The Manchester German Community

[Tim Bell]

When visiting IWM North I noted 'The Register of Enemy Aliens' in Salford as below. 

If anyone has access to this document, or the Manchester Register I'd be interested to hear if there is a reference to my great uncle Ernest Auguste Frederick Wissel born Hanover 1877 and married to my great Aunt Lily Grindley.  In 1911 my Grandad lived with them at 122 Greenheys Lane, Chorlton on Medlock.

I realise this is a long shot...

Tim

[mack]

7078 Oscar,philip blankenberger a 23yr old worker in a shipping warehouse enlisted on 3-9-1914 in the 16th manchesters,oscar and his four brothers were all born in Manchester,the sons of james+bertha blankenberger who were both german,oscar went to france with his battalion on 8-11-1915,on 19th april 1916 he was ordered to report to the 30th infantry brigade depot pending a return to England for discharge on the grounds that he was a german,he was ordered to report to the RTO at etaples railway station at 3.30pm on 22nd april and put aboard the train at 3.53pm,he was told to report to the OC Manchester regiment at southport,he was discharged from the army on 26 may because his services were no longer required,after his discharge he was put on munitions work at messrs stubbs of great ancoats.

Oscar changed his name to Philip whitehill by deed poll,in 1921 he wrote to the records officer at preston asking if they would inscribe his medals with his new name in order that he could show his children that he had served his country,but they refused.

Oscars character on discharge was described as reliable,trustworthy and a very respectable man,this was crossed out and replaced with"discharge because hes german".

Oscar lived with his wife and children at 80 Nicholson st,rochdale road,manchester.

these people shamed a good man into changing his name,they didn't trust him to carry on serving yet the damn fools thought he was reliable enough for munitions work

mack

[PhilipG]

Mack,
Great research.  But what a sad story.   I see his name is recorded in the "Book of Honour".  He was in No. XV platoon of "D" Company.     PhilipG.

[charlie]

A very sad story. I wonder what happened about his brothers Karl, Otto and Rudolf who were also of military age.

Charlie

[Tim Bell]

This story is very challenging to understand and even harder to judge.  I note Oscar had previous service in 8th Ardwick Territorials as Time Expired.

[Tim Bell]

I visited Thiepval and Flers again this week and thought about Gerald Levinstein because of extended family connection with the German community. 

He had attended Pembroke College, Cambridge, where Capt. Madden was also an alumnii. His MIC indicates he served as a Private 609 with one of the Public Schools Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers before his Commission with 20th Manchesters on 6/4/15.  CWGC show Gerald as Attached to 17th from 26th Bttn.  He had married Dorothy Edwards of Grafton Street at St Savieur Parish Church on 25/10/15, aged 28 and resident at Prees Heath.  His brother Herbert was a witness.  Gerald's Estate was a significant sum of �27,661 when Probate was granted.  His previous address is noted as as Teddington.  Dorothy had remarried to Arthur Saunders when Probate granted her the Estate.  Gerald's Austrian born mother Hedwig had died in 1909.  It appears 2nd brother Edgar was in US and I can't find a record of Herbert serving, so he may have been abroad too.

I've latterly found that Gerald's brother Herbert took over the family chemical firm when his father died in 1916.  He then developed The Levinstein Process for the production of Sulfur Mustard - A rudementary form of Mustard Gas known as HS "Hun Stuff".  He later developed the chemicals and mass produced Mustard Gas in the US.  Herbert became a significant figure in the chemical industry, but summaries don't mention his contribution to the War Effort, not the loss of his brother at Flers.
All somewhat off-topic, but I hope others find this interesting.