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Camp 85 - Victoria Camp, Brandon Road, Mildenhall, SuffolkIncluded in the 1945 ICRC camp list – Labour Camp. 85. Victoria Camp, Brandon Rd, Mildenhall, Suffolk.1947 Camp list85(G.W.C.)Victoria Camp, Brandon Road, Mildenhall, Bury St.Edmunds, SuffolkE.Priswar, MildenhallMildenhall 2184/5Mildenhall (L.N.E.R.)Lt.Col.H.S.Gill, M.C.v/1453/2Prisoner of War Camps (1939 – 1948) - Project report by Roger J.C. Thomas - English Heritage 2003OS NGRSheetNo.Name & LocationCountyCond’nType 1945CommentsTL 7308 766517485Victoria Camp, Brandon Road, MildenhallSuffolk4German Working CampSTANDARD type.Location: About 2.5 km NE of Mildenhall. Off the A1065. Why was it called Victoria camp?Before the camp: FarmlandPow Camp: Italian working camp / labour battalion up to 1945, then a German and other nationalities working camp. The site had a standard layout with a main pow compound, and guards’ huts and offices at the front. Common buildings and facilities at standard type camps included water towers, offices, officer's mess, a canteen, guard rooms, barrack huts, ablution blocks, cell blocks, a camp reception station (medical facility/hospital), a cookhouse, dining rooms, recreation rooms and living huts or tents. The pow accommodation huts were Ministry of War Production (MoWP), standard huts made with pre-cast reinforced concrete frames and wall panels, with windows on alternate bays. It was reported that the guards’ huts were Nissen type.From 1947 the camp held Ukrainian pows who were ex-members of the Waffen-SS Division Galizien. The division was accused of major war crimes against civilians.Satellite Camps / Hostels:Bells Paddocks (Newmarket) HostelCheveley HostelCranwich – satellite camp, then hostelHiston HostelKimberley HostelWest Tofts HostelWoodcock HostelOrdnance Survey 1958Barton Field, Ely, Camp 26 was listed as a satellite camp to Camp 85 for a short time in October/November 1947. I expect this would be as the camp was closing down and the numbers were reduced. (See details of inspection report below).Inspections were carried out for COGA (Control Office for Germany and Austria) who had oversight of re-education and repatriation. In March 1946 there were just 96 pows in the Cheveley Hostel. They were classified as A – 1; B – 48; C – 46; Unclassified 1. This gave the camp an overall grading of C -‘black’. This was the political screening and classification of pows as A ‘white’ (non-Nazi), B ‘grey’ (indifferent), and C ‘black’ (Nazi), which ended officially on 1 July 1947. More German pows were expected to arrive in the near future.By March 1947 the camp was described as “Gray” overall. This classification continued throughout 1947. In May 1947 it was recommended that the C classified group be re-screened as a matter of urgency due to low morale – C category pows were expected to be the last to be repatriated. Not all C pows were re-graded - the 25/26 August 1947 report noted in particular the harmful, anti-British, nationalistic and anti-Jewish attitudes of the Roman Catholic Padre.Numbers given for the camp and satellites / hostels:TotalMain / HQCheveley CranwichHistonKimberleyBells PaddockW ToftsWoodcockBilletedMarch 194696-96-------August 1946213756091503-332262-227156November 1946194366376544--232-243185January 1947194365474534--216-278185April 1947157769895490----294?May 19472 officers 996 OR?88450----304156August 19471 officer916 OR779510----173148October 1947Cranwich became hostel720--644----38Not recordedJanuary 194820 German1023 Ukrainian--557169--297-Not recorded Nearly all pows were engaged in farm work. Generally good morale was recorded apart from some specified groups. Relationships with civilians were generally good at Cranwich and Cheveley, but there were problems at Woodchurch with civilians in Mildenhall.During 1947, the inspection reports noted how re-education activities such as lectures, discussion groups or exhibitions, were diminished. Newspapers were available, YMCA films shown weekly, and there was a camp magazine (Der Ring) which was not to a good standard. There were some educational courses for Latin, mathematics, French, civics and drawing. Visits were organised to the local council offices, court and the Workers Education Alliance. A sports festival had been held at the camp. Due to repatriation the camp theatre group and orchestra were finding it difficult to put on shows.Satellite camp, Barton Fields, had a re-education survey in November 1947. 2 officers and 911 other ranks – of which 719 at HQ, 48 Soham Hostel, 146 billetees. Screening was recorded as A 4; B+ 172; B 609; B- 128. The satellite camp commandant was a Captain Jones. Morale was generally high and there were good relations with local citizens. 250 Romanian Volksdeutsche were held here with low morale, mainly due to lack of news from home. A comprehensive re-education programme was noted. The camp magazine was called, ‘Wir und die Welt’ (We and the World). There was an orchestra, choir and sports activities.Camp commandant c.1946 to April 1947 Lieutenant Colonel H S Gill, M.C. (I think he was from the Royal Artillery).Camp commandant from late May 1947 to 21 January 1948 Lieutenant Colonel C.H.(or E?) BlackCamp commandant from 21 January 1948 Lieutenant Colonel TuckerPostal items: Postcard sent 1943 >POW Postcard 28 October 1944 in Italian to ItalyAfter the camp: 1948 had 1401 Ukrainian pows. 2019 small farm and fields.Further Information:National Archives FO 939/165 – 85 Working Camp, Victoria camp, Mildenhall, Suffolk. Dated 1946-1948Archaeological Excavation at Prisoner of War Camp 85 Victoria, Eriswell 2 Site Extension Scheme, A1065, Eriswell, Suffolk – by Oxford Archaeology East, 2016, on behalf of Anglian Water. ................
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