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General => Armed Forces => World War Two => Topic started by: grandarog on Friday 03 November 23 15:03 GMT (UK)
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Does anyone know of any records , or where to find,that would show the Names of POW,s and what Farms they were allocated to during the war and before being repatriated. There were quite a few working on farms in Kent. There was a POW camp at Iwade, Sittingbourne ,which some were at. It is not listed on the supposedly every camp list website .
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So sorry IGNORE - wrong war. I can't delete post. :'(
Records about these camps and farm groups seem scant I have found. National Archives had a doc which listed PO Boxes for some locations.You may already be aware of Dr Colin Chapman's book 'Detained in Britain 1914–1920' which details the evolution of the POW camps
Researching my Grandfather's WW1 war service I discovered that he served with the Military Defence Corps at Rumshott Wood near Underiver in Kent and that seemed to be the South East of England base from which British military were dispersed throughout Kent and East Sussex to help run smaller POW camps or supervise farm groups.
I found a few helpful tidbits in local newspapers, eg Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald 9 March 1919 refers to an application for 110 German prisoners to work on land at Brookland, St Marys, Eastbridge and Lympne. A similar article enabled me to place my grandfather supervising POWs on a specific farm in East Sussex.
I am afraid I don't know if records of POWs have survived.
Ssxy
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No Problem Ssxy.
Thankyou for posting ,please don't delete. The info will be usful to any other interested readers.
I despair at finding any significant records from WW2.
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I have had similar difficulties and been unable to find info.
I was looking for info re. (WW2) POW camps in Wales, locations and farm work locations, although I know that POWs might be moved from one camp to another (I know of an instance of someone being moved from Wales to Lincs and presumably back to Wales - though I don't know the dates or the whys and wherefores).
An uncle was a POW in Kent, again I don't know the details, only that he had a bike at a time when they were hard to come by. Such is the detail of family stories.
Have you tried local history groups in the locations where the camps were?
Again it might not yield lists of names, but the occasional 'story', probably relating more to any POWs who stayed and married locally.
And of course people with any first hand knowledge are fewer with the passage of time.
I'm not sure if I am remembering correctly, but has there been a thread about how to apply for military records for Wehrmacht soldiers which might have some info?
Though that might only help if looking for a specific person.
I'm sorry I am unable to help, but will follow this thread with interest.
Lisa