THE NATIONAL CAMPS CORPORATIONS - 31 Camp Schools

 THE NATIONAL CAMPS CORPORATIONS - 

31 Camp Schools

"In any of these camps, you could be forgiven for thinking you were at Wyre Farm Camp School, but would maybe notice the location was unfamiliar!"

This is a Government Video put out in 1950 after the evacuation camp era had ended and the camps had become local authority schools - the video focusses on Sheephatch Camp School Tilford Surry. However it won't let me link the video directly - you will have to click the link here and watch it on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeybfB0KIT4

RESEARCH - For further research check out the National Archives https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

The National Archives at Kew houses collections dating 1939-1962 which relate to the National Camps Corporation. The National Archives' database is searchable online.

And Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Camps_Corporation

THE NATIONAL CAMPS CORPORATION REMIT

The National Camps Corporation's remit was to build 50 camp Schools in 1939, in remote areas around the country, initially to enable children from towns and cities to be able to experience something the countryside and animal life. The money ran out after thirty one had been built. in all the Corporation considered 155 sites for camps. it was thought that some 30 to 40 camps would be constructed in England and Wales - the rest in Scotland.

The camps seemingly varied in capacity, from 350 to to under 200 in the case of Wyre Farm Camp school. Although located in the country, they were attached to an urban area and their location in the country was also idea for their use as evacuation camps. Some camps had boys and girls - others just one sex - it perhaps varied according to decisions by the local Education Authorities and the needs and resources of the area.  The average cost of the camps, including land purchase, construction and fitting out was £25000 in the money of the day.

So, where were these 31 camp schools located? Here they are listed by county. They are correct as far as I can determine. If anyone can correct any of the information, please do.

NORTHUMBRIA

1 Brownrigg Camp School, Bellingham, Nr Hexham, B6320 Northumberland. For Newcastle.

2 Dukeshouse Wood Camp School, Hexham, Northumbria.

LANCASHIRE

3  White Acre Lane Camp School Clitheroe Nr  Walley Lancs A59 Served Manchester

 YORKSHIRE

4 Bewerley Park Camp School near Pateley between Hebden Bridge and Ripon AB6265.

5 Linton Residential Camp school - Grassington, North Yorkshire - serving Bradford. B6265

6 Cottage Pasture Camp School Etton North Yorkshire Nr Beverley, West Riding York

DERBYSHIRE

7  Amber Valley Camp, Woolley Moor, Alfreton, Near Ashover Derbyshire 

CHESHIRE

8 Marton Camp school, ,Northwich Cheshire

DENBIGHSHIRE

9 Colomendy Hall Camp School, Loggerheads Denbighshire -  Mold Cheshire between Ruthin and Chester A541 - For Liverpool and Colomendy Wood.

