Sandbostel

Discussion in 'Prisoners of War' started by handtohand22, Jan 14, 2007.

  1. handtohand22

    handtohand22 Senior Member

    I think of Sandbostel as a concentration camp.

    I could be wrong except that the memorial from 30 Corps reads as follows,

    "In memory of the 2,070 men of all nationalities who died in Sandbostel April/May 1943. This cross is erected by the British 30 Corps"

    I wonder if this memorial is still in position.
     

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  2. Kyt

    Kyt Very Senior Member

  3. 51highland

    51highland Very Senior Member

    Sandbostel was a SS concentration camp. During winter 1945-46 5th Seaforths were guards there. German POWs were kept there for screening etc. My Father with 5th Camerons at Westertimke would send all the SS and hard and fast Nazis to the Seaforths at Sandbostel to ("bring them into line") which effectively meant giving them a hard time.
     
  4. handtohand22

    handtohand22 Senior Member

    My father was there in 1944-45 with 6LAA Battery before moving on to Belsen.
    The perimiter was so large the guards had to learn to ride M/bikes to get round.
     
  5. Ramiles

    Ramiles Researching 9th Lancers, 24th L and SRY

    Hi all,

    Does anyone know anything more about this "camp" ?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_X-B

    i.e http://www.warlinks.com/armour/8th_armoured/chapter_6.php (to quote from about 80% down this wedpage)

    "Away to the right Sandbostel Concentration Camp had been uncovered by the advance. Though smaller, and occupied only by men, the conditions in this camp were exactly similar to Belsen. The 168 (City of London) Light Field Ambulance was moved in to deal with a situation where over 2,000, out of a total of 22,000, had died during the past 10 days, and where the death rate did not fall below 100 a day for some time. All ranks of the Light Field Ambulance combined magnificently to relieve the indescribable sufferings of the unfortunate victims."

    I think for example that elements of the SRY might have been amongst the first there?
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_X-B#Liberation

    And it has crept in as an element of confusion - due to it's similarity with "Belsen" - and I was wondering when I recently saw that "Belsen was the sole camp that that the British liberated?" - though I think that many British troops were permitted to go to Belsen at some stage to see the appalling conditions there?

    And there is for example a link here to an IWM audio interview of a British trooper who served with Sherwood Rangers in North West Europe, 1944-1945; captured at Lastrup, 12/Apr/1945; POW in Sandbostel Camp, Germany, 1945: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80027142

    All the best,

    Rm.
     

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