German Prisoners at Stobs Internment Camp (near Hawick) in Global Context, 1914-1919

During World War I, Stobs military training ground near Hawick was used as a mass internment camp for 4,500 prisoners; German civilian ‘enemy aliens’ who had settled in Britain before 1914 and were considered potential spies, civilian passengers and sailors from captured enemy ships, and military prisoners-of-war captured in Europe or at sea.

Stobs was the parent camp for a network of further facilities across Scotland and Northern England.

Although the majority of internees were German, there were some Austrians and some Turks.

There’s a free conference next summer about the Stobs camp, an opportunity to hear experts who have researched Stobs as well as camps in England, the Isle of Man, Ireland and others around the world, to see camp artefacts and perhaps to identify them, and visit the site with the Council’s archaeology officer, Dr Christopher Bowles.

If you have family members that worked at Stobs, or you’re descended from someone who was interned in one of the camps, I think you’ll find this conference especially interesting. Dr Bowles would also like to hear from anyone that has memorabilia relating to the camp.

Provisional programme.

The conference is on 18th and 19th June 2016 at Hawick. If you would like to attend, I suggest you register now at archives@scotborders.gov.uk

Lowick and District’s Response to the Belgian Refugees 1914 – 1915 - part 5

 This is a continuation of the Lowick and District’s Response to the Belgian Refugees 1914 – 1915 - part 4.
Alternatively, see all the previous parts of the Lowick and District’s Response to the Belgian Refugees 1914 – 1915, together.

It was performed as a "radio play" in Berwick Guildhall on 25 April 2015 at Discover Berwick’s First World War Story. Researched and written by Julie Gibbs.

Mr Boal     
I am now going on to Cheswick to visit a family there, under Mrs Crossman’s charge. I won’t be long.
(........)

Partial Transcript of Belgian children admitted to Cheswick School, 9 November 1914

Mr Boal    
I am back and I am pleased to report that they were very cheerful considering all they had gone through, and one could not fail to be impressed by the brightness of the three young children.

The youngest – a little boy of 2½ was playing with a box of bricks on the floor. Their father told us, that they had twice left Mechelen (Malines, Belgium) and gone back. The last time they went back was a fortnight after the first occupation, and they expected the Germans had gone for good. They had got nicely settled down in their house, which was undamaged, and a day or two later had just got dinner ready when some Belgian soldiers rode down the street, and running out, he learned that the Germans were close upon them. Leaving their dinner uneaten, and without time to gather up any of their belongings, they rushed straight off, and were continually on the march for six hours.

What that meant to the mothers and the young children, you can imagine.

A neighbour got out his horse and trap, loaded it with such of his goods as it would carry, and was just leaving with his wife and family when a German shell struck their trap, and all perished.

I’ll take my leave now.

Narrator    
Thank you Mr Boal. That was most helpful.