Frederick TRENDALL (1890-1940): A New Record

 

Sometimes a very short document can carry a heavy weight.  During a recent visit to the National Archives (TNA) I noticed that there was a new catalogue entry for my Grandfather, Frederick TRENDALL (1890-1940), in the WO 416 series.  This series contains the Prisoner of War index cards created by the Germans during the Second World War.  They were seized at the end of the war and are now, after many years, are available to view.

Frederick TRENDALL never was a POW but the cards were also used to record the details of deceased soldiers when there was any identification.  The cards can only be viewed under supervision.  I went into the ‘invigilated’ room at the TNA and the record card was inside an envelope inside a plastic box.  It seemed strange to be handling a document that had been filled up by a German clerk/soldier in May 1940.

The record does not add much to what is already known.  It records his name and rank, gives the location of his burial and suggests that the burial was overseen by a British Army padre (presumably a POW) although the German translation is approximate.  The card is stamped with a black cross to indicate that the subject is deceased.  His grave is now marked by a Commonwealth War Graves headstone in Calais South Cemetery.  I visited the cemetery about 30 years ago – I will try and go again soon.

War is a bureaucratic process but behind every document there was a real person and a real family.

 

Philip Trendall

August 2025

 

Note:  Document Reference:  The National Archives:  WO 416 366/141 viewed and copied 21 August 2025