First World War internee William Kraft inside an internment hut, Knockaloe Camp, Isle of Man
Date(s): ?1918
Scope & Content: The identification as William Kraft is derived from the prisoner number 21711 which appears on the glass plate, and comparison with the repatriation lists on the ICRC website. Kraft's Red Cross information bureau number was 35902. Nb he also appears as Wilhelm Kraft. Hospitalised with Febricula 23/1/1917.
He first appears on a list of prisoners dated 12/6/15. Age 34. Gem IR 80 kp 9 Landsturm (army reserve). Listed at Handforth camp. Home address: Mrs Evans, Wath on Dearne, nr Rotherham, Yorks [lodgings?] Born: Hasenfeld, Hessen-Nassau. An enquirer contacting MNH library confirms the family home was actually 220 Sheffield Road, Birdwell, near Barnsley, and his wife was named Christine (Ancestry confirms marriage in 1908). The enquirer states: 'He was an engineer by trade, and arrived in England prior to 1908. He returned to Germany after the War and was not heard from again. His wife subsequently re-married and moved to Bradford.' (MS 11497).
The case was reported in the Mansfield Reporter 3/8/1917 under the headline German's Bank Balance: 'William Kraft, a German now interned at Knockaloe has a bank balance of over £200. His wife, Christine Kraft, an Englishwoman resident in the Wath district, applied to the Guardians for assistance for herself and two children "as the husband will not give her any authority to draw the moneys from his account"' The report describes how under the Trading With The Enemy Act his funds were placed under public control.
Nationality: German
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/7870/39120
Subject tags : hut interior craftwork watering can