Aus Schutztruppe Prisoner of War Camp 1915 - 1919
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The Great War began in August 1914 and
by early 1915 the numerically stronger and better supplied South
African troops were steadily sweeping their way through the German
colony of South West Africa. The inevitable final surrender was
signed by Governor Dr. T. Sietz on 9 July
1915 alongside the railroad track at a place named at Kilometre 500 just north
of Otavi and is known as the Treaty of Khorab. One of the conditions was that all German
non-commissioned-officers, active troops and members of the German police force
in the colony would be interned until the end of the war. A couple of kilometres to the east of Aus
can be seen the few remains of the Aus Prisoner Of War Camp to where the Schutztruppe were transported and kept prisoner until the end of April 1919.
There's not much left to see as the elements have eroded nearly all of the
mud brick buildings down to ground level.
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Sadly, the commemorative plaque for the
site has been torn away from its place, so there's not much to see, and many
tourists find themselves disappointed when arriving at the site. However, if you
have any connection with one of the soldiers who were interned there, or other
interest this is briefly what it's all about. Three German officers were charged with maintaining discipline amongst
the POWs. These were
initially: Captain Mannhardt, Captain Von Munstermann and Captain Berlin who was
later relieved by Lieutenant Von Lossnitzer.The Union of South Africa camp
guards comprised of members of the volunteer corps & veterans
regiment. The camp commanders were: Lieutenant
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WH Scarth (1915-1917), and Lieutenant Colonel CW Lewis (1917 - 1919). On
average there were about 600 guards to 1,438 POWs.
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Plaque Removed |
The Kaiser's Monument ? |
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Kaiser's Monument |
When the soldiers reached their destination and
were marched to the east of the settlement of Aus the view they were presented
with what could not be described as being other than a bleak outlook. Twelve
thousand kilometres away from country, family and loved ones, and with the
'prize' of an escape that would lead them to 'Nowhere'. It was here on the
eastern plains of Aus that they were to erect rows of army bell-tents that were
to be their homes for an undetermined period until the end of the war. The
plains offered no shelter from the changeable weather conditions of the region. |
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Mud-Brick Houses |
The POW Camp |
Funeral Parade |
By August 1915 most of the Aus POWs had been encamped, and it was not
long before the prisoners would learn of the severe and changeable weather
conditions in this area. In one single week during September 1915 searing
heat carried by high winds scorched the camp.
This was almost immediately followed by a bitterly cold snap that brought
with it snow; and to exacerbate matters even more it was followed by
hot sand-storms. The conditions were challenging, but with
a mixture of their tough Schutztruppe experiences, German resolve, and the
will to survive in a bit more comfort the troops were soon manufacturing
sun-dried-mud-bricks with which they built dwellings that offered better
protection from the elements, and for some time were even better
accommodated that their South African prison overseers, until wooden sheds were
provided for the latter.
The Aus Prisoners Of War established
vegetable and flower gardens, formed sports teams, and even built a monument
to celebrate the Kaiser's birthday on 27th January. In 1916 the South
Africans erected guard houses at the corners of the camp, and paid the POWs
10 shillings per 1,000 for the bricks that were needed for the
constructions.
Nineteen-eighteen witnessed the Great Influenza
Pandemic and the during the months of November and December a total of 65
Prisoners of War, and 60 of their overseer guards perished of the illness. These
figures interestingly represent a 4.1% POW death rate, against an 8.3% Garrison
death rate. They were buried in a small cemetery just north of the B4 road.
The German graves are maintained by the Kreigsgraberfursorge Namibia, Tel )61
226689 Postfach 5648, Windhoek.
The Allied Graves are maintained by the Commonwealth Graves Society
Acknowledgements and
further reading: H12, H23, P1, P2, P3
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