Site of former prisoner of war camp to be commemorated

As part of the celebrations to mark the centenary of World War 1, a lectern is going to be installed on the corner of Welland Road and Dean Row to remember the part that this area played in the Great War.

Handforth Parish Council has agreed to provide £1000 to cover the costs for the installation of a black steel lectern on the site of the former prisoner of war camp.

The information for the notice board has been collated by Councillor Anthony Harrison with the help of local residents and Wilmslow Historical Society.

Councillor Anthony Harrison said "With the centenary anniversary of the First World War, I felt it appropriate that we remember the contributions that Handforth and its surrounding area made to the war effort. This was a perfect opportunity to ensure that a part of the villages history is captured for our future generations."

An official launch of the board will be held on September 13th when four people who all had family members in the prisoner of war camp will be coming over from Germany.

Photos: Prisoners of War and Refugees: The sleeping hall at Handforth camp, crowded with men on camp beds.

German prisoners tending garden and German prisoners receiving parcels from Germany.

Images are copyright of the Imperial War Museums (© IWM).

Tags:
Handforth Parish Council
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Terry Roeves
Tuesday 12th August 2014 at 3:03 pm
A good thing to do so we can all remember. I wonder if any stayed? Now that would be a very interesting part of our local history.
Sandra Cox
Tuesday 12th August 2014 at 4:03 pm
Terry - I believe that a German POW who was once a neighbour of ours for many years was probably in this camp. His name is Georg Kroll and as his home town was in East Germany, he stayed here when the war ended. After working on local farms while a prisoner, he became a Gardener and lived in Dean Row Wilmslow with his wife Mary, a nurse at Macclesfield General Hospital and then at Alderley Edge Cottage Hospital. Sadly Mary died in December 2012 and Georg is now in a nursing home. They were a lovely couple and are very much missed.
Sandra Cox
Tuesday 12th August 2014 at 5:21 pm
Just realised the memorial is for WW1 but, as Georg never mentioned any other POW staying here after WW!!, I would like to think the story of such a nice man was worth reading.
Andrew Backhouse
Wednesday 13th August 2014 at 8:50 am
Good to read about this. On the 13th September Friends of Handforth Station have organised performances of Over by Christmas, bringing the music and stories of the part stations like Handforth played in WW1 - and invited descendants from Germany of some of the prisoners of war. Watch out for performances at 12 and 2pm, probably at the Honford Hall but with other things happening around it too. Are there any descendants in Handforth of those who served in the first world war who went from Handforth? We'd like to know.