An Interesting Find

I recently discovered, in the archive, six original photographs taken at the time of the liberation of Bergen-BelsenConcentration Camp in 1945. These were entitled, “Photographs taken by a friend of Mgr D.P. Wall. Belsen Concentration Camp. German soldiers compelled under an armed guard of British troops to bury the dead.” Mgr Denis P Wall (ordained 1944, died 1992) was a priest of the Diocese and we can only speculate why these photographs ended up in the Diocesan Archive. Perhaps whoever took them recognised their importance and wanted to put them somewhere that they would be well looked after. The images captured scenes of piles of skeletal bodies being buried (I have not included the images in this blog due to their disturbing content). 

The Diocesan Archive was not the best home for these photographs. While we could care for them, they did not fit in our collecting policy nor would researchers think to look in a diocesan archive for images of the Holocaust. I wished to place them in an archive which collected records of the Holocaust where they could be seen and understood in their correct context. I contacted Bergen-Belsen Documentation Centre which is located at the Bergen-Belsen Memorial in Germany. They expressed interest in the photographs so I sent them to them. I was delighted to get the following response from one of their archivists, Klaus Tätzler, and to learn that these photographs had contributed further to their understanding of the happenings at Bergen-Belsen:

"The photographs are much more important than I expected ... these contain new perspectives and two of them show burial at a place in the women's camp which we did not know before. I shall put them into our photograph collection."

Women survivors in Bergen-Belsen, April 1945

Southwark priests (and family history)

About half of the enquiries received by the Archive are from family history researchers. The Archive doesn’t actually hold any parish registers – these are held by local parish churches – so many of these enquiries are sent to the relevant parish (parish contact details can be found: http://www.rcsouthwark.co.uk/parlink.html). However, for those interested in finding out about a family member who was a priest, or indeed those doing research on priests for other reasons, the Archive can be a great source of information.

Personnel files

Personnel files (in non-archival and archival packaging)

The Archive holds personnel files for all deceased priests. While researchers cannot look through these themselves, the Archivist can use them to find information on the researcher’s behalf. These files, particularly the older ones, are not uniform in character. Some are very large and some very small. However, they can often provide a wealth of information. They can contain correspondence between the priest and Bishop, biographical information, information on the parishes that he served in, an obituary etc.

Information card from a priest's file

Occasionally, no personnel file exists for a particular priest. In these cases, the Archive has other sources of information which can be used:

Southwark Catholic Directory

The Southwark Catholic Directory is published annually (since 1929) and lists all the priests in the Diocese alphabetically and gives their address. The address helps to identify the parish that a priest served in (parishes are also listed alphabetically with a list of their priests). In this way a priest can be traced from ordination to retirement and beyond. 

Alphabetical list of priest from the Southwark Directory

Catholic Directory

The annual Catholic Directory lists all the priests in England and Wales alphabetically with their addresses. It also lists all the parishes in England and Wales and the priests who were serving there. This Directory can be used to find priests who moved from the Diocese or priests from a religious order who served in a Southwark church for a time.

The Southwark Record

The Southwark Record, the Diocese’s monthly newsletter, ran from 1922 to 1968 and published obituaries for deceased priests. It often contained other news about priests such as the celebration of jubilees and some priests contributed articles.

Obituary from the Southwark Record

Parish files

Searching in the parish files of a priest’s parishes (again, the contents of these are not accessible to researchers but the Archivist can search them on a researcher’s behalf) will often uncover further information about a priest and his time at a particular church.

Anyone who is interested in finding out biographical information about a priest should contact the Archive giving as many details are as known about the priest.

Jenny Delves: archives@rcsouthwark.co.uk

The Catholic Boys’ Brigade

Most of the material in the Southwark Diocesan Archive relates directly to the Diocese. However, we have several collections of records that help to tell the story of organisations and events which the Diocese were involved with. One such collection, consisting of 3 boxes of material, is that of the Catholic Boys’ Brigade.

The Catholic Boys’ Brigade was founded in September 1896 by Fr Felix Segesser who was a priest in Southwark Diocese. The organisation grew quickly both within the Diocese and in other Dioceses. Bishop Amigo of Southwark became the Vice-President and the headquarters was in the Diocese’s Bishop’s House on St George’s Road. The records that we hold include correspondence and also much relating to the planning and running of the camps which were an important part of the life of the Catholic Boys' Brigade.

Camp in Effingham early 1900s

 

Camp in Effingham early 1900s

 

Letter from the War Office, 1910, about the use of unserviceable arms by the Catholic Boys' Brigade with a warning about sending them to Ireland

Letter on Catholic Boys' Brigade headed notepaper

Advert for uniform and equipment

 

Postcard from Fr Segesser to C.H. Nicholls, 1905. Nicholls later became the National Quartermaster of the Brigade

 

Letter about supplies for a Brigade camp, 1912

 

Fundraising letter, 1907