BAG, CLOTH - RED CROSS

Claude Marsh served in World War One and was captured as a Prisoner of War (POW) in France in 1917 and spent the rest of the war working as a labourer in Germany, including as a farm hand in what is today Poland. The Red Cross issued bags such as these to POW's. The bags contained a variety of goods including grooming products, socks, scarves and food. This bag was made by the Busselton branch of the Red Cross and was most likely issued to Claude when he was a POW or when he was being repatriated back to Australian at the end of the war.
Claude was born in Kelmscott on 3 August 1897. In 1916 Claude was working as a local farm hand when on 13 April he enlisted with the Australian Imperial Force. After his training he was part of the 21st reinforcement for the 16th Battalion and was sent to England.
On 8 Feb 1917 he proceeded overseas to France from Folkestone on the HMT Princess Victoria. Five days later he joined the 16th Battalion in Albury Camp near Bazentin, south east of Pozières. March 1917 was spent regrouping and training before a move back to the front lines occurred in early April with the intention of attacking the Hindenburg Line. Following several changes of plans, and failure of the tanks to arrive in time for an attack on 10 April, the attack on the OG1 and OG2 trenches between Bullecourt and Reincourt took place early on 11 Apr 1917. Despite a complete lack of artillery and tank support the Australians captured parts of their objectives, but were eventually forced back, taking very heavy losses. Over 1,000 were captured when they ran out of ammunition or were surrounded by the Germans, who in the absence of artillery, had moved up reinforcements.
Claude was one of those captured near Reincourt after his Company Commander was killed. The early days of captivity were bleak with the prisoners kept close to the front lines restoring roads and carrying out other works behind the German front line.
Interned at Limburg, Germany, he was later transferred to Friedrichsfeld and then Schneidemuhl in Prussia where he worked first on forestry work and then as a farmhand on a farm owned by a German Sergeant of Polish ethnicity. [1].
Claude was repatriated to England via Danzig on 18 Dec 1918 and departed for Australia board SS Khyber on 31 Mar 1919. He was discharged by the 5th Military District on 7 Aug 1919. See separate publication "A Guest of the Kaiser by Linton Reynolds" for the story of his time as a POW.
On his return to Western Australian he moved back to Armadale, worked as a labourer and was a very active member of the local community. Claude was involved with many community organisation including the Kelmscott Agricultural Society as well as being a member of and playing for the Armadale Football Club and the Armadale Cricket Club.
In 1936 he married Dorothy May Marsh, together they had two children.
During World War II Claude enlisted again, this time with the Volunteer Defence Corp. He spent 15 months with the VDC before being discharged in January 1942 to return to civilian essential services. Claude passed away in Armadale in 23 October 1976.