very bad – hard work and little to eat. They said they had been bullied along into work. They had been behind the Western Front. They talked about the rough way they had been treated. I daresay during all the time I was at Limburg I saw about 40 prisoners who had been working behind the lines. They all said the same, hard work and little to eat. They were nearly all in rags when they came in. They were sent into camp because their health had broken down. One man told me had been working with a party of 250 Englishmen behind the lines. Some of them had been under shell fire.

At Limburg some of the men suffered from boils. They were mostly on the back of the neck. We dressed them mostly with the ointment that came from England. I never saw a linen bandage at Limburg except what came from England; they were all paper. They would put some powder like mustard on my arm and then a pad, and wrap it round with paper bandages. The English prisoners would hang together and speak their mind to the German sentries, with the result they treated us pretty well. The same sentries would bully the Russians. They would hit the Russians with the butt end of the rifle and order them about. The Russians have to live on German food and it is not enough. The Germans have no proper soap. The substitute is rough with sand. The Italian prisoners were treated very rough in Limburg. They were very hungry when they came in.

Opinion of Examiner: A rough Yorkshireman, but intelligent and reliable.

Examined by Stewart Jobson, 26th January 1918.


William Wadsworth’s interview has the National Archives reference number WO/161/98/602 and is Report number 470.

Name, Rank, No. and Regiment:
Wadsworth, Private (Bandsman), 1st K.O.Y.L.I.

Home Address:
21, Earle Street, Park Grove, York

Place and Date of Capture:
Zonnebeke, Ypres, 9th May 1915.

Nature of Wound, if any:
Shrapnel wounds, both legs (Flesh wound calf of left leg and fracture of knee right leg). The only case in which I can speak to infractions by the enemy of the laws and usages of war, prior to the date on which I was captured, occurred about the latter end of March 1915, when I was acting as a stretcher bearer with three other men, namely Lance-Corporal Martin, Private Ward, and Private Langham, of the same regiment as myself. We were taking a stretcher up to the trenches to fetch the wounded, near Messines, about 5.30 p.m. and were fired on by the enemy, who were in trenches in front of us, about 200 yards away, who must have seen that we were stretcher bearers. None of us were hit, but we had to run for it.

I was wounded on the 9th May 1915 at Zonnebecke about 7.30am. There were nine of us, including a wounded man on a stretcher. There was a captain of the R.A.M.C. in charge. I remember the names of some of the men, they were as follows:- Privates Burgess, Ward, Day, Lance-Corporal Kelly, Private Andrews. My regiment was retiring at the time from the trenches to the railway, and from the railway further back. The stretcher bearer party with whom I was had reached the railway, when five of us were wounded by shrapnel. The whole party lay down and were unable to get away before the enemy came up. About six or eight German infantrymen then came up and fired on us from about fifteen yards distance, and again fired on us from closer range still, although, it was plain that most us were wounded, and were holding up their hands. They killed Lance-Corporal Kelly and Private Burgess (who were unwounded) and Private Day (who was already wounded) was again wounded by them. All our rations were taken from us. The remainder of the party (except myself) was taken away, and I never saw them again. I was lying down holding an artery, and a German private put his rifle up to shoot me, but desisted when I pointed out that I was wounded. He then threatened me with the butt, and I again told him I was wounded, when he dressed my wounds, gave me a drink of water and shook hands with me. After this, other German soldiers, who had passed me and been recalled by their officers, punched and kicked me as they returned. I was punched and kicked and spat upon by about six men.

I was then left to myself for about ten minutes while the Germans were digging themselves in, and I started to try to crawl back to our lines; but I was seen and had to turn back, and an officer sent two men to carry me into their dugout. I spent two days and nights in this dugout, with no medical attention – no food – only water. On the afternoon of the second day after I was wounded, the dugout was blown in by one of our shells, and I was buried. With the help of one of the German soldiers I was got out, and spent the night in the remainder of the dugout. On the morning of the third day I was carried on a stick to a telephone station, about a mile to the rear of the dugout where I was questioned by several officers in English. I have no complaint to make of the officers conduct or treatment on this occasion, although I was to disclose information about the strength of our forces in Ypres. I was at the telephone station for about an hour, and was then carried on a ladder to a field dressing station. I do not know the name of the place. I was then seen, for the first time since I was captured, by a medical officer, and my wounds were properly dressed. I told the medical officer I had had no food since I was captured, and he told me that he would get some later on. He gave me some water. I was kindly treated at the dressing station, and after spending about twenty minutes there, I was taken on a stretcher to a wood, where I was placed in a horse ambulance and taken to a village, the name of which I do not know.

