UK Camps

Anyone else interested in Italian/German camps in the UK? I have a pretty comprehensive list for WW2, and good list for 1919.
Trying to broaden my knowledge of the WW2 variety at the moment, but it's still at an early stage. Also interested in internment camps in Britain.

 

Watcha mate. Got anything on the Italian POW camp near Knutsford, Cehshire. Something Hall. Will Edit when I remember the name.

 

Kitty,
You mean Camp #2 at Toft Hall? There was also a Main Holding Camp (#24) listed at Knutsford, but I don't know offhand if they were the same place.
Main holding camps were for prisoners who had been vetted and assessed either Black (Nazi), Grey (Unclear) or White (anti-Nazi) while they awaited being transferred. Usually the die-hard Nazis were shipped as far north as possible.
I'll have a delve later and see what else I can find.

 

Toft Hall, that's the bunny. The Italians worked on farms all around here, and when the guards brought them into town to buy supplies they would stand there and watch the Italian POW's testing the fit of shotguns in their shoulders and such. Very strange.

 

It could only happen here!

 

Owen,
I got the following from a quick trawl;
#160 Lydiard Park, Purton
#289 Lydiard House, Lydiard Millicent (I'm presuming these are the same place)
#674 Stratton Factory
#695 Bergard Barracks, Shrivenham
When I compiled the list, I thought I was being terribly clever re-arranging them into the current counties. It just complicates things, so at some point I'm going to have to put them back into the pre-1974 counties.

 

Couple of corrections Owen;
#160 was a military hospital (probably a secure ward)
#289 was a working camp associated with this.
#638 & #674 were actually at Stratton St. Margaret I believe, the NGR is given for the Stratton Factory.
#695 was actually Horgard Barracks in Shrivenham.

Same for you, Kitty;
#2 was in parkland to the NE of Toft Hall.
#24 was actually at No. 4 General Military Hospital, Knutsford, and not a main holding camp.

 

Sorry! That's National Grid Reference, or map ref., in the Queen's English!

 

Gordon.

Do you have any info on the camp above Oswaldtwistle near Accrington in Lancashire? I'm on personal terms with some of the ex-inmates from there who decided to stay after the war and some of their descendants. Much evidence of this camp still remains today in the fields above Ozzy.

Cheers,

Dave

 

Dave,
I'm not getting anything under either Accrington or Oswaldtwistle. Do you know what name the camp went under?

 

Try "Stanhill Camp" - that's what it was known as locally anyway (whether it's official or not, I don't know).

Cheers,

Dave

 

Above: Plan of a typical POW camp used to house German prisoners on the British mainland. This particular camp shows the plan of Stanhill Camp which was situated on the Stanhill Road in Knuzden between Blackburn and Oswaldwistle in Lancashire, Northern England. The numbered parts of the camp are as follows:
1. Pill Box
2. POW Barracks
3. Latrines
4. Ammunition Stores
5. Canteen
6. Camp Office
7. Chapel
8. Kitchen
10. Guard Barracks
11. POW Barracks

 

Thanks for the plan Spidge. Any idea which publication that's from? There is a local book showing a plan of the camp, but this is slightly different (possibly different years).

What neither show, however, is that the AA battery on the left was a totally different entity to the camp and completely seperate from it. The crew's accommodation is never mentioned for some reason.

Cheers,

Dave

 

Thanks Owen.

I'd actually seen that website, but the plan is obviously from somewhere else originally (it looks like a scanned image to me). I was just wondering which publication it was originally to be found in.

Cheers

dave