POW Camps in Leeds

FarnleyBloke · Post by **FarnleyBloke** » Thu 17 May, 2007 4:25 pm

HiDuring world war 2 there wer two prison camps in Leeds. 1 was on Post Hill in Farnley (Post Hill Camp) and there is still some kind of structure to be seen in a farmers field that i believe was a part of the camp.I have also recently found out that there was one on Butcher Hill in Hawksworth / Moor Grange / West Park. Unfortunately there are no records as to where this exactly was.Strangely i have previously lived around the corner from both these camps, Tong Drive for the Farnley one and Fillingfir Drive for the Butcher Hill one and at the time had no idea that these had been there.I know it's a long shot but does anyone know anything about them? Have any memories of them or the people that worked there?Intrigueingly (sp) when i was little my mum told me that during (and after) the war my grandfather had been a warder at Armley Prison and an Italian prisoner of war had baked my 3 year old uncle a birthday cake. I can find no details that Armley was used as a POW camp so maybe he was based at Post Hill for a while?The details i have of the 2 camps are very sketchy but both appear to have been working camps with one inmate in Farnley remembering working in a local quarry. There are quarries just off Butcher Hill aswell. Also the hardcore Germans- SS, gestapo etc were supposedly all imprisoned in the north of England.Anyway sorry for the longwinded post but would love to hear from anyone that can help.Also as a side note for the explorers amongst you could there have been air raid shelters on these sites?

TomD · Post by **TomD** » Thu 17 May, 2007 4:55 pm

I was always under the illusion that Waterloo Lake in Roundhay Park was dug by POW's...I dont have any info about your query though... I've been to post hill a few times, but I never gave it any thought.Perhaps there is a clue in the name, anyone know why its called "Post Hill"?

billy the buffalo · Post by **billy the buffalo** » Thu 17 May, 2007 5:55 pm

I believe that the POW camp was at the end of Queenswood Drive where it meets spen lane and the camp was an Italian POW camp.My grandparents lived on the queenswood estate and remembered that during the bad winter of 1947 ( i think) that the prisoners were used to keep the roads clear of snow.I thought that the structures that were at the top of post hill the old gun emplacements that were part of the leeds defences and there is the same set up at carlton near the airport with the same configuartion of emplacements as the one at Post Hill.I am also told that there are still traces of an old POW camp in the woods in Calverley that run from the end of Clara Drive to round to Thornhill Drive.Hope this helps

Steven · Post by **Steven** » Sun 27 May, 2007 1:25 pm

My Grandfather (Nonno) was an Italian POW at Post Hill. He met my Grandmother there (a local lass). When he was repatriated she followed him back to post war Italy. They returned a couple of years later to settle in Pudsey.She could write a book about the things she experience... in fact, she has.Steven

simonm · Post by **simonm** » Sun 27 May, 2007 1:47 pm

Whats the name of the book your gandma wrote?

Steven · Post by **Steven** » Sun 27 May, 2007 10:16 pm

Sorry, it's unpublished I'm afraid. She's not really tried to get it published, more of a personal archive of memories for her family to enjoy.Who knows, we may get her to send it out eventually, it's only short and would be perfect for Readers Digest, or something like that.Thanks for the interest.Steven

arry_awk · Post by **arry_awk** » Thu 31 May, 2007 4:11 pm

FarnleyBloke wrote: HiDuring world war 2 there wer two prison camps in Leeds. 1 was on Post Hill in Farnley (Post Hill Camp) and there is still some kind of structure to be seen in a farmers field that i believe was a part of the camp.I have also recently found out that there was one on Butcher Hill in Hawksworth / Moor Grange / West Park. Unfortunately there are no records as to where this exactly was.Strangely i have previously lived around the corner from both these camps, Tong Drive for the Farnley one and Fillingfir Drive for the Butcher Hill one and at the time had no idea that these had been there.I know it's a long shot but does anyone know anything about them? Have any memories of them or the people that worked there?Intrigueingly (sp) when i was little my mum told me that during (and after) the war my grandfather had been a warder at Armley Prison and an Italian prisoner of war had baked my 3 year old uncle a birthday cake. I can find no details that Armley was used as a POW camp so maybe he was based at Post Hill for a while?The details i have of the 2 camps are very sketchy but both appear to have been working camps with one inmate in Farnley remembering working in a local quarry. There are quarries just off Butcher Hill aswell. Also the hardcore Germans- SS, gestapo etc were supposedly all imprisoned in the north of England.Anyway sorry for the longwinded post but would love to hear from anyone that can help.Also as a side note for the explorers amongst you could there have been air raid shelters on these sites?

simonm · Post by **simonm** » Tue 05 Jun, 2007 2:19 am

Steven wrote: Sorry, it's unpublished I'm afraid. She's not really tried to get it published, more of a personal archive of memories for her family to enjoy.Who knows, we may get her to send it out eventually, it's only short and would be perfect for Readers Digest, or something like that.Thanks for the interest.Steven real shame, I can imagine the things your grandparents have seen and gone through would be a cracking read.

Jailhouse John · Post by **Jailhouse John** » Fri 22 Jun, 2007 3:43 pm

There were at least 2 farm labourers working in New Farnely immediately after the war (1950) who didnt return home and stayed on here- as Bert Traughtman did (ex Man City keeper) . Although I always thought that they were Germans

wiggy · Post by **wiggy** » Tue 26 Jun, 2007 7:32 pm

my mother in law would go down to the spen lane POW camp to try and get cigarettes from them,as they got red cross parcels,whilst we were on rations!