WWII: Photo of internees at Ilag VIII

Dear readers,

Due to the popularity of this post, I feel it is pertinent to add that this is the sole photo I have of prisoners of war, aside from one of my own grandfather. I have only a handful of POW letters (from the men I have listed in the post below), but not much else in terms of documents or knowledge about the camps or people in them. However, please feel free to use the commenting area as a forum. Perhaps someone else who is looking for what you’re looking for — or who has what you’re looking for — will also find this post. Thank you for visiting.

May your search prove fruitful!

-Christina Gullickson

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Update: 5/20/2021

Dear readers,

I recently heard from Frédéric, who often comments on this post, that he had many IDs of the men in this POW photo. He asked if I could update the post with the identifications, so without further ado…

This is a photo of POWs/internees from WWII at the Ilag VIII internment camp, according to the stamp with the phrase “Gepruft 2” on the back. I found it in a box from my grandmother’s house which also contained documents and photos from my great-grandmother, Helena de Wit.

Helena, or Lenie as she was often called, frequently wrote to prisoners during the war, including a number at Ilag camps. I don’t know that the men she wrote to are the same as the ones in this photo (although, it’s my guess that at least one of them was, for why else would she have kept it), but I mention them because I am seeking their descendants before publishing the letters they wrote to Lenie on this blog. They are:

• Fred Anderson [Signed “Skylark,” sent from Ilag Tost 4, Oflag VIII D
• George Hamilton [Signed “Scottie,” sent from Ilag Tost 7]
• S. Churley [Sent from Ilag Tost VIII]
• C. Hendre [Sent from Ilag Tost 8, Oflag VIII D]

If you or someone you know is a descendant of one of these men, please post the details in the comments.