Banged Up Abroad PHO702 – Informing Context In undertaking my research I have documents the details of the various Former PoW that I have been able to identify and ideally locate. This document is a living document and is expected to outlive my current MA Course as well as any module. Because of this and in order to show the work carried out within 702 I have created THIS FROZZEN copy of this document. For convenience during 702 the original table has been divided into five separate tables covering; Northern and Southern England, Midlands & East Anglia, Scotland and Wales. A further division is made in each table as to the county. Research Sources .......................................................................................................................................................... 2 PoW Camps in Northern England ............................................................................................... 3 Midlands and East Anglia ......................................................................................................... 22 Sothern England ....................................................................................................................... 56 PoW Camps in Scotland ........................................................................................................... 99 PoW Camps in Wales ............................................................................................................. 119 In addition to splitting the tables adding more data and taking more photos I have also created a Google Map overlay which can be found at the link below: https://drive.google.com/open?id=17IZRxuX4uc78_KP5EBdWCD44x0pXaSsc&usp=sharing The main living document can be found as a link on my Final Project page of my word press website. I can only think to the page and not the document its self as the document is stored as a .pdf that is replaced on up-grade: https://wordpress.com/view/systonimagesblog.wordpress.com This copy of the PoW Camp list differs in the text within these intro pages. It also differs in some embedded links. The Main living document contain ALL the links to All the photos shot as an embedded link within the entry for reach PoW Camp. This copy has replaced that link with one that links ONLY to the images shoot between the end of PHO701 and the end of PHO702. Should you wish though to view ALL the images shoot this far on my project from when it started to the date and time you press the link then that link is below: https://www.systonimages.co.uk/f537064555 For a single link to ALL the images shot for my major project within PHO702: https://www.systonimages.co.uk/f107730902 In complying this data it has become evident that the Camp numbers for whatever reason have been duplicated and a camp may have had more than one number as such it is acknowledged that discrepancies exist within not just my table but also with the source information. This may have in some cases camps being moved from one location to another, a camp being divided and given two number such as one for German one for Italian, or one number for Officers and a different number for other ranks. During my research I have come cross camps that where not listed in any of the original data sources and for which the camp number is not known; a good example of this is Green Norton. I have stayed at this former camp when it was a Youth Hostel. Greens Norton is not included within the English Heritage or other data but it can be found in many other sources. Where I have been able to identify but not its number, I have simply numbered it as “00”. My two initial primary sources of Information are from English Heritage and the National Records office Page 1 of 125 Research Sources To date my major research sources are; The Guardian Online Article Every prisoner of war camp in the UK mapped and listed dated [not stated]: https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2010/nov/08/prisoner-of-war-camps-uk English Heritage Prisoner of War Camps 1939-1948 by Rodger J C Thomas, 2003: https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/prisoner-of-war-camps/prisoner-of-war-camps/ UK National Archives: Foreign Office list of PoW Camps 1947 FO 1120/182 Foreign Office PoW Camp Inspection Reports 1947, file series FO 939/ Harrington Aviation Museum list of 20th Century Military sites within 20miles: http://www.harringtonmuseum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/premises-sites-etc-within-30-miles-of- harrington-museum-28.03.17.pdf Historic Scotland CANMORE; PoW Sites, example: https://canmore.org.uk/site/272561/glenbranter-camp-6 National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW) Coflein, example: https://coflein.gov.uk/en/site/419278/details/henllan-bridge-prisoner-of-war-camp-henllanhenllan-pow- camp Note: The details used to