Commonwealth War Graves Commission : Nikolai Cemetary, Jelgava

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

"Jelgava, better known as Mitau, was captured by German forces in the summer of 1915; and in 1919 it became part of the Republic of Latvia. The establishment of the Republic was followed by a successful struggle for national existence against Russian and unofficial German troops. To the right of the main path are the memorial and the graves of Latvian soldiers killed in the war of independence; to the left is the British plot, covering 299 square yards, and marked by a War Cross. Between the two plots is a memorial chapel with a belfry. The British plot contains 36 Commonwealth burials, 4 of which are unidentified. Most died as prisoners in 1917 on what is now Latvian territory. All the graves were brought in from other burial grounds after the Armistice; 17 came from MITAU RUSSIAN CEMETERY, 4 from MONIAK FARM CEMETERY (near the prison camp at Latschen), 3 from LIBAU NORTH CEMETERY, 3 from KLIWENHOF CHURCHYARD, and 9 from other places"

The site has plans of the cemetary here

and a photograph

The cemetary is 4km south east of Jelgava on the road to Mezciems.

The German Spring Reprisals of 1917: Prisoners of War and the Violence of the Western Front by Heather Jones

After watching the LSE video on "You tube"  I was very pleased to read this article via an email link  online  yesterday as it gives some further background information about the policy of "reprisal" and how it was implemented by the Germans.

Unfortunately, there is only a brief mention about the group known as EK 4 (Englaender Kommando 4)

The German Spring Reprisals of 1917: Prisoners of War and the Violence of the Western Front by Heather Jones
German History  (2008) 26 (3): 335-356.

Lieutenant Prael (Prahl)1st Jaegar Regiment 8th Army Corps, Commandant of Latchen Camp during the period of reprisals

"On one occasion a man who was working with me carrying timber fell down with exhaustion about 40 yards from the tent. As the sentry refused me permission to carry the man to the camp, I stepped out from work and asked Lieutenant Prahl if he would allow me to do so. He was extremely angry, staing that he had a son in England, a Prisoner of war, and said he would treat us dogs as the English were treating him........This Lieutenant Prahl was fully aware of all the butalities that were being perpetrated and he encouraged them in every way"

Private C Brown 6700 Ist Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment

National Archives WO 161/100/601

more from this report to follow.

 Private Brown was also sent to Libau from Doeberitz (EK 4) and was moved from Windau to Latchen.

Part 5: Sentries at the Latchen POW camp, Latvia

There are many many examples of cruel treatment of prisoners described in the reports that I have seen.

The sentries for example, often had access to full winter clothing while the British and presumably French and Russian prisoners were made to work with only light clothing and  rags tied round their feet. The POWs were also kept under close observation with the  punishments for any attempted escape being the shooting of fellow POWs.

"Sentries here pure savages, continually butting and striking prisoners; very severely treated. The German officer in charge came nearly every day and ordered sentries, if we did not work to shoot us."

Private Joseph Driscoll

National Archives WO 161/100/361

One of the German Officers whose name crops up in various places in POW reports  is the camp Commandant  and head of reprisal at Latchen who was named as a Lieutenant Prael ( Prahl) from the  Reserve of Artillary and who is described as being  "extremely cruel"

Part 4: Working conditions at Latchen POW camp, Kelsien.

Private Joseph Driscoll one of the Prisoners of War describes the working conditions at Latchen camp:

National Archives WO/161/361

"I was employed to work at the camp for the first day of work. When the men came back they told horrible stories, such as falling in the snow over dead unburied Russians who must have been lying out for weeks and months. Some men were working in the trenches under light gunfire and very often heard the hiss of bullets in the snow. Others were working on ice at the River Aa. This was a line of communication between the German blockhouses and Mitau. Work was really ice breaking in front of the bridge over the Aa. Some of these men had no books, and only rags to wrap round their feet, kept to work from 6 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. With two rests of 20 minutes each at 10 and 1.No food supplied , or at all from 6 to 5 p.m...........

Next day I went to work in the trnches. We were taken to Kelzien, a German Pioneer depot. There we received picks and shovels and were sent to the trenches six or seven kilom. from the camp. These trenches we were making were communication trenches. We were in full view of the Russians , and aways under light Russian gunfire. One man was struck by shrapnel, Shells were bursting 20 yards from the men. Also there was no protection given us against gas. 250 men would go to these trenches each day.........

Other work was what was called the wood party, hardest of all. This was cutting down large wood, cutting up and taking away to road, Always working up to thighs in snow."