STAFFORDSHIRE

10 Pipewood Camp School, (for Girls) Blithbury, Rugeley Staffordshire. Between Stafford and Litchfield A513

11 Shooting Butts Camp School, Penkridge Bank Road, Rugeley, Staffordshire.

SHROPSHIRE

12 Wyre Farm Camp School / City of Coventry Boarding School. Cleob ury Mortimer. Between Ludlow and Kidderminster. A411

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

13 Hurley Buckinghamshire (No further information on this)

14 Horsely Green Camp School, Stokenchurch, Horsleys Green Buckinghamshire or High Wycombe.

15 Finnamore Wood Camp Marlow Buckinghamshire Redbridge Greater London.

HERTFORDSHIRE

16 St. Margaret's Farm Camp school, Great Gaddesden, Berkhamsted, Nr Hemel Hempstead. Herts.

17 Overton. Herts (No further information on this)

OXFORDSHIRE

18 Oxford: Henley (No further information on this)

BERKSHIRE

19 Cockpole Green Camp School Berkshire

20 Kennylands Camp School, Kidmore End, Near Sonning, Reading, Berkshire B 418

21 Bishopswood Farm Camp School, Sonning Common, Near Reading, Berkshire.

HAMPSHIRE

22 West Mark Camp School, Sheet Common Hampshire or Petersfield (sometimes called Dell)

SURRY

23 Sayers Croft Camp School Cranleigh or Ewhurst Catford Surrey B2127

24 Elmbridge Camp School, Cranleigh Surrey between Guilford and Horsham off B218

25 Merstham Surrey (No further information on this)

26 Merchant's Hill Camp Nr Hindhead and Haslemere, Surrey

27 Sheephatch Camp School Tilford Layton Surrey. Between Farnham and Haslemere off B3001.

28 Coopers Farm Camp Sussex (West) Itchingfield near Horsham Surrey A264

29 Wedges Farm Camp School West Itchingfield near Horsham Surrey

SUSSEX

30 Wrens Warren Camp School  Coleman's Hatch, Hartfield East Sussex. B2026

31 Hydon Heath Camp school, Essex ? No further information on this)

 

PHOTOS OF SOME OF THE OTHER CAMP SCHOOLS

BEWERLEY PARK CAMP SCHOOL - PATELEY BRIDGE

Bewerley Park Camp School, Pateley Bridge

Bewerley Park Dorm 1940

HRH the Duke of Edinburgh visits Bewerley Park in 1967

Bewerley Park Book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bewerley-Park-School-Outdoor-1940-

1974/dp/0954417003

Bewerley Park has a long history. It was first built as a Camp School as a result of the Camps Act of 1939 and was finished in March 1940. The 18 acres of land required for Bewerley Park was purchased in Jun 1939 from the Agricultural Society for £1,900. Before the Camp School could be used as originally intended the 2nd World War broke out and about 200 evacuees, from Leeds, stayed at Bewerley Park between August 1940 and June 1945.

Kennylands Camp School, near Reading.

This was the first camp school to be used as an evacuation camp.

"Kennylands was the first camp to be finished and occupied. There were five dormitories, each 90 feet long by about 15 feet wide with a large covered veranda at the far end. Inside there was a small partitioned room at each corner. Two of these were occupied by masters"

Read more about this camp here on this PDF EVACUEES https://merl.reading.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2018/07/B19317-MERL-LR-03-Evacuee-1-Terry-5.pdf

King and Queen at Kennylands British Pathe News Video

The Entrance to Kennyland

Evacuees at Kennylands Camp School, near Sonning

More of the above via this link https://www.bbc.co.uk/berkshire/content/articles/2009/09/08/evac_feature.shtml

Colomendy - North Wales 2 Sites

"Colomendy was built in 1939 by the National Camps Corporation as a wartime refuge for Liverpool schoolchildren. The first children arrived in April 1940 from Dingle."

According to the BBC Liverpool site "Since 1939 generations of Liverpool schoolkids have stayed at Colomendy, Liverpool City Council's outdoor pursuit camp in North Wales. Originally developed as a safe haven in North Wales for Scouse wartime evacuees, Colomendy at Loggerheads has become woven into the legend of Liverpool schools, since it's inception over 350,000 children have visited the camp. Now 65 years old the original camp structure is to be replaced and refurbished as part of a £20 million redevelopment scheme." Colomendy Loggerheads, Denbighshire.

Colomendy

Colomendy from the air

Brownrigg Camp School,

Bellingham, Northumberland,

I

http://brownriggschool.co.uk/aboutus.html

"Brown Rigg School was constructed in 1938, one of a series of identical settlements built by the National camps Corporation, with the object of bringing children out of the polluted urban areas for a couple of weeks fresh air in the country. Unfortunately, Hitlers European Tour meant this never happened and the schools first function was to house evacuees from Newcastle, all girls , who were fleeing the bombing taking place in the city."

Brownrigg dining hall

Sheephatch Camp School

Tilford, Surrey, Stokenchurch Camp School, Horsleys Green, Buckinghamshire.

