The story of a ‘forgotten’ group of British men who set up a horticultural society in a German internment camp is set to be revealed in a new exhibition in October, to commemorate the centenary of the start of the First World War. The story has been uncovered by the RHS Lindley Library, and the RHS is now putting a call out to find relatives of the men who may be able to share more of their story.
The Ruhleben Horticultural Society at the Ruhleben internment camp in Germany not only grew flowers, but also used their horticultural skills to feed their fellow prisoners, earned money to fuel its fledgling economy, and organised RHS standard flower shows to boost morale. This was made possible by the support of the RHS in London, which sent huge amounts of seeds, bulbs and advice to its affiliate, deep behind enemy lines.
Do you know these men?
Ruhleben Horticultural SocietyAnyone who thinks they are a relative of one of these internees can email libraryenquirieslondon@ rhs.org.uk.
More than 5,000 British citizens were interned at Ruhleben, an old racecourse outside Berlin, which was described when it opened as “scandalously inadequate” and “not fit to keep pigs in.”
Ruhleben Horticultural Society
Fiona Davison, Head of Libraries and Exhibitions at the RHS, said: “The story of the Ruhleben Horticultural Society is completely unique, in that unlike many WW1 histories that tell of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity, it is all but unknown.
Ruhleben Horticultural Society
“We have a fantastic collection to work with but there is still much that can be added to the Ruhleben story and we hope very much to hear from members of the public who can help us with this.”
Source: RHS – The British Prisoners Who Gardened Through the Great War
