There is a story here which is over-layered with a mystery, but I doubt I will find an answer to why someone would send a Christmas card from a British military hospital during the Great War.
The hospital was the old Withington Workhouse infirmary which was requisitioned to care for wounded servicemen.
Thousands will have passed through during the conflict but I am not sure that their records have survived.
Some of the men who died of their wounds are buried in Southern Cemetery, but as for the rest, I fear their records have been lost forever.
And that brings me back to the card, which was acquired by my old friend David Harrop who sent it over today.
It is a printed postcard, but carries no imprint on the reverse, leaving just the stylized picture with the word "Christmas" in German along with the reference to “Military Hospital Nell Lane Manchester 1918”.
So, was it one of a batch especially designed for German POW’s recovering in the hospital, which could be sent home for Christmas?
If so, it opens up a whole new line of research on the hospital.
Someone will know, or will make a sound guess based on information I don’t have.
And yes someone offered up an answer, which was as I supposed.
The hospital provided care for German POW's, some of whom died and were buried in Southern Cemetery.
But what I didn't know was that, "On 16 October 1959, the governments of the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany made an agreement about the future care of the remains of German military personnel and German civilian internees of both world wars who at the time were interred in various cemeteries not already maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
It was agreed that the remains would be transferred to a single central cemetery established on Cannock Chase for this purpose"*
Location; Nell Lane
Picture; Christmas, Military Hospital Nell Lane Manchester 1918, from the collection of David Harrop
*Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannock_Chase_German_Military_Cemetery?fbclid=IwAR2NCwTf3PWjF2Emxy6knxj-8l0-3QIiVosJ9Ici2kbzJoe_zt4vCPivWzU
Most of the German dead were exhumed and sent home or reburied at Cannock Chase.
ReplyDeleteI remember going into this building.Mncheste housing works departmen had depot there for many years,before moving out then changing its name to Manchester direct works department
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