The Newman Chronicle

Spotlight on the Newman One-Name Study archives: Carl Damien Newman, i33956

WWI POW Records (Prisoners of the First World War, historical archives of the International Committee of the Red Cross: https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/).

(2) List of Prisoners of War, Officers received at the Officers Prison Camp, Villingen, stamped 1 Nov 1916, P.A. 6842, Englander

Carl Newman, born in England on 13-2-89, made a prisoner at Mühlheim on 12-10-16, trans.

from Etappenkdtr [Etappen Kommandantur] Mülhaussen i.E. [im Elsass, "in Alsace"].

(3) List of names (no title); stamped 22 Nov 1916, P.A. 7057, Englander:

119; Newman, Carl Damien; sub-Lt.; ditto [Royal Naval Air Service, Nr. 3 Wing];

received from Mühlheim; born Low Fell, Co. Durham, 13-2-89; [home?] St. Mark's (1) Index card for Carl D. Neuman aka Carl Vicarage, England; nearest Damien Newman, PA 7057 and PA 6842 relative Rev. C. Newman, St. Mark's Vicarage, England. (2)

(3)

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Military records found for Carl Damien Newman (https://www.fold3.com)

British Army Lists:

November 1914, p. 2835, Promotions, Appointments, &c.: Royal Army Medical Corps, The undermentioned Cadets and ex-Cadets of the O.T.C. to be Lts. (on prob.), (Gaz. 5 Oct.), 8 Aug.

UK, Navy Lists:

April 1915, p. 530t, Temporary Surgeon Probationers; where serving: Moy.

October 1916, p. 339, Royal Naval Air Service, Flight Sub-Lieutenants, 1915, 15 Oct (tempy)

August 1917, p. 337, Royal Flying Corps, Naval Wing (R.N.A.S.), Flight Lieutenants, 1917, 30 Jun (tempy)

Digging deeper

Carl Newman was shot down and captured on 12 October 1916 when he was part of a bombing raid on the Mauser Rifle Factory at Oberndorf, "a town in the district of , in Baden-Württemberg, ..." (Wikipedia)

From his POW record:

Breguet D.D.N. 9176 Motor: 220 P.S. Renault Nr. 54281 (12 Cyl), Prisonnier Frankfurter [?] 21 Oct. 1916. ["Breguet" refers to an aircraft manufactured during WWI by Bréguet Aviation. (Wikipedia)]

Details about the Oberndorf bombing raid come from an aviation forum (http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/showthread.php?s=32e38e3d4d6caa9310571a5ce4496f8 c&t=15422).

"[F]rom an article written by Bob Pearson for Over The Front journal" (post #5):

It was not until 12 October 1916 that the weather cleared sufficiently to allow a raid on the Mauser works at Oberndorf...carried out by 22 British and between 21 and 34 French aircraft. The British contributed nine Sopwith bombers, six Breguet V bombers and seven Sopwith fighters. While the French force

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comprised 12 Farman F.42, seven Breguet IV, one Breguet V and one Sopwith fighter (both borrowed from the RNAS). In addition four Nieuport 17s of Escadrille N.124, the 'Escadrille Americaine' would provide escort.

...From the reports received from the pilots the remaining machines achieved their objective - the Mauser Rifle Factory at Oberndorf. [Capt. W.L. Elder, OC No.3 Wing] The force lost a total of three British and seven French machines. One of the pilots lost on the raid was F/S/L C.H.S. 'Charlie' Butterworth, a Canadian from Ottawa. He was flying Sopwith bomber 9660 when he was forced down with a slight wound to his neck and damage to his engine after an attack by a Fokker D.II flown by Vzfw Hanstein. Fortunately, Butterworth was able to land on an airfield at and was taken prisoner.

