Ian Hollingsbee - Inside the Wire: Gloucestershires POW Camps in the Second World War 1939-48

For my wife, Veronica

We have not eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.

Lord Henry Palmerston, 1848

Back cover : painting by The Corporal, the late Ken Aitken GAA, of American Military Police with German POW at Moreton-in-Marsh railway station, Gloucestershire. (Reproduced by kind permission of Gerry Tyack of the Wellington Bomber Museum, Moreton-in-Marsh.)

Contents

Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe

Wynols Hill near Coleford, Forest of Dean

An account of his time as a POW in Newtown Hostel

Company (Coy) Working Camps for Italian Co-operators

Swindon Village Camp 649

Woodfield Farm Churchdown Camp 554

Newark House Hempstead Camp 555

Bourton-on-the-Hill

Springhill Lodge, Blockley

RAF Staverton and RAF Quedgeley

Brockworth and Quedgeley Court

Northway Camp, Ashchurch, near Tewkesbury

Northwick Park German POW Hospital

Leckhampton Court, Cheltenham

The following people and societies have been helpful with this research and I am most grateful for their support and encouragement: American Red Cross Archives, Maryland, USA; Ann Hettich, Campden & District Historical & Archaeological Society (CADHAS); Barbara Edward, Curator at Sudeley Castle; Barry Simon and Hazel Luxon, Swindon Village Local History Project; Brenda Mitchell and Enid Becker of Gloucester UA; Eric Miller, Leckhampton Local History Society; Gerry Tyack, Wellington Bomber Museum; Gloucester Coroners Office; Gloucestershire Archives, Alvin Street, Gloucester; International Committee of the Red Cross in particular Daniel Palmieri, Historical Research Officer, Geneva; Jean Clarke, National Secretary of Catholic Womens League; John Dixon, President of Tewkesbury Historical Society; John Malin, Blockley Antiquarian Society; John Starling, Lt Col, Royal Pioneer Corps Association; Malcolm Barrass, Flt Lt ex-RAFVR(T), RAF History Society; National Monuments Records, Swindon; and The National Archives, Kew. For help with translations, I am indebted to: Gary Costello and Theo Hunkirchen for German translations; Sara Tozzato for Italian translations; and Catherine McLean for French translations. I am grateful to those former prisoners of war and their relations, who were kind enough to share their stories: Joachim Schulze, German POW, and his son Thomas; Theo Hunkirchen and Peter Engler, sons of German POWs; Marilyn Champion, daughter of Italian POW. Thanks also to: Alan Lodge, Alex Smith, Andrew Power, Bill Hitch, Brenda Mitchell, Carol Minter, Clare Broomfield, Colin Martin, David Evans, Ian Hewer, Jack Johnson, Jane Giddings, Jean Clark, Jeremy Bourne, Jerry Mason, Mario Redazione, Peter May, Rosemary Cooke, Shirley Morgan, Stephen Pidgeon, Trefor Hughes, Zosia Biegus and the many others who have emailed or called with useful clues and information.

A special thank you to two very good friends who have read, encouraged and criticised when needed: Brian Millard and Joachim Schulze. Finally, I owe a great deal of thanks to Roxy Base for her skill and expertise in editing and proofreading my work.

(Sadly both Joachim Schulze and John Malin died towards the end of my research and I am most indebted to them both.)

The POW Camps in Gloucestershie and their Associated Hostels

Location of POW camps and associated hostels.