UK Prisoners of War in the Great War held by the Germans
| Essex Regiment POW Fund |
| Guide to POW Records |
| Life in a POW camp |
| POW Records Held at the National Archive |
| Repatriated POW - Dinner at Brentwood 1919 |
| Repatriated POW - Dinner at Chlemsford 1919 |
It is estimated that over 190,000 Allied servicemen were taken as prisoners of war during World War One.
Essex Regiment men taken prisoner by Germans on the Western Front
210 members of the 1st Essex
410 members of the 2nd Essex
86 members of the 9th Essex
186 members of the 10th Essex
220 members of the 11th Essex
410 members of the 13th Essex
Battalion men taken prisoners by Turkish Army in Turkey and Egypt
146 members of the 4th,5th,6th and 7th Essex of which only 78 were repatriated.
Although the German complied with the basic conditions of the Geneva Convention there was a considerable variation in conditions although none would be regarded as good.
After the Armistice the POW's were repatriated quickly with the first batch arriving at Dover a week after the Armistice was signed.
Some were in poor condition especially if they refused to help the Germans with war work as was the case with Private Howarth of the 13th Essex who weighed 12 stone when captured but by his release weighed just 5 stone.
Click here to read about German POW's in Great Britain
