1943: The nearest prisoner of war camp to Evenwood was at Harperley, near Fir Tree (POW Camp 93). It was purpose built initially, to house Italian POWs captured in North Africa.[1] In February 1942, there were some 28,000 Italian POWs in the UK.  This figure rose to 108,000 by June 1944.[2] When Italy surrendered and joined the Allies in the war against NAZI Germany, the situation changed as the notes below explain.

8 September 1943: Italy surrendered.

13 October 1943: Italy joined the Allies. The situation for Italian POWs and Surrendered Enemy Personnel [SEN] in the UK changed.  The Italians were offered the status of “co-operators” and recognised as “co-belligerents”.  Such POWs were allowed to work without escort and without restriction to locality.

May 1944: Over 56,000 Italian POWs had volunteered to co-operate out of about 93,000.  By June, over 108,000 were engaged in employment schemes.  Repatriation at this time was not an option.[3]   

June 1944: The numbers of German POWs were insignificant [about 8,000] until the invasion of France when numbers began to rise sharply. [4]

22 September 1944: At Harperley Camp, the Italian POWs were dispersed to hostels and farms to make room for 716 German POWs deemed to be a low security risk.[5]   Eventually, there were subsidiary camps and hostels at various locations – Bedburn Camp which could house about 150 men, Langton Grange 150, Windlestone Hall 100, Bishop Auckland Hospital [fluctuated], Mount Oswald 100, Usworth 100, Lanchester 100, Consett 100, Hamsterley Hall 100 and High Spen 100.[6]

October 1944: The decision to employ German POWs was taken.  Prior to this, POW Camps for Germans were places of detention unlike the Italian camps. At this time, there were about 90,000 German POWs in the UK.   

December 1944: The 144,450 German POWs outnumbered the Italians.[7] 

December 1945: The numbers of German POWs continued to rise throughout 1945 to 211,300 by December and similarly throughout 1946 to reach a peak of 402,000 in September.[8]

September 1946: More than a year after the end of the Second World War there over 400,000 German POWs held in camps in the UK.[9] The numbers had reached this peak when a further 130,000 POWs arrived from the USA during the year.[10]  Eventually, there were around 1500 POW Camps and hostels, 390 being major sites spread right across the UK.[11]  Due to a labour shortage, the British government needed this source of workers to supplement those servicemen still on active service.  In September, repatriation of German POWs finally commenced at the rate of 15,000 per month with an additional 500 per month for compassionate cases.[12] 

November 1946 to October 1947: Officers from the Foreign Office Re-education Section paid visits to Harperley Camp and recorded that POW numbers fluctuated from between 426 and 899 at the main camp with typically about 1000 at associated hostels and billets.[13] 

Christmas 1946: A watershed moment in the history of German POWs held in the UK when the Labour Government, relaxed fraternisation regulations, particularly the announcement that POWs would be permitted to accept invitations to private homes to celebrate Christmas.[14] 

February 1947: Catastrophic weather conditions, heavy snowfall, prevented the movement of coal, the nation’s primary power source, from reaching power stations, gasworks, factories and homes.  British troops together with an equal number of German POWs, worked shoulder to shoulder to clear road and rail links.[15]

March 1947: There were 170,000 German POWs working in agriculture in the UK which represented 20% of agricultural workers.[16]  Further freedoms were given – patches on clothes were to be removed, extension of the 5 mile limits, POWs could enter private homes without their Commandant’s approval, they could attend football matches etc.[17]

June 1947: There were still 282,431 German POWs in UK, more than 2 years after the end of the war.[18]

July 1947: Further relaxation of the rules were granted.  POW pay could be given in sterling for use in shops, public transport, entertainment but not licensed premises rather than tokens.[19]

Summer 1947: The last Italian POWs were repatriated from the British Commonwealth.[20]

August 1947: From Harperley Camp, 633 POWs had returned to Germany, 8 had been granted civilian status in the UK and a further 34 men were waiting to have their applications considered. [21] 

December 1947: Repatriation increased from 15,000 to 20,000 per month.[23]

12 July 1948: Having commenced in September 1946, repatriation of German POWs was completed.[24]  However, 25,252 German POWs elected to stay on in the UK taking up the offer to continue to work in agriculture, their status akin to indentured labour.  Around 12,000 stayed on beyond their short term contracts.[25]

Summer 1948:  Harperley Camp is presumed to have ceased to function as a POW Camp although it may have continued to be used as a hostel for agricultural workers or displaced people waiting for new housing.[26]

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REFERENCES

[1] “Prisoner of War Camps in County Durham” Arcumes & Helvet 2002 p.10 & p.102

[2] “Temporary Settlements and Transient Populations: The Legacy of Britain’s Prisoner of War Camps 1940-1948” 1999 Hellen J.A. p.193 & 194

[3] Hellen J.A. p.198

[4] Hellen J.A. p.193

[5] https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1020730

[6] Arcumes & Helvet p.8 & p.11

[7] Hellen J.A. p.193 & 194

[8] Hellen J.A. p.193

[9] https://theconversation.com/what-happened-to-german-prisoners-of-war-in-britain-after-hitlers-defeat-74859

[10] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/day-deutschland-died-retracing-fate-captured-axis-soldiers-end-ww2-10216869.html

[11] Hellen J.A. p.191

[12] “British attitudes towards German prisoners of war and their treatment 1939-48” Malpass A.P. 2016 Doctoral, Sheffield Hallam University p.190

[13] https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1020730 Eric Branse-Instone studied notes from official files held at the Public Record Office, Kew, London [2002] Probably file no.939/173.

[14] Malpass A.P. p.146

[15] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/day-deutschland-died-retracing-fate-captured-axis-soldiers-end-ww2-10216869.html

[16] Malpass A.P. p.122

[17] Malpass A.P. p.151

[18] Malpass A.P. p.190

[19] Malpass A.P. p.151

[20] “Employing the enemy: the contribution of German and Italian Prisoners of war to British agriculture during and after the Second World War” Custodis J. Agricultural History Review p.244

[21] https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1020730

[22] Note: Wolsingham Agricultural Show is held annually in September

[23] Malpass A.P. p.194

[24] Malpass A.P. p.194

[25] Malpass A.P. p.204

[26] https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1020730