Hello, I’m searching after more Intel about British ”field punishment camps” in the period 1944 to 1945. It seems that info on the net is scarce about this type of unit. Did already a Google search. Do anybody has more info or pictures about this units? Thanks in advance , Grtz Crets
any good? BBC - WW2 People's War - All Tanked Up - part 10 article about Erie Camp speaks of a “massive break-out” around VE Day
I didn't realise that buses were a protectorate! Tom Grisdale says: “I remember when I was on leave, a prisoner had escaped and he got on the bus at Beech Hill Garage. The ‘Red Caps’ jumped on to arrest him, but the conductor wouldn’t let them – he said ‘you can’t touch him on here – you can have him when he gets off’. So they followed the bus with a jeep and when he got off at the terminus in Haslemere they took him.” He adds: “I didn’t realise that they couldn’t touch him on a public bus.” He also recalls: “Some days you’d be on the bus going up towards Grayshott, and the Military Police would be out there seeing prisoners onto the bus when they’d finished their detention.”
All Tanked Up, the Canadians in Headley during WW2 - ISBN 1-873855-00-1 Appendix 5. Memories of No.1 Canadian Detention Barracks (Erie Camp)
Australia: Grovely Detention Barracks, Grovely, Brisbane, Queensland, used by the Military during WW2 The Australian Army established a Detention Barracks at Grovely, a suburb in Brisbane in south east Queensland during WW2 for military prisoners. In about 1944, a number of violent uprisings took place at the Army Detention Barracks at Grovely and at Warwick. The prisoners and the guards were involved in many a battle at these two locations. The ringleaders of these two uprisings were transferred to Boggo Road Gaol to await their subsequent Court Marshall. Two of these ringleaders had a particularly extensive record of military offences over their long service in the AIF. While they were at Boggo Road they requested permission to work in the prison. This was granted. They worked in the kitchen as cooks for the rest of their stay at Boggo Road. They worked hard with no complaints. The two men became well liked by the prison warders and their fellow prisoners. This was in stark contrast to the reputation that they had earned prior to this.
all found on google my apologies - on posting I just noticed the location of your thread and am unsure if you are looking for specifics to 53rd Div or if you posted in the wrong section of the forum? If the first, apologies for irrelevant intel, if the latter ask a mod to move it best regards
There are quite a few war diaries available for these units. I have at least one from 1940 and noticed some listed in the North West Europe Files spreadsheet. Have a look in the Research Material section of the forum and open the thread with Excel in the title.
The Glass House! Company orders were often posted on a halftrack, or any other convenient place. Not long after the Normandy Invasion, there was a notice posted to the effect that a "Glass House" has already been put in place in Normandy. I recall that very clearly at the time.... "what a stupid thing to do in the middle of a very nasty war Sapper
Hello, Thanks for the intel! @ admin could you please move this topic, I postid it in the wrong section? It seems that there where in Belgium between 1944 and 1945, 7 "Field punishment camps" operational. Seems a lot to me. Something else interesting what I found: Military personnel also were concerned in various thefts of foodstuffs, petrol, vehicles, clothing and blankets, which afterwards found their way into the civilian black market. In one case investigations of the SIB led to the arrest of a gang of deserters masquerading as an authorised military unit. This gang was organised to the extent of having its own stationery and identity cards printed, for several months drew petrol and rations from army sources, and requisitioned its own cars and billets from unsuspecting civilians. I heard things like this in our village (in Belgium), a guy (who' is the grandfather of a friend of mine) sold complete trucks with trousers and boots in it. Seems that not everbody was on the front line helping us to get rid of the Germans. Very interesting piece of history of WWII @ Sapper, can you give me an idea for what things you have to go to the "Punishment camp"? Was it possibel that you were awarded with punishment camp for an offence as insuborditantion? Thanks in advance, Grtz Crets
of course, the film you simply MUST see is "The Hill". There, the character played by the wonderful actor Roy Kinnear, is being punished for selling allied weapons to North African tribesmen. The character played by Sean Connery is being punished for refusing an order and striking an Officer. Connery made this film, in between Goldfinger and Thunderball, at the growing height of his James Bond fame The Hill (1965) - IMDb
YouTube - The Hill - Trailer - (1965) - HQ would have loved the opportunity to see it in 70mm! it appears to be available in its entirety on yo ut ub e, which whether legal or not DOES mean you're able to see the absolutely beautiful opening shot, one take, two minutes twenty five seconds of cinematic class
