Henry Faulk

Henry 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]

• 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.

Faulk was awarded an OBE in 1947.^[11]