Linton Residential Camp School

Yorkshire Dales (serving evacuees from Bradford) http://www.lintoncampschool.uk/

Merchant's Hill Camp Hindhead Surrey

Wrens Warren Camp School

in Coleman's Hatch, East Sussex

http://www2.westsussex.gov.uk/learning-resources/LR/wrens_warren_evacueess_camp_ashdown_forest7d94.pdf?docid=00105d84-bdd4-4dc5-b8b1-f448275471ce&version=-1

Pathe News 1

St. Margaret's Farm Camp School, Nr Hemel Hempstead. 1939 - 1984

From this site http://www.hemelatwar.org/imagedbresultsfull8502.html?productID=145"Geoff

Leggett, an evacuee who spent some time in the "camp" wrote " During the war a huge mass of wooden huts was built in a field adjacent to the local village of St Margaret's which was situated up on the hill above Great Gaddesden. It was known locally as The Evacuee Camp. This was constructed to house a huge number of evacuees from London and other cities out in the country and away from the threat of German bombs being dropped during the war. It was also a London County Council school. There were an enormous number of children in the camp who were regularly marched around the area in large groups. As far as he was concerned, the primary attraction of the camp was its internal cinema which was available, free of charge, to local citizens. Geoff made good use of this attraction and saw many popular and good quality films over a period of several years whilst it continued.

Another memory of St Margarets Evacuee Camp - LCC School -
"My third evacuation was to be my last - I was sent to the Nettleden LCC School, St Margaret's Camp, Great Gaddesden (near Hemel Hempstead), Hertfordshire. This to me was the beginning of my becoming a man before my time. The school was strictly regimented. We lived in dormitories named Shaftesbury, Lister, Wren, Gordon and Shelley. There were two women called 'Sisters' (like Matrons), who inspected our beds for tidiness and cleanliness. We were given points, which were added to the points gained for our classroom behaviour, and a pendant was given to the dormitory that had the most points - all the dormitories competed against each other.
The school and classrooms were in the compound at the camp. We were allowed to see a film on a Saturday evening at the camp, and we had our own kitchen there. During the summer we had school in the morning and evening, and the afternoons were for sport and recreation - like looking for golf balls that one schoolmaster, Mr Wade, had knocked all over the grounds! We also worked on the local farms during the school holidays.
Each night we had to have vitamin tablets, given to us when we had gone to bed. In the dormitories we had double bunks. To give some idea of the type of school, which was full of evacuees - we had 30 (average) in the classrooms. The last term at school I came 27th out of 30 for arithmetic, but overall I came third in the class, and despite all the trauma that we went through, we all went on to earn a living in one way or another. While we were there we had to join the Boys Brigade or Scouts. I joined the Scouts, and played the fife (or tried to) in the band." In 1939, the site was purchased from a private seller by the National Camp Schools Corporation and it became known as ‘St.Margaret's Camp School’. After the war, apparently, children could still be sent by their parents to St. Margaret's for a month, to enjoy the country and outdoor life, as well as receiving formal education. In 1957 the site became a residential school for E.S.N. children, under the auspices of the Bedfordshire County Council Education Department. The school was very basic. Four long dormitories raised from the ground by concrete pillars, wooden steps up to each dormitory and a passageway at the end of each dormitory giving access to teachers’ quarters at the end of the building. There was also a wooden building housing a big hall, a workshop for the boys to practice woodwork etc., a kitchen, dining room and a staff room – all buildings raised up from the ground on pillars. Most of the staff – teaching and domestic – lived in separate premises on the campus."

Sussex (West) Itchingfield: Coopers Farm Camp 1939-1945

"One such camp in Itchingfield was called Cooper’s Camp – named after the farmland on which it stood. It was built by James Longley & Co, from Crawley, under contract to the National Camps Corporation. The camp was occupied by 200 boys from Tom Hood Central School, Leytonstone – and they brought all the school’s equipment with them. The lads were looked after by headmaster Mr AE Hunt and the other teachers." https://www.wscountytimes.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/retro/home-home-world-war-two-evacuees-1218530

Elmbridge Camp School, Cranleigh Surrey

White Acre Lane Camp School Clitheroe Nr Walley Lancs

Sayers Croft Camp School Cranleigh / Ewhurst Catford Surrey

Amber Valley Camp, Woolley Moor, Alfreton, Near Ashover Derby

https://issuu.com/greenparkcourt/docs/the_history_of_green_park_court

Dukeshouse Wood Camp School, Hexham, Northumbria

Video https://www.yfanefa.com/record/66736

Pipeswood Camp School, (for Girls) Blithbury, Rugeley Staffordshire.

video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qQhMiMO2sY