An extensive collection of letters from families seeking the whereabouts of missing World War I soldiers has been made available online, shedding light on King Alfonso XIII’s humanitarian efforts. Though Spain remained neutral during the conflict, the Spanish monarch became a crucial intermediary for desperate relatives after successfully locating a missing French soldier in a German prisoner of war camp. This story, first published in Le Petit Journal in 1915, spread across Europe, prompting thousands of letters to arrive at the Royal Palace in Madrid.
Families from France, Britain, Germany, and beyond wrote to the king, hoping for assistance in locating loved ones lost in battle. Some letters requested help with financial transactions or diplomatic interventions. Among the prominent figures who reached out were Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, who sought to repatriate his nephew, and British writer Rudyard Kipling, searching for his missing son. Spanish intellectual Miguel de Unamuno also wrote about a missing French soldier, though the nature of their connection remains unknown.
To manage the overwhelming volume of requests, the Spanish court established a “war office” that categorized and forwarded inquiries to the appropriate embassies. Each letter contained vital details, including the soldier’s regiment, rank, location, and date of disappearance. When embassies completed their research, responses were relayed to the families.
One letter came from Sydney Gamble, a London firefighter, searching for his son, Lieutenant Richard Summer Gamble, who vanished in the Ferme du Bois battle in May 1915. Gamble included a photograph and a drawing of his son’s Viking tattoo, hoping it would aid in identification. Though most searches, including Gamble’s, ended in heartbreak, about 4% of cases led to the discovery of the missing individuals, often confirming their deaths, providing at least some closure to grieving families.
Among the most remarkable correspondences was from Adelia Abramovitch, a Jewish seamstress from Poland. She wrote seeking news of her younger siblings after German forces occupied Warsaw. When informed they were safe, she sent 200 francs through the king, asking him to forward it to them. Her file, marked with a red star indicating the king’s personal interest, documents 14 such remittances between 1914 and 1916. However, despite diplomatic efforts, her request to bring her siblings to Paris was unsuccessful.
The archive, consisting of 190,000 files, serves as a poignant reminder of World War I’s devastation. It also reflects national traits in letter-writing—British letters were detailed and literary, the French sentimental, and the Germans concise. The collection stands as both a historical record and a testament to the universal pain of war.
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