In reports for Carpenters Road Camp 30, there are records of a hostel recorded once as "Breaches Wandstead" and then later as just "Breaches". It was fairly large with 200+ pows in 1946/7. It is not the Wandsworth Flats site as that is listed separately. Does anyone know what / where "Breaches" was located? I tried the Wandstead community Facebook, but did not get a response. Thank you Best wishes - Malcolm
You have Wandsworth and Wandstead - do you mean Wanstead, Essex? Anything here? Camp 30 Carpenters Road Stratford
My rotten spelling and brain fused at same time - I meant Wanstead both times. The pic below is from one of the many documents Martin Richards posted on his fabulous site - Repatriated Landscape It is the only time "Breaches Wanstead" appears - after this there are entires for "Wanstead" AND "Breaches". Place name searches come up with 'a field in Dorset' and a house in Westerham, Kent (30+ miles from the main camp).
Honing in...... Despite above ref to Wanstead, there is another fleeting ref to Waltham Abbey. I have located "The Breaches", but two possible sites - see attached maps.
Further information received from Waltham Abbey Historical Society - “I was told by the previous owners of our house 23 years ago that there was an Italian prisoner of war camp opp Dalance farm by the Breach Barns turn off from Galley Hill. You can still to this day see the tops of the 1940’s huts as you drive up Galley Hill and see them on Google maps…. The base of the water tower supplying the camp can be reached easily from the road.” This is Site B on the maps above. There is a circular pathway with huts at the back of this site - (shown on bottom pic) can anyone tell me if it is evidence for a HAA site there? Thank you.
