Soccer in the War Prison Camps

This post was inspired by presentations by Martin Crotty: "Sport in the Turkish POW Camps" and Jorge Knijnik & Bob Petersen: "Sport Among the Internees 1914-1919" at the Sporting Traditions XIX conference, 4 July 2013.

These following are images housed at the Australian War Memorial. There are many such images of Australian soccer players in the the POW camps. Below each image is the citation in the AWM. Soccer was played by many Australian POWs.
This one is striking because of the national mix of the team. It consisted of five Australians, two Canadians, four Englishmen and two Frenchmen.

Group portrait of an allied Prisoner of War (POW) football team, possibly at Dulmen POW camp, Germany. The team consists of five Australians, two Canadians, four Englishmen and two Frenchmen. In the background are two Russians and one Italian. Identified standing in the back row of the group, second from the left (and marked with an x) is 3388 Private (Pte) Frederick William Nichols, 3rd Battalion, from Junee, NSW, who enlisted on 29 June 1915 at the age of 18 and embarked for overseas on 2 November 1915 aboard HMAT Euripides. Identified standing in the back row fourth from the left (and marked with an x) is 3288 Pte Thomas Harrison Dobson, 1st Battalion, from Auburn, NSW, who enlisted on 18 July 1915 at the age of 21 and embarked for overseas on 5 October 1915 aboard HMAT Themistocles. Identified kneeling in the centre row (and marked with an x) is 3467 Pte Herbert Alfred Wilkins, 3rd Battalion, from Howlong, NSW, who enlisted on 20 July 1915 at the age of 24 and embarked for overseas on 2 November 1915 aboard HMAS Euripides. Identified sitting in the front row on the far left is 4151 Pte John Joseph Costello, 54th Battalion, from Sydney, NSW, who enlisted on 20 August 1915 at the age of 23 and embarked for overseas with the 2nd Battalion on 20 December 1915 aboard HMAT Aeneas. Identified sitting in the front row, second from the left is 3112 Pte Stephen Soper, 53rd Battalion, from Sydney, NSW, who enlisted on 8 July 1915 at the age of 21 and embarked for overseas on 8 October 1915 aboard HMAT Warilda. All of the five Australians were captured at Fleurbaix, France, on 20 July 1916 and held as POWs in Germany until repatriated to England on 29 November 1918. They all arrived back in Australia the following year. The postcard was sent to the Australian Red Cross in London by 4512 Pte Percy Arthur Haslam, 54th Battalion, from Newcastle, NSW, who enlisted on 28 July 1915 at the age of 24 and embarked for overseas with the 13th Battalion on 16 February 1916 aboard HMAT Ballarat. He was captured at Laventie, France, on 20 July 1916 and held as a POW in Germany. On 14 October 1917, he wrote from the POW camp at Dulmen "The advice of the despatch of the Boxing Gloves was hailed with delight by the boys. Would you send a couple of packets of playing cards and a few parlour games to help pass the time during the winter nights. The football which has provided such good sport for us will soon have to be put aside for milder weather conditions as the winter is very severe." Pte Haslam was repatriated to England on 5 December 1918 and arrived back in Australia on 29 February 1920.

This is a particularly jolly image. Each is dressed in his best gear and most are putting on a bit of a smile. Their young German guard looks the unhappiest.

Outdoor portrait of Prisoners of War (POW) and their German guard at POW camp Munster 3, Germany. The POW sitting in the centre is holding a football inscribed 432 F.C. 1918 and the two sitting in front are holding a dog and a rabbit, pets or mascots. Identified standing in the back row, second from the right is 3219 Private (Pte) Raymond Edward Stevens, 54th Battalion, from Bega, NSW, who enlisted at the age of 21 on 2 August 1915 and embarked for overseas on 20 November 1915 aboard HMAT Suevic. He was captured at Fleurbaix, France, on 20 July 1916 and held as a POW until repatriated to England on 14 December 1918. Pte Stevens arrived back in Australia on 4 March 1919. Identified standing in the back row on the far right is 3536 Pte Charles Joseph McCue, 53rd Battalion, from Manly, NSW, who enlisted at the age of 20 on 18 August 1915 and embarked for overseas on 2 November 1915 aboard HMAT Euripides. He was captured at Fleurbaix, on 20 July 1916 and interned at various German POW camps. He was repatriated to England on 14 December 1918 and arrived back in Australia on 26 March 1919. He re-enlisted in the Army in the Second World War and served from 13 December 1939 to 29 September 1943. Identified sitting in the second row, second from the right is 3067 Pte James McCullock Galloway, 55th Battalion, from Balmain, NSW, who enlisted at the age of 20 on 4 August 1915 and embarked for overseas on 20 December 1915 aboard HMAT Suevic. He was captured on 20 July 1916 during the fighting around Fromelles on the Somme, France. He was held in German POW camps until he was repatriated to England in December 1918. Pte Galloway embarked to return to Australia on 2 March 1919. Identified sitting in the second row on the far right is 3339 Pte John Francis Killalea, 53rd Battalion, from Surry Hills, NSW, who enlisted at the age of 43 on 15 August 1915 and embarked for overseas on 2 November 1915 aboard HMAT Euripides. He was captured at Fleurbaix, on 20 July 1916 and held as a POW in Germany. Pte Killalea was repatriated to England on 14 December 1918 and arrived back in Australia on 26 March 1919. Identified sitting on the right in the front row, holding the rabbit, is 3563 Pte Herbert George Lohmann, 54th Battalion from Balmain, NSW, who enlisted on 2 November 1915 and embarked for overseas on 12 December 1915 aboard HMAT Berrima. He was captured at Laventie, France, on 20 July 1916 and was interned in at least two POW camps in Germany. He was repatriated to England on 14 December 1918 and arrived back in Australia on 26 March 1919.

This is a photograph of an 'English' football team in a Turkish POW camp. The prisoners were captured at Gallipoli and a number of them were Australian.

INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL IN TURKEY, MEMBERS OF THE ENGLISH P.O.W. CAMPS TEAM, BELEMEDICK, 1918-04. FOR NAMES SEE PROVISIONAL CAPTION KEY SHEET. (DONOR G.K.KERR)

On the other side of the world, in Australia a mirror process took place and German 'Aliens' interned at Holdsworthy were playing their own games of imprisonment soccer.

HOLSWORTHY, NEW SOUTH WALES. C. 1916. A BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL MATCH (SOCCER) IN PROGRESS AT THE NO 1 COMPOUND OF THE GERMAN INTERNMENT CAMP.

to be continued . . .