I arrived in the village about 3.30pm. I then had food given to me – half a basin of fairly good soup. I waited here about three hours and was taken by motor ambulance to a church, used a hospital, in another village where I was put straight to bed. The bed consisted of a straw mattress on the floor, and one blanket. My pay-book and private effects were taken from me here. I was not seen by a doctor. The next morning, about 8.30, I was taken to a railway station, where I was placed in an open truck on straw, and with a great coat to cover me. There were four other wounded English prisoners in the same truck. I was taken to a good size town some-where in Belgium, the name of which I don’t know, and put in a Red Cross shed in the station, where bread and butter and coffee and soup were given me to me. My wounds were not examined. After about half an hour I was removed from the shed and taken in an ambulance to a hospital in the same town. Here my wounds were dressed every day during the three or four days I was there, and I had plenty of good food and was well and kindly treated.

Journey;
On leaving this hospital I was taken on a Red Cross train to Göttingen. The journey lasted about two days and nights, and I was well fed and treated during the time, but my wounds were not treated or dressed again.

Göttingen Camp Lazarette, May 17-20, 1915:
On reaching Göttingen I was taken to the camp lazarette, reaching there at midnight, and my wounds were at once dressed, and I was given a jugful of milk. I was well treated by the military guard and others and by the German Red Cross from the time I was in the dressing station to the time I was exchanged.

Göttingen Clinik, May 20 – 30, 1915, Göttingen Camp Lazarette, June 1915 – Feb. 2 1916:
I remained in the camp lazarette about three days when my artery burst, and I was then removed to the clinik in the same town. There I was at once operated on. I was here about ten days, and was the sent back to another lazarette on the opposite side of the camp. As soon as I reached there, my artery burst again, and I had it plugged twice. This was on the 2nd June 1915, and on the 5th June 1915 I was operated on again.

There were about 500 or 600 British prisoners in this camp, and in addition there were Frenchmen, Russians, Belgians, and one Italian. I cannot state the number of prisoners in hospital. So far as the treatment generally in hospital was concerned, there appeared to be an insufficient supply of medicines, but otherwise the treatment, so far as I can tell, was good; the nursing was done by orderlies, and was also good; straw beds and two blankets were provided for each prisoner. So far as I personally was concerned, the food was excellent; my ordinary ration for the day was - two rolls of white bread and coffee for breakfast. Soup for dinner, coffee in the afternoon. Soup for supper; extras in the morning, a basin of milk; at 10o’clock rice-pudding, two eggs; bouillon at 12o’clock, custard or chocolate pudding, & c.; 3 o’clock, basin of milk and two glasses of wine, 5 o’clock potatoes and meat; 9 o’clock, two glasses of wine. I received extra rations for two or three months.

The sanitary arrangements were good. There were no differences in the treatment of nationalities in the hospital as far as I know. I do not know the names of any doctors. Some Russian doctors were doing duty there. They were all invariably kind to me. I was operated on three times in Göttingen, each time under anaesthetic. I was supplied with full suit of clothes and wooden clogs at Göttingen. I was asked if I had any clothing and replied no. The bed linen was changed as often as necessary – about every week.

I received letter and parcels regularly; two or three times a week. The letters were opened by the Germans before I received them; the parcels were opened by an orderly in my presence. Matches and letters in the parcels were confiscated – these were prohibited in parcels. I was allowed to write one postcard a week and two letters a month – the latter on the 1st and 15th of the month.

At the end of six months I was allowed to go into camp in the afternoons for exercise and concerts. I did not actually see any cruel treatment of British prisoners, but I was told by Corporal McQuiggan, 2nd S. Lancs. Reg. , that 28 British prisoners had been sentenced to three months confinement for refusing to work in salt mines, and that they were put on bread and water die, with a substantial meal only every third day. I do not know the date of this occurrence. I also heard (but cannot give the names of my informants) of British prisoners in this camp being tied to posts for one or two hours a day, and a man named Cole, belong to a battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment told me he and three others were made to lie down in the snow for three or four hours, with a sentry over them, and with very little clothing on. No regulations as to discipline were, so far as I know, published in this hospital, nor were any steps taken to inform prisoners thereof.

