6 things you may not know about POWs in England during the First World War

Prisoners of War in Britain during the Great War…….over 100,00 PoWs were held in Britain during the first world war

The Historic England Blog

Britain held nearly 100,000 prisoners of war (POWs) by the Armistice, November 1918.

Almost all were German soldiers captured on the Western Front in the years since Britain declared war on Germany, August 1914.

Prisoners were interned in hundreds of locations across England, ranging from purpose-built camps holding thousands of men, to locations that held just a few individuals. Despite widespread British anti-German sentiment, POWs were generally correctly treated.

Here are six things you may not know about German POWs held in England:

1. Some camps were thought to be too luxurious

Donington Hall prisoner of war camp, Leicestershire. © ICRC.

Under the 1907 Hague Convention, captured servicemen were entitled to treatment in line with their rank and board, lodging and clothing comparable to that of their captors. Officers were not required to work. Donington Hall, an 18^th century stately home set in parkland, was requisitioned to house captured…

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