Lodge Moor camp

Lodge Moor was a British prisoner of war camp during World War Two, based near Redmires Reservoirs, Sheffield, holding 11,000 POWs at its peak, mostly Germans. It was also used in World War One as a training camp and, later, a prisoner of war camp.

History

World War One

Redmires Camp was first used in World War I. Originally it was set up as a First World War training camp for the Sheffield City Battalion, who trained in the area around Redmires Reservoir.[1] Archaeological surveys of the nearby training areas, including trench systems dug by the trainee soldiers were undertaken between 1999 and 2006,[2] but no investigations have been made of the camp. When the Sheffield City Battalion went overseas, the camp and training areas were used by other British military units.[1] It subsequently became a prisoner of war camp. Its most famous inmate was the future Admiral Karl Dönitz who had been commanding a U-boat when captured on 4 October 1918.[3]

Inter-war Period

In 1925, a severe outbreak of smallpox meant that nearby Lodge Moor Hospital was unable to house all the patients, and Redmires Camp was used as an auxiliary hospital. It remained in use as such until 1935.[4]

World War Two

At the beginning of World War II, the name of Redmires Camp was changed to Lodge Moor Camp, becoming Prisoner of War Camp 17.[1] The camp housed Italian POWs who established a friendly rapport with the locals. As the war progressed they were replaced by German prisoners who endured overcrowding; the International Committee of the Red Cross, which, described the conditions as “insufficient/uninhabitable”. A witness suggested there were more than 70 prisoners in huts designed for 30. Others were in tents.[3]

Murder

On 24 March 1945 Gerhardt Rettig, a German prisoner of war, was severely beaten by fellow German prisoners of war, and later died of his injuries in hospital. Two men were subsequently tried for his murder and executed.[5]

Current Condition and Uses

Many of the concrete bases for the Nissen huts remain, along with remains of toilet blocks and emergency water storage tanks.[6] However, apart from the concrete bases, the area is now overgrown with trees, bracken and brambles, and used mainly by dog walkers. It is signposted as Redmires Camp Plantation and owned by Sheffield City Council.[7]

In 1979, a small part of the area was cleared to make a permanent site for Travellers,[8] which is still in use today.[9]

Archeology students from the University of Sheffield, working with the Sheffield Lakeland Landscape Partnership (SLLP), undertook new searches of the World War Two camp remains in the Summer of 2019.[10]

References
  1. Historic England. "Redmires First World War Training Area, Non Civil Parish (1417488)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  2. Ullathorne, Helen (2006). "Training Trenches at Redmires, Sheffield" (PDF).
  3. correspondent, Josh Halliday North of England (July 4, 2019). "UK's biggest second world war prisoner camp unearthed in Yorkshire" – via www.theguardian.com.
  4. "Lodge Moor Hospital, Sheffield".
  5. "Murder at Camp 17 Lodge Moor Sheffield 24th March 1945". www.chrishobbs.com. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  6. "Picture sheffield". www.picturesheffield.com. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  7. "SHEFFIELD MOORSMASTERPLAN 2013-2028" (PDF).
  8. "Picture sheffield". www.picturesheffield.com. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  9. "Gypsy and traveller sites". www.sheffield.gov.uk. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  10. Sheffield, University of. "Remains of Britain's largest prisoner of war camp uncovered by archaeologists - Latest - News - The University of Sheffield". www.sheffield.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.