Pollock Family History

Crest	The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), (26th and 90th), 1914

John Pollock worked as a butcher, but in 1914, aged 22, he enlisted in the Cameronians, the Scottish Rifles who were based in Hamilton, Lanarkshire. Their depot was still there in the 1960s when the regiment was finally disbanded. John saw action early and was given the 1914 Star for enlisting that year. He later was awarded the Military Medal for bravoury in action. He told me in his latter years that he single-handedly took out a German gun emplacement. John achieved the rank of sergeant but was busted on a number of occasions back to private for dealing in Rum rations. He was eventually taken prisoner and spent the rest of the war in Stendal prison camp in Germany. Sergeant John Pollock, No 15818, A -Company, 9th Battalion, Scottish Rifles was taken prison of war by the Germans during WW1 and was presumed dead until the Red Cross notified the family. He was taken to a POW camp at Stendal in Germany.

Notes on Stendal

STENDAL, a town of Germany, in the province of Prussian Saxony, picturesquely situated on the TJchte, 70 m. W,. of Berlin on the main line of railway to Hanover and at the junction of lines to Bremen, Magdeburg and Wittenberge. Pop.(1905), 23,281.

Notes from here and there on Stendal prison camp:

1. THE STORY OF NORAH LOUISE WHITTAKER Born in Yorkshire 3rd February 1900 – Died Perth, Western Australia 2 November 1991.

Wartime, my brother Bert joined the Kings Royal Rifles and was sent to France. He was captured by the Germans and sent to a prison camp. We used to write often to him but he couldn’t tell us much. After he came home he told us that in Stendal (the prison camp) food was scarce and they had to scrounge it from dustbins and odd places. He was later sent to a farm to work for a woman called Frau Winterbauer and things got better. She said he reminded her of her son who was away in the war and she called him Peter. While he was there he got pneumonia and she wrapped him in feather-bedcovers. She not only cured that illness but also the problems he had previously incurred some years earlier when his shoulder blade had pierced his lung when he was knocked off his bike by a dog. It was in 1917 or 1918 when he returned home.

2. The Germans went to extraordinary lengths sometimes to use them to counter the tales of mistreatment that were abounding. Men were made to smarten themselves and then had their photograph taken looking well and contented either singly or in groups. These photos were then made into postcards, which were mailed back to families in England.

3. The Germans maintained a set of 'Registration Camps' such as Gustrow, Stendal, Limburg, Friedrichsfeld and Parchim. They were used as the designated addresses of men who had been sent to work in mines and factories and on farms. Red Cross Parcels sent to them rarely arrived and after the war the Committee made a list of parcels sent and parcels acknowledged so that a claim could be made on the German Government for the missing parcels

4. After convalescing in hospital Durham was moved to the Prisoner of War Camp at Stendal, Germany about 90 miles west of Berlin. The men were well treated although rations were in short supply, especially near the end of the war. Prisoners were issued a prison uniform supplied by the Red Cross that was black with brown stripes down the legs and a brown insert on the sleeves of the jacket. The daily fare at the camp consisted of black bread and soup and the men depended on packages from home and from the Red Cross for additional food, money, and supplies. A new arrival at the camp would be paired up with someone who had been at the camp for a while and they would share their parcels until the new arrival began to receive packages.

Prisoners also performed labour both inside and outside of the camp. Durham worked as an electrician while others would be billeted with farm families . More unfortunate prisoners would be sent to work in the salt mines. To keep the men occupied the camp organized concerts, a debating club, orchestras, plays and sports teams. Durham traded English lessons for cello lessons. The men also adopted a black cat as their mascot and gave the cat and her five kittens a home in their barracks. After the Armistice took affect on November 11, 1918, the camp was visited by Canadian officers who arranged for the transportation of the men back home

Excerpts from Motherwell Times Newspaper

A GALLANT SERGEANT

Intimation has been received that Sergt. J. Pollock, Scottish Rifles, has been awarded the Military Medal for bravery on the filed. Sergt. Pollock is well known in the town, and prior to the war he was employed as a butcher with Messrs J. Edwards & Sons. His home address is 39 Abbotsford Place.

PRISONERS OF WAR

Sergeant John Pollock, Scottish Rifles, who has been missing since the start of the German offensive on 23rd March, has turned up a prisoner of war in Germany. He is a Military Medallist, and before en-listing was employed with Messrs Edwards, butchers, The Cross.

Post card from Stendal, on back: A Stower Nachl. B. Zielinski, Stendal, Schadewachelen 43

Brochure

The Germans produced a brochure, perhaps as propaganda, showing how well the prisoners were treated and how good the conditions were in the camp.

Avenue and entrance to the Camp	Censors-office
Group of workers in Parcel-office	Avenue of the Camp - Unloading of a food-wagon
View of the Camp - Facing-west	General view of the Camp - Facing North
Interior of a Russian Barrack	Ingenious methods of French prisoners transporting their belongings to a working camp
Distribution of biscuits by the National Federation for the assistance of prisoners of war (French)	Cook-house of the 4 Company
Distribution of soup	Camp kitchen
Camp kitchen (boilers)	The practice of a French dentist
Russian Fire-Brigade	Interior of shower-bath
Life in Camp - The wash-house	A quiet game of chess
A game of bowls	The Library - The Book-case
The Library - School, Lecture and recreation-room	Recreation room - A game of Billiards
Barracks and Garden of No. 3 Company	Barracks and Garden of No. 4 Company
Camp orchestra (24 performers)	Sport in Camp - Franco-British football team
Art in Camp - Two motor cars made by a prisoner of war	Art in Camp - Wood-carving
Camp hobbies	The roman-catholic chapel
Russian Orthodox priest in his official robes - also showing view of alter	An Indian prisoner
Group of Indian soldiers	Russian Cossack
Art in Camp - French artist in studeo