List of downed aircraft (post #13):

1. Farman, F 123, Adj. H.Baron & Sgt.Guerineau, both KIA, Widenzohen, Kissenberth

2. Farman, F 123, S/Lt. A.Georges & Sgt. E.Jouan, both KIA, Ihringen, Kissenberth

3. Bréguet, 3.Wing RNAS, Lt. Rockey & Sgt.Sterdec, both POW, Oberenzen, Kissenberth

4. Bréguet , BM 120, Cpl. R.de Montais & Soldat A. Haas, both KIA, Rüstenhart, Udet.

5. Bréguet, BM 120, Cpl. Bouet & Soldat Delcroix, both POW, Bremgarten, Pfälzer

6. Sopwith Strutter, the one mentioned by Mike, ftl. by Hanstein [flown by C.H.S. "Charlie" Butterworth, per previous and next posts]

7. Bréguet, BM 120, MdL. L.Barlet & Soldat Luneau, both KIA, Umkirch, Hilz

8. Bréguet, BM 120, MdL. L.Mottay & Soldat Marchand, WIA/POW & KIA, Steinbach, Haber.

9. Bréguet, 3.Wing RNAS, FLt. C.D. Newman & GL Vitty, both POW, Buggingen, Ground fire.

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Royal Naval Air Service losses (post #27):

 Flight Lieutenant C D Newman and Gunlayer Vitty in Breguet Type V 9176. Brought down by anti-aircraft fire and taken prisoner.

 Flight Sub-Lieutenant J S N Rockey and Gunlayer Sturdee in Breguet Type V 9181; both PoW.

 Flight Sub-Lieutenant C H Butterworth in Sopwith Strutter 9660; wounded and taken prisoner. [C.H. aka C.H.S. "Charlie" Butterworth was at the same officer's prison camp at Villingen as Carl Newman.]

Carl Damien Newman's great-grandson, Damien Thursby, provided this photo of Carl, probably taken at Upavon, Wiltshire where he did his flight training, and shared the following:

He served in the Royal Naval Air Service as a pilot during WW1, was shot down and captured. He spent most of the war as a prisoner of war in Germany, and when it ended he was in the newly formed RAF.

He left the Armed Forces and finished his training as a doctor, moved out to India and ended up as the chief medical officer of the the Eastern Bengal railway company.

His daughter, Gabrielle Odette Newman (known as Gay) married Patrick Dehany Francis Thursby (my grandfather) in 1946.

My dad also had Damien as a middle name, from Carl, which I have „inherited‟ as my first name.

There is also a story, told by my granny (Carl‟s daughter), that when he was captured, due to his Germanic sounding name, the Germans initially thought he was a German traitor fighting for the British. They

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suggested his real name was Karl Neumann.

There is an index card for Karl Damien Newman in the Red Cross collection (indexed as Karl Danian and filed in the "Marine" group) which leads to a POW record containing information consistent with Carl Damien's — e.g., Flight Lt. with RNAS; captured 12-10-16; father Rev. C.H. Newman, St. Mark's Vicarage, Durham — but giving his date and place of birth as 13-2-88 at "New Castle-on-Tyne."

Mr. Thursby's research aligns with the article found on the aviation forum (above):

FSL Newman arrived in France around mid-September 1916 and was serving with Blue Squadron, No 3 Wing RNAS. On 12 Oct 1916 he flew a Bréguet bomber (number 9176) during the one of the early strategic bombing raids, on the Mauser weapons factories at Oberndorf-am-. Over 60 aircraft from the RNAS, the French and Canadians took part in the raid, but it was not successful (although the Admiralty claimed it dented German morale, due to the effect on the civilian population, such as citywide blackouts at night). The Bréguets are thought to have mistakenly bombed Donaueschingen (about 40km south of their target) before the allies were attacked by German Albatros D.IIs and Fokker D.IIs (including future aces Ernst Udet, Otto Kissenberth and Ludwig Hanstein), and lost 9 aircraft; FSL Newman‟s Bréguet was brought down by anti-aircraft guns at Buggingen (near Müllheim) and taken prisoner. On 7 Dec 1916 “Flight” records that Bréguet biplane no. 9176 was shot down, and that one of the occupants was “Pilot, Lieut. Neumann, prisoner.” He spent the rest of the war in Clausthal, a former health resort in the Herz Mountains converted into a POW camp.

UK WWI POW Records held by the Red Cross

There are over 250 Newmans with index cards in this collection. The amount of information they contain varies, e.g.:

Alfred Newman, 16th Middlesex Regt, A Co., Service # 51104, missing end of May 1917, PA # 14213; Rep: Mrs. A. Newman (wife), "Winton", Dawley Rd, Harlington, Middlesex. Rep: Miss Newman, Lansdowne House, Harlington, Middlesex. According to a letter of 3-10-17, Alfred was killed on 31-5-17.

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