First World War Internees and Medical Staff, Hospital, Douglas Camp, Isle of Man
Date(s): ?1917
Scope & Content: The glass plate is marked with a name and prisoner number 4486 which in the Douglas Camp Daybook corresponds to prisoner Guidu von Georgewitz
A man named Georgewitsch [sic] appears in Frederick Dunbar's 'Die Manner Insel'. An Austrian pilot, he was shot down at the capture of Lemberg and was taken to a prisoner of war camp in Siberia. He escaped but his leg was frostbitten. He made it to Peking where the leg was amputated before falling into the hands of the Japanese, who later released him. He journeyed to America before boarding a steamer for home, from which he was arrested by the British and interned at Douglas Camp. He was eventually exchanged.
There are refrences to his exchange in The National Archives FO 383/118. His name there is spelled Georgevitch and later Georgevits - 'Austro-Hungarian subject arrested at Kirkwall, Orkney Islands; interned at Edinburgh Castle, Scotland, Lofthouse Camp, Wakefield, Yorkshire, the German Hospital, Dalston, London, and Douglas Camp Hospital, Isle of Man. Proposal to exchange him with Ian Fraser Ross, British subject, interned at Baden, near Vienna, Austria. Another proposal to exchange him with Captain Stanley Wilson, interned at Salzerbad, Austria. His repatriation disallowed because despite amputation of a foot, he could be an observer from an aeroplane, for which he was specially trained.'
Other men present in this group are Julius Roeder of Douglas Camp seated right and Wilhelm Koehn also of Douglas Camp seated left. Dr von Osten is standing centre. He is noted in a camp report as assistant to Dr Robert Marshall. Standing back right is hospital orderly Walter Neumann (all identified from other images).
Language: English
Extent: overall: 16 cm x 12 cm
Physical description: Black & white glass half-plate negative
Item name: photograph
Collection: Photographic Archive
Level: ITEM
ID number: PG/7870/37149
Subject tags : hospital, medical staff, doctor, medical orderlies, laboratory.