West Boldon, Downhill Quarry, Prisoner of War Camp

Site of World War Two prisoner of war camp. Air photographs from 1946 show 14 huts in the quarry. Nothing is visible on immediate post-war aerial photographs. NGR given for centre of quarry. Each camp was allocated an official number during World War Two within a prescribed numerical sequence, ranging from Camp 1 (Grizedale Hall, Ambleside) to Camp 1026 (Raynes Park, Wimbledon). The West Boldon camp was Camp 605. Not all of the sites were true Prisoner of War camps, many were hostels situated some distance away from the parent site or base camp. It is not known what category West Boldon Camp was. During the early part of the war there was no standard design of camp, but following the success of the 8th Army's North African Campaign against the Italian Army, during which a substantial number of prisoners were taken, many prisoners were eventually brought to Britain and held in purpose built 'standard' camps, many of which were built by the prisoners themselves.