One town has been marking the time 100 years ago when Switzerland welcomed tens of thousands of prisoners of war. Revisiting the place has been an emotional experience for some of their descendants.
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I have a wealth of experience as a journalist working in Switzerland and enjoy producing videos, articles and podcasts on a range of subjects, recently focused mainly on politics and the environment.
Born in the UK, I studied law at Nottingham University, then went on to attend the first-ever post-graduate radio journalism college in London. After working as a radio journalist in the UK and then Switzerland from 1984 to 1995, I returned to the UK to complete a post-graduate diploma in film at Bournemouth Film School. I have been working as a video journalist ever since.
Based on agreements with the belligerent nations, who paid the costs, 68000 sick and wounded British, French, German, Belgian, Canadian and Indian prisoners were interned for several months in sanatoria and hotels.
These were mainly located in Alpine tourist resorts, thus supporting an industry lying idle due to the great war. The programme underlined the usefulness of the Swiss neutrality policy.
One of the main centres for interned British was Châteux d’Oex in south-western Switzerland. Seven hundred sick and wounded British POWs arrived there at the end of May 1916.
The town has been marking the centenary with events attended by relatives of the internees. swissinfo.ch spoke to them.
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The First World War, which marks its 100th anniversary this year, saw thousands of Swiss join up to fight alongside the French. From Blaise Cendrars and Valdo Barbey to Edouard Junod, many left poignant accounts of life in the trenches.
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Troop numbers varied depending on the potential threats over the border. In August 1914, there were around 220,000 soldiers called up, but only 12,500 by the end of the war. Most men spent on average 500 days serving. The Swiss army didn’t take part in any fighting, but approximately 3,000 men died because of accidents…
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