TNA file BT 168/65. The covering note gives the date as 6 June 1945. Note that this is Base Camps only, not Working Camps. I am frankly having trouble discriminating at this stage between the two as it is clear prisoners by this stage were in employment in civilian work operating from Base Camps. I suspect that the name was retained to indicate what were called 'ardent Nazis' retained in Base Camps. Elsewhere I have stated Germans were all in camps numbered less than 200 up to the war's end. I think this shows that to be a fairly accurate statement, but I would be interested if anyone had found German prisoners in camps at this time numbered 500+. I think these being the numbers of the Pioneer Corps Guard Companies. I am fairly sure there were Italians in camps numbered 500+.
This is great - thank you. Bit by bit the picture of the camps is becoming clearer - though its a bit like doing a jigsaw where instruction number 1 is; First find all the pieces. Do you know who produced the list? It has a peculiar TNA reference. I think those camps marked 'A' must be sub-camps, or just setting up at that date. 16A Amisfield became 243 / 21A Cowden became 242 / 167A Evington I can't find / 182A Carran became 293. Best wishes - Malcolm
Sorry for reply delay, out of town. Board of Trade records. War Office consultees on prisoner employment. I have no proof but l suspect that possibly this mass of prisoners was into the uk to keep them out of tents in France and Belgium. This was a no no in Geneva convention. POWs should be in huts in winter. They had also so many POWs there they kept plenty of troops occupied who were needed elsewhere even if they were lines of communication. Every Allied army was screaming they were short of troops by the autumn. It would be good if a contemporary confirmatory quote surfaced out of the mass of documentary evidence which has never been really worked over unlike much of the campaign arena. I am trying to discover the POW handling strategy definitive plan for 1944. Cheers Oz.