A Prisoners-of-War Library, being the History of the British Officers' Library, Stralsund, Germany
by L. Newcombe and J.H.E. Winston, 1919, reprinted from The Library Association Record, vol. XXI, September 1919
Article from The Library Association Record (journal of the association), reprinted by Aberdeen University Press, 1919, written by Luxmore Newcombe (Major) and John HE Winston (Lieutenant).
Both the authors of the article served with the Yorkshire Regiment but were librarians in civilian life. Major Newcombe was the sub-librarian at University College London, and Lieutenant Winston was the wills librarian at Guy’s Hospital, London. The article begins by saying “It might be of interest to librarians who have not had the privilege of being guests of the ex-Emperor of Germany at one of his Homes of Rest for British Officers to have a few details of the foundation and development of a library in a prisoner of war camp.” At the end of June 1918, the two officers were at a permanent camp at Stralsund, on the northern coast of Germany. Here, they set up a committee and were eventually able to get the German guards to provide a room that had space for a book store, issue desk, and reading area.
The library opened on 24 July 1918 (delayed two weeks by a compulsory program of delousing of all prisoners), with a one off entrance fee of 2 marks and one book donation, or 4 marks, and a monthly subscription of 50 pfennigs. There were 467 members and 993 books. Of these, 528 were in English, 217 in French, and 248 in German. All the foreign books and 90 of the English ones were lent by the German authorities (they had formed part of a camp library collected by Russian officers earlier in the war). A further 60 English books were provided by the Berlin YMCA and the rest by the men. This led to there being many odd volumes out of sets, missing pages, or “the subject matter… [being] of a very trashy description”.
The number and quality of books was increased when several hundred volumes of technical and educational books were obtained through the Prisoners of War Book Scheme. The library also purchased 200 Tauchnitz Editions at 5 marks each. Tauchnitz were a German publisher of English language books, begun in 1842. As the strength of the library improved, camp orderlies were allowed membership. There was a weekly circulation of 50 books provided for British men and orderlies in hospitals in the Stralsund area.
The article goes on to provide the rules and regulations, as well as describing in detail the cataloguing process, begun in exercise books but eventually transferred to a card catalogue. Newcombe and Winston do lament however that, “Although all officers who took duty in the library were very keen and energetic, we found…the entire lack of any practical library training a serious drawback. It took us quite a long time to impress upon some of them the importance of putting books back in the correct place.”
By the time the library closed on 20 November 1918, there were 2576 books and 1174 members. It was also well in credit financially as money had been kept in case any was demanded by the German authorities for damage to any books they had provided. Due to the Armistice and the disorder of the camp, no damages were sought and the money was donated to the National Council of the YMCA as a thank you for the help provided to the camp.
Date: 1919
Author: Winston, JHE; Newcombe, L
Reference: D/DLI 7/773/4
Where to find this: Durham County Record Office
Contributed by Durham County Record Office
