On Their Way Home: The Role of Aachen in the Exchange and Repatriation of British and German Prisoners of War during the First World War

Abstract

This paper analyses the role that Aachen, the western most German city located close to the Netherlands, played during the exchange and repatriation of British and German military prisoners of war from 1914 to 1918. It is argued that Aachen served as an important staging post. British prisoners were assembled in the city, medically examined, and, depending on the examination result, allowed to leave Germany across the border to the neutral Netherlands. The analysis contributes to the historiography by illuminating the neglected role that Aachen played during the exchange and repatriation process.