Themes
Prisoners of War
Naval prisoners of war held captive in Brandenburg, Germany (RNM)
What is a prisoner of war?
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. By the end of the twentieth century thousands of members of the Royal Navy had been held as prisoners of war in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Far East, Asia and North Africa.
There are rules that govern the treatment of prisoners of war known as the Geneva Convention. A man named Henri Duant helped to establish the first Geneva Convention in 1864. Nations came together to extend the treaty in 1906 and further revisions took place in 1929 and 1949. The Convention is still in use today. There are, however, many examples of people treating prisoners of war in a manner outside the 'rules' of the Geneva Convention.
Page from Geneva Convention (RNM)
What does the Geneva Convention say?
The third Geneva Convention, drawn up in 1929, declared that all prisoners of war must be:
-
Shown respect at all times
-
Allowed to inform their next of kin of their capture
-
Allowed to correspond with relatives and to receive relief parcels
-
Given adequate food and clothing
-
Quickly released and sent home when hostilities end
-
Not forced to give any information except their name, age, rank and service number
What is an internee?
The Second Hague Convention established in 1910 states that during an armed conflict any troops moving through a neutral territory must be captured and held as internees. Internees generally enjoyed more freedom than prisoners of war. During World War One the Dutch interned 1500 men from the First Royal Naval Brigade at Groningen when they entered into neutral Holland to avoid capture by the German army. The Dutch allowed the internees here to visit cinemas, pubs and shops in the city.
Accomodation at Groningen Internment Camp in Holland c.1915 (RNM)
