An emotional visit to Templemore

Fascinating and little-known part of Tipperary history

Australian natives Rob and Karen Skirde made an emotional visit to Ireland last week to follow in the footsteps of Rob’s grandfather Albert Skirde (1887–1960), one of over 2,300 German military prisoners of war (POWs) detained in the former Richmond Barracks - now Garda College - in Templemore in 1914/1915.

Albert served as a private in the 45th (Lauenburg) Field Artillery Regiment. His grandson Rob, who lives in Queensland, was doing some family history research several years ago when he came across an article about the POWs written by Garda Sergeant Dr John Reynolds of Nenagh, founder and curator of the Garda College Museum.

As 2014 marked the centenary of the arrival of the POWs in the town, John had written several articles about the prisoners and was also interviewed by the BBC about this fascinating and little-known part of the history of County Tipperary.

Rob contacted John and was astonished to find out that John had an artefact on display that had actually been hand-carved by his grandfather Albert while he was held prisoner in Templemore. The item is a simple tin water canteen of the type carried by all German soldiers but, as a skilled blacksmith, Albert had intricately engraved his name and the badge worn on his helmet on the front of the canteen, and an inscription on the rear acknowledging his detention in Templemore.

Rob was really keen to travel to Ireland to see the canteen in person and reunite it with a medal of honour awarded to Albert in 1934 for his service during World War I. But, because of the pandemic and other issues, the trip did not take place until this month.

When Rob and his wife Karen arrived in Ireland, their first stop was the National Museum at Collins Barracks in Dublin, as John had placed the canteen on display there following the closure of the Garda College Museum in Templemore in 2020. John and curator Brenda Malone ensured that Rob could physically handle the canteen that his grandfather had painstakingly carved 109 years ago, and this proved to be an emotional experience for all involved.

Rob then donated the medal to Collins Barracks on behalf of the Skirde family, and both items are now on display in the museum.

‘A LONG WAY TO TIPPERARY’

Rob and Karen then travelled to Templemore where John gave them a tour of the Garda College or ‘Turnhalle Barracks’, as the German prisoners referred to their accommodation. They also visited sites in the town associated with the POWs, including the railway station and churches that the prisoners marched to each Sunday, often signing ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary'!

The last stop for John, Rob and Karen was to pay their respects at the headstones of POWs Anton Giezwerski and Ludwig Spellerberg, both of whom died while detained in Templemore. While the remains of both men were reinterred in the German Military Cemetery in Glencree in the 1960s, the German government did agree to a request from local people that the headstones would be left in Templemore to ensure that the 2,300 POWs detained there would not be forgotten.

Rob and Karen thoroughly enjoyed their visit to Templemore, meeting local people, and they also visited Cork and Kerry as part of their visit to Ireland.

Sgt John Reynolds, who has a Doctorate in History from University of Limerick, has written extensively about the 2,300 German POWs that were sent to Templemore shortly after the outbreak of the war.

The prisoners had been captured during battles that occurred during the early months of the war, including the battle of the Aisne and the battle of Mons, as well as sailors from the first naval enagagement of the war. They were moved to England in March 1915 over RIC fears that the revolutionary Irish Volunteers were planning to attack the barracks and release the prisoners.

The story of the German POWs in Templemore is a fascinating one, and the simple tin canteen engraved by Albert Skirde serves as a poignant reminder of a largely forgotten period in the long and interesting history of the Garda Síochána College, and the town of Templemore itself.

You can read the full account written by Sgt John Reynolds here.