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42 swindonlink.com • October 2013
19 - 48 October 13.indd 42
of Lydiard Park during the war
A hidden part of West Swindon’s history is being shared until 23 November
at Lydiard House, writes Sophie Cummings, curator at Lydiard House.
Thanks to a recent loan of docu- resistance, surviving ship wrecks and
ments and photographs, The 160 escaping from Nazi custody.
Camp exhibition takes visitors back John spent his later years in Woot-
to the 1940s, when the park played ton Bassett where he was active in
host to a prisoner of war hospital. the British Legion. Elaine produced
It treated up to 200 German some remarkable photographs of
prisoners of war at a time, in huts her father, his colleagues and camp
located where the events and sports inmates. Maps, photographs, letters,
field is today. reports and other items form the core
The large camp was originally of the exhibition and bring to light
established as a station hospital for the human stories behind the camp.
US servicemen injured during the D- These include Werner Wachsmuth,
Day landings, but after they returned the German doctor who treated both
home, the camp was adapted to hold prisoners and local families, and
the growing numbers of captured Peter Probst, the captured German
Germans as the war drew to a close. artist who gave paintings of Lydiard
It finally closed in the late 1940s and House and St Mary’s Church to a
the huts were converted to temporary local farmer.
housing for Swindon people. Since the exhibition opened in July,
The German military doctors and medical orderlies in front of the huts in Lydiard
Park. See more images at www.bit.ly/LydiardPOWcamp
Unlike the camps at Stratton, lots of local people have shared their
Lydiard Millicent and elsewhere in own memories of Italian and German
Wiltshire, the Lydiard Park camp was prisoners of war in Swindon, leading
a working hospital, where sick and to several donations of artworks and
injured German prisoners received other objects made by them.
treatment from local nurses and One visitor remembered German
German medical officers. When they prisoner Toni Schnoode billeted on
recovered, they were put to work in a farm in Wroughton who used to
local factories, on farms, road crews construct model ships in bottles,
and logging parties. which he sold to local people. Another
The staff at Lydiard House knew recalled Italians, wearing wooden
that there was a fascinating story to tell clogs, working on the farms between
about Swindon’s recent history, but Wootton Bassett and Lyneham and
until recently had little information shouting ‘Bongiorno!’ to passers-by.
about it - until Elaine Newcombe- The exhibition at Lydiard House
Jones made contact in 2011 with an runs until 23 November, open Tues-
amazing collection of documents. day to Sunday, 11am to 5pm, or to
Elaine’s father was John Bailey who 4pm in November.
was born to a German father and an We would appreciate more infor-
Austrian mother. His mother later mation about prisoners of war drafted
married a British army sergeant-major into Swindon railway works during
and John adopted his step-father’s the 1940s. If you have any stories,
name. He acted as an interpreter memories or material, mail: lydiard-
at several POW Camps in Britain, [email protected] or write to
but his humble manner belied his Sophie Cummings at Lydiard House,
experiences in the early years of the Lydiard Park, Lydiard Tregoze, Swin-
war running weapons for the Belgian don, SN5 3PA.
12/09/2013 10:25