WWI records? Regiment lists?

[megklange]

I am doing family research and have hit a bump. My great great grandfather Charles W. Lange (1891) born , joined up after he graduated from the Malerschule, a private art school- in Buxtehude in March 1912. His graduation picture shows all the boys in uniform. He was from Hamburg but spent time in Bremen, so I assume he joined up in one of those towns. I also am assuming he was infantry.

He was captured as a POW and sent to England...and that is all we know about the way, except a handful of old cigarette cards from the trenches.

I am searching for some sort of record, they seem awfully hard to track down.

Any ideas? I would very much appreciate any guidance.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

as much as I hate to say it, I think your chances of finding anything are pretty close to Zero, unless some more info happens to pop up.

Not only is the info minimal, but there is also a chance that he changed his first name at some stage as Charles is very un-German.

best

Chris

[Speedy]

He might has changed his name in England from Karl to Charles. So you better look for Karl W. Lange. Unfortunately their should be plenty of Karl Langes in the records...

[Ulsterman]

can we see the cigarette cards? If there is a unit stamp on them....ALSO, do you know when and where he was captured?

[Claudius]

can we see the cigarette cards? If there is a unit stamp on them....ALSO, do you know when and where he was captured?

As a POW did he write any letters? Did the family send any letters to him as a POW? Where he was a POW could be a clue as well.

[KenS]

I would try to find out more about the school. At some point they may have issued a war memorial book(let) that may include information about students who served in the war. Schools also sometimes produced annual reports, which during the war years would have included casualty notices and possibly other information about war service.