Watten POW Camp

[Valerie Campbell]

Hi everyone,

Do any orgers have any more information on the POW camp at Watten? If so, please let me know as the book is in the editing stages now and this is a last attempt to gather all the information I can on it. Thanks to all of you who have helped with the project so far and I look forward to its publication and revealing all its secrets.

[whizzy69]

hi i remember my father in law tellin me some stories about it as he was a wee youngster growning up in watten at that time i'll cant remember wot they where but i'll be happy to get them if they will be any help:)...

[ginajade]

Try asking at Wick salvation Army. The older members used to visit and were presented with a plaque of martin luther by them.

[George Brims]

I do remember my late father telling me some of the prisoners were allowed out to help on farms at harvest time etc. Even though the Geneva Convention forbids forced labour by POWs, it doesn't ban offering prisoners some exercise in the outdoors, and quite possibly a bit of improved diet. Some of the lads were even allowed to stay out of the camp overnight and sleep in the farm bothies. I don't know how they figured out which ones they could trust!

[golach]

I do remember my late father telling me some of the prisoners were allowed out to help on farms at harvest time etc. Even though the Geneva Convention forbids forced labour by POWs, it doesn't ban offering prisoners some exercise in the outdoors, and quite possibly a bit of improved diet. Some of the lads were even allowed to stay out of the camp overnight and sleep in the farm bothies. I don't know how they figured out which ones they could trust!
George, this was a common practice after the war was officially over. German prisoners of war awaiting re-patriation would work on farms in the surrounding area.
I left Caithness in 1946, to settle on a small farm in the Carse of Gowrie in Perthshire, the Mains of Pitroddie, my father was a ploughman who worked with two of the nicest Clydesdales I ever met.
100 yards from our house, which in those days had no electricity, no running water inside the house, and a dry lavvie that my father moved around the garden), but I digress, next to our house was origionally a Italian POW camp with barbed wire and all the trappings one would expect of a POW camp.
Shortly after the Germans arrived and it was all change, the barbed wire came down, the British soldiers no longer went around armed, and the POW were allowed out to work, and mix with the locals to a certain extent.
I, at nearly 7 years old was the only child for nearly a mile around the camp, so it did not take me long to become friends with the POW's and eventually I was spending as much time in the camp as I was at home.
The Germans were nothing but kindness to me, I had some of the greatest toys you could ever imagine, I could count up to twenty in German. I ate and watched movies with my new found friends, (remember this is now 1947), I saw flushing toilets, showers, Electric lights and food that my parents could never hope to supply.
Some of the POW's used to come to our house at night and play cards with my parents.
The POW's all wore square or diamond patches on their clothing, to identify them as POW's, one night they sewed a patch on the back of my jacket, my parents laughed their heads off, I was broken hearted as I thought I was going to be sent back to Germany.:(
I was also the POW's football team mascot, with a strip but no football boots and travelled all over Perthshire with them playing football against other POW camps and British soldiers.
I, as you can see have fond memories of my days between the ages of 6 and 8, the toys? I gave them all away to some proper tinker bairns, who I thought had nothing and lived in a tent, ah the memories :)

[cuddlepop]

Dont want to take this off the thread too much but I would like to envisize what Golach is saying,that some of the Germans were kindnest itself.
My Grandparents stayed in Guernsey during the occupation.Towards the end there was very little food to go round and the German soldiers would knock on Grannys door to give her what little food they did have for the wee ones.
Like any nationality there are good and bad people its just that we tend to remember the bad. :(

[the nomad]

My memory of Watten is it's still a POW camp. LOL

[Fran]

When the late Colonel Hildreth was at Stirkoke house, he employed some of the prisoners to work in the house and on the land. When a couple got married he gave the bride away and gave a party for them. the couple kept in touch for many years, and a few years ago, the bride who was by then widowed, came over from her home in Switzerland to see the Colonel again. It was a lovely story and the Colonel had many photographs of the prisoners.

[Saveman]

I believe there is someone who lives up Dunnet direction who was a prisoner at Watten POW....he'd be worth talking too....