populate the table with regards to Commanding Officer, Camp Type etc including the abbreviations used where taken from the 1947 Foreign Office List of PoW Camps The Geneva Conventions state (some-where) that the combatants are to clearly make and let the other side know details as to locations as to where the PoW Camps are. The FO doc’s identify the PoW Camps by address. However, it would be logical that the location of the camps where to be recorded and passed to the ICRC as Lat/Log. It is this doc that I want in order to formally verify the list of camps and their absolute locations. Martin J Richards BA(Hons) ARPS [email protected] [email protected] www.systonimages.co.uk https://systonimagesblog.wordpress.com/ Last up-dated 24May19 Page 2 of 125 PoW Camps in Northern England Table 1 Northern England 1 2 Camp Name & Location County 1947 Location Type & Cmd 1947 Officer Cmd 1947 Phone & Telex 1947 Train Station Interest Con Status 2019 Comments and Site Visit M J Richards 1947 2019 2 Toft Hall Camp Cheshire SJ 7538 7626 BC Lt Col J S Windsor Knutsford 560 Knutsford 4 Original report from English Heritage, states: Knutsford WA16 9PD 53° 16' 57" N Western Cmd MC Priscamp Knutsford Large camp in parkland to northeast of Toft Hall, 20 huts in guards’ compound, 58 within prisoners' compound 2° 22' 14" W WE V/202/4 enclosed by a double perimeter fence with guard towers. 01Mar19 OS Map Aerial views show the Park, woods and scrub land with no evidence of huts or any indication of a camp on this site other than the hall its self. Thus contrasts with the original comments which say that ere are visible indications of the camp. However, just using Aerial Map views I cannot confirm or deny National Archives Reference FO 939/85 2 Base Camp, Toft Hall Camp, Knutsford, Cheshire. 24 No.4 General Hospital Cheshire SJ 75 78 tbd 4 01Mar19 (Military Hospital WA16 9DG 53° 17' 54" N See Knutsford 2° 22' 35" W https://www.knutsfordguardian.co.uk/news/4627320.readers-help-joan-leach-to-solve-myster-of-knutsford- army-hospital/ Without more data it is not possible to confirm the location of this former PoW site from just the two-digit coordinate and looking at the maps National Archives Reference FO 939/108 24 Hospital Camp, Military Hospital, Knutsford, Cheshire 27Mar19 Camp 24 not included within the FO Camp list. Therefore, it is logical to assume that this camp closed prior to Feb47. 1 Note Postcodes are to the nearest postcode ONLY as the sites where created and redeveloped prior to the introduction of postcodes. Also many sites are in the middle of fields that not have codes thus they are intended as indicative 2 Note: Coordinates given as UK National Grid and Lat/Long. This is to the closes know location and it is suggested that you check the comments for the entry as well as a map aerial view prior to any site visit Page 3 of 125 Table 1 Northern England 1 2 Camp Name & Location County 1947 Location Type & Cmd 1947 Officer Cmd 1947 Phone & Telex 1947 Train Station Interest Con Status 2019 Comments and Site Visit M J Richards 1947 2019 74 Racecourse Camp Cheshire SJ 5822 6535 GWC Lt Col B M Tarporley 208 Besston Castle 3 01Mar19 Road Street CW6 9BH 53° 11' 1" N Western Cmd Heldman Priswar Tarporley OS Map Aerial views shows a large field on Road Street that could have been a Racecourse. However, this is very Tarporley 2° 37' 35" W WE V/1453/2 unlikely. There is though racecourse close by called Oulton Park. The Wikipedia entry for Oulton Park Race Course gives the site as being used for car racing. It also says that this location was used as a stating camp by the US army before the Normandy landings. This is atypical site usage as camps like this where used before D-Day to hold troops and then after the troops left, they were converted and used as PoW Camps. This is what happened to two camps close to my home address in Leicestershire: Camp 4 Scraptoft & Camp 167 Stoughton. The Wikipedia entry can be found at the address below: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oulton_Park Given this data I am changing the location: From SJ 5407 6372 To SJ 5913 6440 I have in the saved Aerial Map view dropped a marker on the new location at the racing circuit AND I have drawn around the site that matches English Heritages Coordinates. National Archives Reference FO 939/154 74 Working Camp, Racecourse Camp, Tarporley, Cheshire 15Mar19 From RPS Help Request, Andrew Williams: 2/ Camp 74 Oulton Park - This may be a red herring but there is a road off the A49 near to the motor racing track called Racecourse Lane. I understand it led to a horse racing track and the following document appears to relate to this and mentions a pow camp. It is, of course, possible that there were camps at both locations. http://www.greyhoundderby.com/Tarporley%20Racecourse.html I have shown the area on the attached screen clips.