Smoking in the wards was punishable by three days imprisonment in the camp; I was never punished for this. We were not allowed to go into the camp without permission. On four or five occasions civilians came to the hospital asking if we had any complaints to make. We were told on each of these visits that the American Ambassador was coming round, but I was suspicious and said nothing to the visitor. As regards surgical attention at this hospital, I have to complain that towards the end of June 1915, the toes of my right foot began to go dead. After receiving a certain amount of treatment, my toes got worse, and eventually four of them were cut off by an officer with a pair of surgical scissors, and the fifth toe was twisted off with pliers and tweezers at the joint. I was not under anaesthetic on this occasion and suffered much pain. Subsequently the doctor wished to take my leg off but I refused.

Aachen, Feb. 2 – May 20, 1916
On the 2nd February I was sent from Göttingen to Aachen for the purpose of exchange, but was put back for an operation on my foot, and the straightening of my right leg. I was in hospital there three months, and had two operations, both under anaesthetic. I was well treated and have no complaints to make. The postal arrangements here were the same as at Göttingen, except that parcels sent to prisoners were opened before they received them. So far as I know, nothing was extracted save matches, which were forbidden. Letters were also opened before we received them.

I saw and heard of no cases of cruelty to British prisoners at Aachen, where of course there was no camp. All nationalities were treated the same, so far as I know. An American came round the hospital on I believe the, the 7th or 8th February 1916. He was, I think, the American Ambassador, although I am not sure of this. He was tall, with a slight moustache, and rather stout. He sent all the Germans out of the ward, and asked if there were any complaints. He received some complaints from the men in the ward generally, and I myself complained of the way my foot was treated. He took a note in writing of all complaints. Until i reached hospital at Göttingen I was too ill to write or attempt to write, and cannot say whether prisoners detained in hospitals in France or Belgium were allowed to write letters or not.

Examiner - The witness was quite intelligent, and appeared to me to be reliable.
W. J. H. Diplock.


Edward Pardon has two interviews in the National Archives, the first is reference number WO/161/98/130 and is Report number H 170. The report takes the form of a series of answers to questions, the questions are not shown.

1) - Pardon, E. Private, No. 8636, Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
2) – 8, Lindley Yard, Frenchgate, Doncaster
3) – Le Cateau. 26th August 1914.
4) – Slight flesh wound in right foot.
5) – No attention. Bandaged his own foot.
6) – School room turned into a hospital
7) - About half a mile. Walker, the best way he could.
8) – With utmost violence and brutality. Spitting in their faces. Kicked on their wounds. The officers took no steps to control their men, and behaved brutally to English officers.
9) – No. The food the informant had on him was taken away.
10) – Indifferent. Took of field dressing and substituted very inferior one.
11) – 26th August to 3rd September 1914.
12 a) - No proper medical attendance.
b) – No nursing – “if you died you died”.
c) – Lay on the bare floor; no covering.
d) – Had a 4-lb French loaf of bread between 13 men, and a drop of water in a jam tin.
e) – There were none; had to relieve themselves in the schoolyard. Treated the French exceptionally well.
13) & 14) None. 7½ months without a change of clothing.
15) No proper postal arrangements. Not allowed to write or receive anything.
16) 3rd September 1914. Marched, though still wounded, 18 kilometers to Cambria, thence by train to Sennelager – three days journey. Bad bread, water at each station. Were conveyed in cattle trucks.
17) – Nil
18) Very intelligent and reliable.

