Franz Kellerman, A New Zealand Enemy Alien

In recent years with researching my family tree I have come across some unusual files especially when researching New Zealand. I knew I had a dissenter amongst the ranks with an objector to war on religious grounds. In a turn of events, I stumbled across the enemy Aliens files for Germans living in New Zealand during World War One. I had read a little bit about what was happening, but to actually have an enemy alien in the family was more fascinating. I had recently added some family members after a little research and a search for probate records through the National Archives produced some other interesting files.

New Zealand during the First World war placed their prisoner of war in internment camps in several places throughout the country. One such place was Somes Island also known as Matiu island located in Wellington Harbour. New Zealand actually has detailed prisoner of war records on their subjects. The one I am looking at is Franz Kellerman who married Fanny Jorgensen in 1927 in Palmerston North. She had been married twice before and both husbands had passed on. Her first Husband Jorgen Albert Jorgensen of Denmark was a relative of mine.

Franz also known later on as Frank had not been a naturalised New Zealander or British Subject as he was German by birth so he would have been on the Enemy Aliens list throughout the war like many others including to the point where he could not have been naturalised during the war period. Anyone in New Zealand with German sounding names were attacked and the same went for businesses. He had tried to apply for naturalisation in New Zealand, but not sent the forms in. He had been classed as unfit for military service in Germany. Franz was born in Germany in 1879 and arrived in New Zealand in 1911. He had been employed as a baker in Palmerston North after the war or towards the end of the war. The personnel sheet provides a good description of the person. You can get a bit of information on someone because of these records. I have not come across photos yet, although I have the record for only one person.

Name

Age

Marks and wounds

Residence

Date of capture

How long in NZ

Trade / occupation

During the war Franz was imprisoned on several occasions on Somes Island, which is located in Wellington Harbour close to Petone. His case was actually interesting as his file spanned the entire war.

Franz had been released from Internment on Somes Island on 30 August 1914 and reinterred 23 October 1915. The reason Franz was reinterred was because on the 19 Oct 1915 he was visiting Wellington without permission and the police were ordered to arrest him for internment on the island. The statement from the police officer was actually interesting. The officer himself was actually in Wellington and had seen Franz Kellerman walking down Cuba Street where he was meant to be at Mangaroa in the Lower Hutt area. He wasn’t truthful when he went into the police station to report as condition of his parole until he was told he had been seen.  The officer had stated if Franz had asked, he would not have given permission for him to visit Wellington.

The condition of parole meant he couldn’t by word or deed commit a hostile act against his majesty King and would be up for interpretation. Stick to his own private affairs and not attend meetings or gatherings without police consent. Surrender all firearms, ammunition and explosives in his possession. Shall not leave the locality where he resides without permission from the police. Shall report to the police at such place and at such times as the police may direct. Each time he was paroled he had to sign the form saying he understood the conditions. The first time was in August 1914 and had to have someone to vouch for the person’s character, which included, Franz’s signature stating he knew the what the conditions were.

The employment over the war period changed even though he was a baker by trade and his residence did change, so he must have hopefully gotten permission from the police. He was employed as a baker at Hazelwoods, which he left to work for Mr Scholes, a farmer at Mangaroa. The names do appear throughout his file especially in 1917, Mr. Hazelwood, Mr Scholes and an employer from Upper Hutt Mr. John Johnson. The secretary for the Bakers union, Mr. Collins proved to be another person who could vouch for Franz’s character in getting released from Internment in 1914. Mr. Hazelwood paid a 100 pound bank bond for the release of Franz in 1917. Later the money would be refunded to Hazelwood.

His residence in 1915 was Courtney Place, employed as a baker in Taranaki Street in Wellington. From, Wellington he ended up in Upper Hutt employed at Hazlewoods after having to apply through the police station for permission to move. In April 1919 went to Palmerston North to be employed as a baker and needed permission to remain in the country 1919 as he was working as a farm labourer. The war years for Franz Kellerman would have been interesting times including when he had to report to the police station every couple of days. Once he moved to Palmerston North there was no more paperwork about what he was doing

Sources

Kellerman, Franz Item ID R21371134, Years 1914 – 1919, National Archives New Zealand, Wellington

Baker, Paul King and Country Call: New Zealanders, Conscription and the Great War, Auckland University Press, Auckland, 1988.

Francis, Andrew To be truly British we must be anti-Herman: New Zealand, Enemy Aliens and the Great War experience 1914 – 1919, Peter Lang, Bern, 2012.