WW1 POW Camp Sidi Bishr

[Michael Dobbs]

I have received the following request:

[color=maroon]I should be most grateful for any information on the POW camp at Sidi Bishr during WWI.[/color]

I would be grateful for any information you may know (i.e. reference books, dates of operation, which POWs did it hold, etc)

Thanks, Mike  :D

[Chris Weddell]

Mike,

        What i know about the Sidi Bishr Internment camp during WW1 was it was used to intern Turkish military officers. It was also a major army camp.

                                                      Chris

[Michael Dobbs]

Chris - many thanks indeed for the information.

Mike  ;D

[Alan Green]

Mike,

There is a 1917 Report on PoW Camps in Egypt that was produced by the International Red Cross inspectors. The original is in French and can be accessed on the ICRC WW1 site.
Perhaps of more use is an English translation which can be found online at
https://archive.org/stream/turkishprisoner00inte#page/54/mode/2up.
Sidi Bishr is covered on pages 48-55.

The report can be read online or downloaded.

The ICRC WW1 site holds many records of PoWs held in Egypt, although none of the Turkish internees. The Allied Lists of German PoWs, issued weekly, started to refer to Sidi Bishr and its abbreviation Si. early in 1917. The cover sheet of German list No.126 can be found at:
https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Zoom/D/05/03/C_G1_D_05_03_0009/C_G1_D_05_03_0009_0271.JPG/

PoWs were given numbers locally at each camp and it appears that the Sidi Bishr numbers were allocated sequentially based on arrival date, regardless of nationality.
As an example, another page from the German list No.126 shows two PoWs with Si. numbers
https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Zoom/D/05/01/C_G1_D_05_01_0030/C_G1_D_05_01_0030_0046.JPG/

Hopefully, this will give your colleague a starting point?

Kind Regards, Alan

[Michael Dobbs]

Alan - thank you very much for such a full reply.

Mike  :D