These huts, in all probability, were not a Prisoner of War camp. Imagery from Apple Maps.
The question of Prisoner of War camps periodically arises here, and the subject, hugely illuminated by Peter ‘Pedro’ Cutler, still seems shrouded in mystery and folklore.
There is a common belief, seemingly groundless, that Italian POWs were stationed near Walsall on the Mellish Road and even might even have worked on road gangs during the war, but I can find little hard evidence.
In the course of recent discussions, we think a reader mentioned POWs in Sutton Park, but we’ve been unable to find the comment – at the weekend, Peter found the clipping below from the Birmingham Gazette of August, 1940, which helps light things up a bit.
He. said:
Hi Bob,
We have had a few articles on POWs and the sittings of the Camps. I remember that a reader, possibly Linda Mason mentioned Sutton Park.
My aunt also maintained that there was a Camp there, but until now I could not find much info.
Perhaps the cutting from the Birmingham Gazette of August 1940 will answer a few questions!
Peter
Cheers for that Peter – so they were internees, not POWs – little by little things become clearer.
Peter similarly helped with the question of wartime POWs around Stonnall, and his researches didn’t find a Staffordshire camp nearby; but that’s not necessarily conclusive as one can see in the article.
Anything you can offer on this subject at all is welcome: comment here please or mail me: BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com. Thanks.
Can’t have been terribly pleasant I guess. Clipping from Birmingham Gazette, August 1940. Click for a larger version.