Henry Faulk OBE (22 December 1907 – 4 October 2001) was an Executive Field Officer responsible for a program that aimed to "re-educate" 400,000 German Prisoners of War held in England at the end of World War II.
Henry Faulk | |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 December 1907 |
| Died | 4 October 2001 (aged 93) |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow (Modern Languages) |
Life and career
editHenry Faulk was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and grew up in Dunshalt (also spelt Dunshelt[1]), Fife. He went to school in Dundee, then studied Modern Languages at the University of Glasgow.[2]
Faulk joined the British Army at the outbreak of World War II, initially working as an interpreter with the Intelligence Corps.[3] Towards the end of the war at the age of 37, Faulk was seconded to the Political Intelligence Department (later renamed the Prisoner of War Division; POWD) of the Foreign Office, and became an Executive Field Officer responsible for a program that aimed to "re-educate" 400,000 German Prisoners of War held in England.[4][5][6]
Faulk wrote about his experiences in his 1977 book, Group Captives. A review described the book as follows:[7]
Faulk discusses in a concise, objective and, at times, somewhat dry manner both German and British attitudes affecting re-education, the changing environment and the aims and methods of POWD. He offers a generally favorable evaluation of the results.
Some aspects of Faulk's account have been challenged. For example, Faulk "categorically denied" the use of German informants in Prisoner of War camps; however, a 2024 analysis argued that "it is clear from other archival documents and memoirs that they were used by British officials for political gradings and to acquire intelligence in the camps".[8]
On leaving the army in 1948, Faulk worked as a teacher in Glasgow, first at Glasgow High School, then Woodside Secondary and Cranhill Secondary.[9] Faulk had three children with his first wife Lena (Malcolm, Edith, and David), and one son (Andrew) with his second wife Jessie.[10]
Published works
edit- Henry Faulk (1970). Die deutschen Kriegsgefangenen in Großbritannien: Re-education. Bielefeld: Gieseking.
- Henry Faulk (1977). Group Captives: The Re-education of German Prisoners of War in Britain 1945-1948. London: Chatto & Windus.
Recognition
editReferences
edit- ^ See Dunshalt village website.
- ^ Faulk, Henry (Oral history) reel 1, Imperial War Museum.
- ^ Faulk, Henry (Oral history) reel 1, Imperial War Museum.
- ^ "Henry Faulk Former teacher whose wartime experiences formed the basis for a book". The Herald. 9 October 2001. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ Carden, Robert W. (1978). "Group Captives (Book Review)". American Historical Review. 83 (1): 171–172. doi:10.2307/1865960. JSTOR 1865960.
- ^ Mayne, Richard (2003). In Victory, Magnanimity, in Peace, Goodwill: A History of Wilton Park. London: Frank Cass Publishers Ltd. pp. 6–7.
- ^ Carden, Robert W. (1978). "Group Captives (Book Review)". American Historical Review. 83 (1): 171–172. doi:10.2307/1865960. JSTOR 1865960.
- ^ Erkiletian, Samuel A. (2024). Forming Conflict Identities: The Role of Subgroup Leaders in Combatant Socialization (PhD thesis). University College London. p. 186.
- ^ "Henry Faulk Former teacher whose wartime experiences formed the basis for a book". The Herald. 9 October 2001. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Henry Faulk Former teacher whose wartime experiences formed the basis for a book". The Herald. 9 October 2001. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Supplement to the London Gazette" (PDF). The Gazette. 12 June 1947. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
External links
edit- Oral history, Imperial War Museum (available online).
- Private Papers of Lieutenant Colonel H Faulk – seven boxes of material held by the Imperial War Museum (not available online).