Over the years I've often heard stories of there being a WW2 Prisoner of War camp on the main road between Hednesford and Rugeley in Staffordshire (nearly on Cannock Chase). There are some stone structures as if to mark the entrance to a camp and also an area of land looks like the outline of where this could have been. I vaguely remember seeing one picture of this place. I've heard it may well have been an Italian PoW camp? Not sure if anyone knows anymore about it?
Lots of military camps in the Cannock/Rugely area - going back to WW1 http://www.staffspasttrack.org.uk/exhibit/chasecamps/ but Google and it brings up a host of stuff.
Thanks for all the answers so far, I am aware of the Cannock Chase history back to WW1 with being a local I've explored many sites over the years. However this one has always seemed to me like a bit of an urban myth as I despite looking around I can't find anything about it. Cheers for the maps, but the place I'm actually on about is on the bottom left on the Hednesford Road, just where it says stilecop field (it's the next field down towards Hednesford). Don't know if anyone has any further details.
Sorry to bring up an old post but thought this might be of interest to others. A local page on Facebook has just provided me with the answers which I was looking for after someone posted a picture of what remains of the camp. Please find the details below: Name and Location - Flaxley Green Camp, Stilecop Field, Rugeley County - Staffordshire Condition - Removed. All structures removed site; footprint may survive. Type - 1945 Comments - Large Standard. Camp consisting of a guards compound and six prisoners compounds, three for tents and three with hutting. See Camp no.175.
NGR :SK 034 158 OS sheet no 128 175 Flaxley Green Camp, Stilecop Field, Rugeley Staffordshire 4 Base Camp LARGE STANDARD. Camp consisting of a guards' compound and six prisoners' compounds, three for tents and three with hutting. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/prisoner-of-war-camps/prisoner-of-war-camps.pdf/
Hi All This is my first post. Im trying to trace details of my Grandfather's location in 1949. He came to the UK under the European Voluntary Worker scheme (sometimes called Westward Ho scheme) in 1947 and as such was not a POW but classified as a "Displaced Person". I have his formal registration document. There is a stamp from the Burgh of Ayr Chief Constables office on 10th December 1949 which mentions he was relocating to "EVW Camp in WASELEY, RUGELEY". I'm assuming waseley is a spelling error/phonetic spelling (from a person in Ayr) and it should "Wolseley". My issue is from what I can find out about this camp it seemed to have closed in "late 1947" (from: Pastscape - Detailed Result: PRISONER OF WAR CAMP 96). So before my Grandfather's arrival in the areas in late 1949. However, I have found someone selling an envelope date stamp 1952 which is addressed to Wolseley Camp. So there still seems to have been some activity on the site 1952. I'm wondering whether it was repurposed as a displaced person camp? I was wondering if anyone might be able to shed some light on what happened at the Wolseley site after it closed and before it became a sewage works? Or where i might look further? Cheers Paul
All POW Camps had closed by about September 1948 as all German POWs had now been repatriated or stayed behind (about 25,000 from memory). The Italian POWs had all gone in 1946, to be completely replaced by more Germans. German repatriation started in autumn 1947, although certain small categories went earlier, those who were ill, battle wounds, and trade specialists such as miners and teleprinter repair men, who could get the German economy working again. It was not uncommon to re-purpose POW camps, army bases or RAF stations as they closed as camps for for displaced persons, or for former member of the Polish Resettlement Corps. One Pole, in PRC, whose records I have seen, came to Britain in 1946, and went to former RAF Poulton, then former army camps Oulton Park and Delamere Park. The PRC website gives a list of camps they took over. The other little known source of camp accommodation seems to be the National Assistance Board who ran hostels. I have found references to one that was set up on the site of a still functioning POW camp and took over huts as the Germans steady went home. That was a first for me but others may know more.
Hi all,first time posting,when I stumbled across you site,I am doing a bit of research on my dad,who passed away a few good years back,after getting in touch with Arsolen Archives & a few others things are a bit slow,or I have come to a dead end,my dad was in Loxley Hall Uttoxeter Staffordshire as a farm worker in 1948 & also at Wolseley Rugely Stafforshire 1949.I have one photo,which I am presuming were his work pals,no idea who they are.My dad was Polish/Ukraine & came from Trembowla.From Seedorf Germany,I think from another camp he landed in Harwich on the 23/06/48 ( this is all in his old Alien passport,which I have) I don't know weather that was by rail/air or by boat/ship,he made his life here in the Uk.I just wondered if anyone can enlighten me with any more news.
Possibly repeating what has been posted in the past. Heritage Gateway - Results PoW Camp 96 Wolseley Road https://historicengland.org.uk/imag.../prisoner-of-war-camps/prisoner-of-war-camps/
The Italian pow’s worked on the land. As a child I remember seeing them working in the fields of my aunt and uncle’s farm at Loggerheads, near Market Drayton. They wore prisoners overalls with a large ‘P’ printed on the back. Some of them were very artistic painting scenes of their home back in Italy, the pictures still hang in the farmhouse to this day. Quite possible they were from the Rugeley camp.
After Wolseley closed as a POW camp it was then inhabited by local people, ex POW's who stayed in the UK and foreign workers, locally it was called squatters camp. My wife's Grandad was a German Pow at the camp and met a local girl and stayed in Rugeley. They married in 1949 and they lived in Squatters camp for a while as man & wife. He said despite there being English, German . Poles and Ukrainians living there there was never any trouble despite what had happened a few years earlier, people just wanted to get on with their lives.
I find it all very interesting, to date I can't find anymore info or photos, The team was UNNRA TEAM WAS 295 I know both camps had Italians in them. other than what I have stumbled across the internet or sites like this, I often wonder if there were any photos of the people at these camps. I know my dad did stop at few hostels here & there, but unsure where. I do remember going to my local tobacconist/sweet shop & the owners who used to run it, did tell me my dad did stop with them for a while but I cannot remember where. At the moment i am in the process of doing some of my ancestory & have since found out we are related & they come from Canada & they have sent me a load of stuff about my dads family side, all this is still ongoing. I know growing up we had a lot of Ukraine/Polish/Hungarian friends & my dad married my mum who was Italian. My dad could speak quite a number of different languages. I don't know if you or anyone else could enlighten me on my dads passport there is a photo of him with 6 numbers must be some sort of registration but I am unsure what it was used for. it's different from his passport registration number. I also can't find any more on the Seedorf camp.
