Campaigners demand apology after former Sheffield POW camp damaged
Thousands of people from Germany, Italy and Ukraine were kept as prisoners during both world wars at the Lodge Moor camp
A heritage campaigner says Sheffield Council needs to apologise for damaging a historic site that was the biggest prisoner of war camp in Britain during world war two.
Thousands of people including from Germany, Italy and Ukraine were kept as prisoners in both the first and second world wars at Lodge Moor camp, on Redmires Road.
Its most famous prisoner was a German admiral who escaped and succeeded Hitler as president of the German Reich.
Many still visit the remains today, including those whose family were kept there, and there are more than 460 members in a Facebook group dedicated to the site’s heritage.
But recently visitors were shocked to find forest thinning work damaged large concrete bases of the prisoners’ dorms, broke one of the toilet blocks and crushed remnants of sewage piping.
Brian Holmshaw, local heritage campaigner, said people need an apology.
He said: “Much less invasive methods of felling should have taken place – using the driveways at the sides of the site to bring in any heavy vehicles for one.
“People can clearly see from the photographs that there are deep tyre ruts all over the historic prisoner of war camp. These are even now filling with water due to the recent rain. This should never have happened to a site of national historic significance.
“As for what happens now, local people and concerned heritage campaigners need to be given an apology by the city council, the ones who are ultimately responsible for the damage, and restorative measures must be put in place.”
The council said yesterday the forestry thinning work was essential and improved access for archaeological work.
Ruth Bell, head of parks and countryside, said: “The encampment site was decommissioned and flattened after the war so building debris is strewn across the site and the thinning work has exposed more of this. We acknowledge some minor disturbance was caused and this will be rectified. A site visit and recommendations were made by the South Yorkshire Archaeology Service and further remedial work will take place later this year.
“Now the forestry work is complete we continue to work with archaeologists to help them interpret the site as part of the Heritage Lottery Fund project. The additional features exposed by our thinning work will be recorded as part of this. We will also be working with the local Friends Group so they can be involved in future developments and projects to help improve Redmires as a wildlife, amenity and heritage site.”
But Mr Holmshaw said this was not good enough.
He said: “The head of Sheffield Parks and Countryside may be satisfied with work at one of Sheffield’s most important heritage sites, but I and a lot of others who know and use the woods, are not.”
Jess Ghost, a regular visitor to the site, said: “In my view, it’s a dereliction of duty and care, and I was heartbroken to see what had been allowed to happen to this very significant site. It’s of the utmost importance the site is properly protected so it can never be damaged in this way again.”