Dorchester
POW camp and reading room. An English lesson being held by the former Judge
of Munster.
Prisoner
of
War
Planning the Escape from Donington Hall
Escape from Mainland Britain - London Sojourn
Suspected of being a Spy in Germany
On arrival in Gibraltar, the ship was boarded by Royal Navy Officers and Marines, hunting for German's who were looked on as potential spies. Everything was searched, and the men were lined up on deck in order to determine which ones were nationals from the Central Powers (Imperial Germany or the Austro-Hungarian Empire.)
The Officer in charge questioned a group of men, lined up on the deck, one-by-one. At first he was convinced by Pluschow's story that he was an Swiss Italian born in Austria, who had been living in America. (Pluschow spoke fluent Italian.) However, a British official who had also boarded the vessel, noted that Pluschow had no labels in his clothing, and told the officer that it was a sure sign he was a German. The Officer decided to arrest Pluschow purely on this suspicion, along with a number of other Swiss. Despite Pluschow's protests, he was taken ashore and interned as a civilian.
Pluschow was used as a common workman on Gibraltar, carrying coal, before being transferred to a horrid prison ship moored in Southampton harbour. He was placed amongst common men in the worst conditions imaginable. In order to facilitate his escape he decided to admit his true identity. Only after several months of writing letters to various British officials did he secure a place in a normal POW camp at Dorchester.
In 1915 Pluschow was finally transferred to Donington Hall POW Camp for officers near Derby. This was a maximum security camp - the British version of the World War II Colditz - a place noted by its commander Lt. Col. Picot, as impossible to escape from.
