SENNYBRIDGE TRAINING AREA Prisoner of War Infra-structure Sites POW Working Companies at Sennybridge Survey October 2014
Overview Evidence still remains at Sennybridge of the German and Italian Prisoner of War (POW) Work Companies that were located here during and after the the Second World War. They were heavily involved in constructing range infra-structure (including roads, bridges and drainage culverts). Three POW Work Companies were know to have been engaged at Sennybridge: 573 - Nationality Unknown 697 - German 731 - Italian Initial construction work carried out when the training Area opened in 1940 was performed by British and Commonwealth Units. George G. Blackburn, a Canadian Gunner Officer serving with 40 Field Regiment RCA recalls this in his wartime memoir Where The Hell Are The Guns recalls: Beyond the weather, the most detested feature of Sennybridge, as far as the gunners are concerned, is the road-building detail which the camp authorities require each time a Regiment turns up for a week of shooting. A detail of a hundred men and an officer is made responsible for building a stretch of road across the barren hills regardless of weather conditions. As a result of Allied success, both German and Italian POW s started to be captured in large numbers. These POW s were formed into Work companies and employed on various tasks within the UK. The Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Geneva, 27 July 1929 states belligerents may employ as workmen prisoners of war who are physically fit, other than officers and persons of equivalent statue, according to their rink and their ability. It was also defined that Prisoners of War shall have no direct connection with the operations of the war however. This is defined more clearly as being forbidden to employ prisoners in the manufacture or transport of arms or munitions of any kind, or on the transport of material destined for combatant units. This definition was clearly interpreted as enabling the use of POW s to improve and develop the Range infra-structure at Sennybridge. From the available evidence it seems that POW labour was used at Sennybridge from 1944 through to November 1946. The R.A Practice Camp, Sennybridge is recorded as having 549 POW s on 8 September 1946 located at The Main Camp and externally in hostels. A camp was located at Cwm Owen on the far eastern side of the on the training area.. German POW s pictured working in Kent (War And Peace Photo Archive) Page 1
Embossed Bridge - 697 GERMAN POW Cilieni Track GR: SN 903 975 Embossed Bridge looking north-west Along the Cilieni Track. picture dated 18/3/2014 Location: GR SN 903 975 ABOVE RIGHT: Picture circa 1994 - prior to Sympathetic restoration. RIGHT: Picture post restoration, Page 2
Embossed Culvert - 1945 POW Vedette G ERV-2 GR: SN 884 414 ABOVE: Culvert pictured looking South-west Picture date 09/10/204 Location: GR SN 884 414 ABOVE: Right side of culvert marked POW. Picture date 09/10/204 Page 3
Embossed Culvert - 573 1945 POW OP Road GR: SN 885 375 ABOVE: Culvert pictured looking North on OP Road Picture date 09/10/204 Location: GR SN 885 375 Culvert pictured looking along OP Road Picture date 09/10/204 Page 4
MARKED BRIDGE PARAPET - 573 IP Burma Road GR: SN 892 363 Bridge looking North on Burma Road Picture date 09/10/204 Location: GR SN 892 363 ABOVE RIGHT: Parapet pictured 09/10/204 BELOW RIGHT: Parapet pictured circa 1992 prior to being damaged as result of an RTA and subsequently being repaired and losing original marking. Page 5
EMBOSSED CULVERT - 731 IPW Burma Road GR: SN 941 380 TOP : Culvert picture looking East on Burma road at OP 14 Location: GR SN 941 380 Location: GR SN 892 363 ABOVE RIGHT: the culvert RIGHT: Close up of embossed letters showing 731IPW All pictures dated 9/10/2014 Page 6
EMBOSSED CULVERT - 44 Burma Road GR: SN 945 382 Culvert pictured looking south from OP Road Picture date 09/10/204 Location: GR SN 945 382 RIGHT: Culvert pictured looking south showing clump of tress east of Cwm Ffrengig. Picture dated 9/10/2014 Page 7
POW CAMP SITE Cwm Owen GR: SO 417 443 Looking across the old camps site. The Remains of building/hut bases can still be seen. Picture date 09/10/2014 Location: GR SO 417 443 The Camp site pictured from above. Page 8
EMBOSSED BRIDGE PARAPET (unknown) Cefniolo GR: SO 017 443 Looking South East towards Journeys End range complex. Picture date 09/10/2014 Location: GR SO 017 443 ABOVE RIGHT: Left hand parapet embossed MARIAN. Date of embossing un-known. RIGHT: The bridge pictured from the Left Side. Pictures dated 9/10/2014 Page 9
References: FO 939/326 697 Working Camp, Sennybridge Camp, Tremorgan, Pembrokeshire Date: 1946 TWENTIETH CENTURY MILITARY RECORDING PROJECT PRISONER OF WAR CAMPS (1939 1948) PROJECT REPORT by ROGER JC THOMAS English Heritage 2003 Where the Hell Are The Guns - George C Blackburn, McClelland & Stwert Inc, Toronto, 1997 The Haunt of the Horse - Major retd H.T. McCormack RA - Privately published recollection - 1966