[lindadorren]

Hi,

My mother in law, now aged 90, was a WAAF based at Watten during the Second World War. She has several stories to tell and has promised to dictate them to me over the weekend when she visits us in Edunburgh. Do you want these forwarded to you or is it too late?

Please can you let me know when the book is published as I am certain she would love a copy of it.

Thanks

Linda

Linda Gray

[oldmarine]

George, this was a common practice after the war was officially over. German prisoners of war awaiting re-patriation would work on farms in the surrounding area.
I left Caithness in 1946, to settle on a small farm in the Carse of Gowrie in Perthshire, the Mains of Pitroddie, my father was a ploughman who worked with two of the nicest Clydesdales I ever met.
100 yards from our house, which in those days had no electricity, no running water inside the house, and a dry lavvie that my father moved around the garden), but I digress, next to our house was origionally a Italian POW camp with barbed wire and all the trappings one would expect of a POW camp.
Shortly after the Germans arrived and it was all change, the barbed wire came down, the British soldiers no longer went around armed, and the POW were allowed out to work, and mix with the locals to a certain extent.
I, at nearly 7 years old was the only child for nearly a mile around the camp, so it did not take me long to become friends with the POW's and eventually I was spending as much time in the camp as I was at home.
The Germans were nothing but kindness to me, I had some of the greatest toys you could ever imagine, I could count up to twenty in German. I ate and watched movies with my new found friends, (remember this is now 1947), I saw flushing toilets, showers, Electric lights and food that my parents could never hope to supply.
Some of the POW's used to come to our house at night and play cards with my parents.
The POW's all wore square or diamond patches on their clothing, to identify them as POW's, one night they sewed a patch on the back of my jacket, my parents laughed their heads off, I was broken hearted as I thought I was going to be sent back to Germany.:(
I was also the POW's football team mascot, with a strip but no football boots and travelled all over Perthshire with them playing football against other POW camps and British soldiers.
I, as you can see have fond memories of my days between the ages of 6 and 8, the toys? I gave them all away to some proper tinker bairns, who I thought had nothing and lived in a tent, ah the memories :)


I heard similar stories about German POW's in a POW camp near my home town Fort Wayne, Indiana. I was overseas in the Pacific Theatre of Operations during WWII and never saw the German POW camp. I was told that the German POW's were well-fed and were allowed to work at local farms at their choice; however, to the chagrin of returning soldiers from Europe. I never experienced nor saw any of the activity so am not qualified to offer my comments.

[Valerie Campbell]

Thanks everyone and it's great to hear that so many of you are interested in the camp. Hopefully the book will be out sometime this year and you'll be able to get a fuller history of Watten Camp and it's role between 1945 and 1948.

[webmannie]

I heard similar stories about German POW's in a POW camp near my home town Fort Wayne, Indiana. I was overseas in the Pacific Theatre of Operations during WWII and never saw the German POW camp. I was told that the German POW's were well-fed and were allowed to work at local farms at their choice; however, to the chagrin of returning soldiers from Europe. I never experienced nor saw any of the activity so am not qualified to offer my comments.

German POWs were in Indiana?

[horse]

my old foreman was always telling stories and we got to a stage that we didn't know what was true or not.But he told that there was also some prisoners in watten that weren't so friendly as they were SS. they didn't believe that the war was over and made for Dorrey hill and built a huge swastika on the side of the hill hoping to be rescued.i can't remember if they were alowed out or if they escaped. i would be interested to know if there is any truth in this story.

[Valerie Campbell]

my old foreman was always telling stories and we got to a stage that we didn't know what was true or not.But he told that there was also some prisoners in watten that weren't so friendly as they were SS. they didn't believe that the war was over and made for Dorrey hill and built a huge swastika on the side of the hill hoping to be rescued.i can't remember if they were alowed out or if they escaped. i would be interested to know if there is any truth in this story.

The prisoners who made it to Dorrey were recaptured and it is true, many prisoners were members of the SS. This was more 'black' than the camp at Cultybraggan near Comrie.