From Tsingtao to Skipton

Anne is Associate Professor in the German Department of the University of Leeds, where her research focuses on the Great War training and POW camp in Skipton.
In this talk, Anne tells the little-known story of the escape of two Germans from a Japanese POW camp in Fukuoka. Spending most of 1915 on the run, they came close to circumnavigating the globe. In November 1914, they had been among 4,700 Germans taken prisoner by the Japanese after the Siege of Tsingtao. They separately escaped from Fukuoka, teaming up in Shanghai with the aim of making it back to Germany to re-join the war effort. They travelled west through China, Afghanistan, Persia and Turkey. A detailed diary of the journey has recently been found by the family of one of the men, providing a fascinating insight into the experiences of German officers in Japanese captivity during the First World War and into life in China a century ago. 

Members and non-members of the Western Front Association are equally welcome. Any new visitors are guaranteed a friendly atmosphere and a warm welcome from a group of like-minded enthusiasts.

Suggested donation on the door £5.