Rainer's Stamp Corner  
 
Forum Home Forum Home > Nepal > Nepal Postmarks and Postal History
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - PRISONER OF WAR
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

PRISONER OF WAR

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
Bruno LE PEUT View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 23 April 2011
Location: France
Status: Offline
Points: 22
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bruno LE PEUT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: PRISONER OF WAR
    Posted: 05 May 2018 at 4:31pm
RED CROSS CARD GENEVA TO KATHMANDU




I bought this card recently. It's an answer from the International Red Cross Committee - Prisoners of War Central Information Agency of Geneva. The card was send the 8/01/1940 to Professor W. FILCHNER at Kathmandu. Arrived in India, censored in Calcutta with the handstamp type 1A1 (K. MORENWEISER British Empire Civil Censorship Devices WW2 British Asia 2005).
At the back of the card, the receiving postmark of the nepalese exchange post office of Kathmandu 1996/10/27 (10/02/1940).

I found some informations on the internet :

Professor W. FILCHNER was in Nepal from march 1939 to the end of 1940. He catch malaria in Nepal.
Going to India for treatment, he was interned in India : in Patna in the cottage-hospital, from 1940 until september 13, 1941 in the Parole Camp in Purandhar and from september 1941 until november 1946 in the Parole Camp in Satara. Later on he lived in Poona in the Maharashtra state of India.


This card is an answer of the red cross about the situation of the Professor W. FILCHNER.

The Professor was he a prisoner of war in Nepal? Was he in an hospital or in a jail in Kathmandu? Or was he preparing the documents with the red cross for the time when he was ready to cross to India?


I am looking for some informations and would be very happy to get answers from members.


Bruno LE PEUT
Back to Top
colinhepper View Drop Down
NTPSC Member
NTPSC Member
Avatar

Joined: 11 November 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 46
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote colinhepper Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 May 2018 at 5:50pm
It is a lovely card and I have not seen any POW cards associated with Nepal before. Sorry I cannot help with any information on Prof. Filchner at the  moment but I will keep looking.Smile
colinhepper
Back to Top
Rainer View Drop Down
NTPSC Member
NTPSC Member
Avatar

Joined: 11 October 2005
Location: Germany
Status: Offline
Points: 311
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rainer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 May 2018 at 5:53pm
Wikipedia mentiones:

but went on many journeys through Nepal and Tibet, including a geographic survey of Nepal in 1939. He contracted malaria on the trip and while returning south, he was interned from 1940 in Patna in the Cottage-Hospital, from 1940 until 13 September 1941 in the Parole Camp in Purandhar and from September 1941 until November 1946 in the Parole Camp in Satara along with his daughter Erika. Later on he lived in Poona in the Maharashtra state of India.

Adolf Hitler awarded him the German National Prize for Art and Science as an acknowledgement of his achievements in exploration.

Filchner died at the age of 79 in Zurich, Switzerland.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Filchner

Back to Top
Bruno LE PEUT View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 23 April 2011
Location: France
Status: Offline
Points: 22
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bruno LE PEUT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 May 2018 at 1:22pm
In his book "Nepal postal History", page 168, Wolfgang C. Hellrigl wrote : "While on a scientific mission involving the charting of magnetic fields throughout the country, Prof. Filchner was caught in Nepal by the outbreak of WWII. Although he was on very friendly terms with the Resident of the British Legation, the fact that he was a German citizen could not be ignored and, subsequently, even his christmas mail was subjected to censorship... There were no other "aliens" in forbidden Nepal".

I don't think that there was a camp for prisoners of war in Nepal, specially if Prof. Filchner was the only German in Nepal in 1939.
May be Prof. Filchner was in contact with the Red Cross to know what will be his fate when he will travel to India for malaria treatment. Was the British Legation ordered to send the Prof. Filchner to India?

Bruno LE PEUT
Bruno LE PEUT
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 11.09
Copyright ©2001-2017 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.063 seconds.