Photos show life in Jersey World War One prison camp

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-39293822

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Never before seen photographs have been released showing life in Jersey's prisoner of war camp.

Images include prisoners taking part in a snowball fight during World War One and a tunnel which may have been dug as part of an escape attempt.

The pictures have been shared by the great nephew of Captain Eli Bowers, who was among the camp's guards.

They "add to our understanding of the history of the camp", said island historian Ian Ronayne.

The site at Les Blanches Banques housed nearly 2,000 men from the German armed forces from 1915-1917.

Dr Brian K Feltman, from Georgia Southern University in the United States, said the snowball fight showed prisoners "breaking the monotony of camp life".

He said it could be an example of prisoners staving off "barbed wire disease", a form of depression associated with "the boredom and regulations" imposed on prisoners of war.

Mr Ronayne, a WW1 blogger for Jersey Heritage, said some of the images showed tunnels which may have been used during one of the attempts to escape the camp.

He said if the images related to one of these incidents it would be a "fantastic find".

Another showed two sets of fencing at the camp - "barbed wire on the inside... and then an electrified fence" - which was rare, according to Dr Heather Jones from the International History at the London School of Economics.

"I have not come across an electric fence being used for a UK home front prisoner of war camp before," she added.

Capt Bowers served in the Royal Jersey Militia and took the six photos from late 1916 to early 1917.

Helier Falle found the pictures in his mother's house.

"Rather than leave them sitting in a drawer for nobody to see, I thought they should be shared," he said.

Though he had seen similar photos auctioned, he added "it wouldn't feel right to profit from them".