Archibald Keen

The second interview is reference number WO/161/98/410 and is Sennelager Report number 255.
1) - Pardon, E. Private, No. 8636, K.O.Y.L.I.
2) – Lindley Yard, Frenchgate, Doncaster.
3) – Sennelager
4) – 6 Sept. 1914 to 21 Nov. 1915
5) – About 22,500, 18,000 French, 3,000 Russians, and 1,500 British
6) – Rough characters, harsh and callous
7 a) six weeks laying in an open plain, after, big marquees with straw – not rain proof – up to March 1915. Prisoners built cantonments and hospitals and barracks and they were put into these.
b) –two fireplaces in each room
c) – pump arrangement outside
d) – only latrine trenches
e) – Hospital built by the prisoners
8) – a) – Ninety-five grammes of black bread per day, half-a-pint acorn water, sort of pea flour water for dinner
b) – Bad canteen
c) – Tobacco and cigarettes at excessive prices
d) – Yes, in good condition
9) – None issued
10) – After six or seven months. Football.
11) - None. Allowed to smoke out of doors only.
12) – By Rev. G. Hales, army chaplain for a few months, about four times a week, and after he left the men held services with books supplied by Mr Hales when he left, as he was compelled to do owing to the way he was treated.
13) – Building (as before mentioned), and also street and railway lines, &., in fact, made a small town. No payment at first. Later, 30 pfennigs a day. See answer overleaf.
14) – Yes. Smoking in tents, shirking work and omitting to salute room sergeants and corporals. Tied to a tree or pole for three to six hours. Private Russell, of Warwick Regiment, suffered considerably and fainted away.
15) – Harsh, inconsiderate, and brutal. German soldiers banged prisoners over the head with a stick. French corporals and sergeants put over the English N.C.O.’s and privates. English treated much worse than the others. French could get what they wanted, not so the English.
16) – Owing to bad weather and knocking about dysentery broke out. Yes, for pleurisy, on 16 Nov. 1914. Put in an old room on a straw mattress on the floor for seven weeks without a wash or being seen to or having a drop of medicine.
17) – Yes, after Xmas, 1914. Letters opened before handed over, and parcels in the presence of an interpreter and two or three English N.C.O.s. No shaving material allowed. Letters 1st and 15th of the month and a postcard every Sunday.
18) – Twice. Only in the presence of a German Officer. Yes, made things look as good as they could. Clean sheets (taken away the next day) and two blankets. Yes, in the hospital and as to parcels and clothing.
19) – See above.
20) – French and Belgian prisoners were employed in munitions factories at 1½ marks per day and good food. About 400 or 500 French and 300 Belgians.
21) – very reliable and intelligent
Examiner: Archibald Keen


Edward Pardon’s service papers have survived and are in the National Archives, WO364 records, the following biography has been prepared from these records.

Edward Pardon enlisted in the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) on 6th January 1905 at Pontefract and was given the service number 8636. He enlisted for a period of nine years active service with three years in the reserve; he was at the time serving in the Militia in the 3rd Battalion KOYLI. Edward Pardon was born in Woolwich in Kent and gave his age as 18 years and one month and his occupation as that of a plasterer’s labourer. Prior to enlisting he had been living with his grandmother in Doncaster. Edward’s description on enlistment was height 5ft 4 ins, weight 112 lbs, fresh complexion, light grey eyes and brown hair.

After enlisting Edward was sent to the Depot for training, he was then posted to the 2nd Battalion in April 1904 and subsequently posted to the 1st Battalion in February 1906. During his service he served in Gibraltar in 1906, South Africa for four years between 1906 and 1910, Hong Kong for two years before retuning to England. Whilst in South Africa he passed a course in machine gun duties.

Edward was transferred to the Army Reserve on 23rd December 1912. Edward married Sarah Ann Allen in Sheffield on 20th April 1913. After the declaration of war Edward was mobilised at Pontefract on 5th August 1914. His father lived at 45½ Hope Street, Walmgate, York, and his wife, Sarah Ann lived at 8 Lindley’s Yard, Doncaster, his grandmother also lived in Doncaster. He arrived in France on 10th August 1914 and he was captured on 30th August 1914. Due to his medical condition Edward was part of a prisoner of war exchange and he arrived in the UK on 7th December 1915.

Edward was examined by a doctor in January 1916; his address was given as 16 Bootham Row, Bootham, York. He was suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis which originated in Germany. The tuberculosis was determined to have been caused by active service; exposure and deprivation of food while a prisoner of war in Germany. Edward was discharged as no longer fit for active service 18th January 1916, his character was assessed as “very good”. Edward was examined at regular intervals to assess his condition; his initial pension was fixed at 12 shillings and 6 pence, his pension was increased to 27 shillings and 6 pence in July 1917. He was admitted to hospital on 18th December 1918 suffering with influenza and spent 41 days in hospital before he was discharged.

Edward Pardon died of tuberculosis at 16, Bootham Square; his death was reported by his widow on 7th October 1919. He is buried in York Cemetery.