“I don’t know if you can help me. We are delivering an HLF-supported project about Warth Mills internment camp in Bury, Greater Manchester. Many notable Jewish refugees were interned here in atrocious conditions. I wondered if you’d discovered any connections in your research into the Kitchener Camp.”
If anyone knows anything about Warth Mills, and especially if their relative was interned here, please do get in touch – either here in the usual way, or directly, by contacting Richard Shaw, Director at Unity House | Edwin St Creative Hub, The Met, Market St, Bury, Greater Manchester, BL9 0BW, or at [email protected]
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Warth Mills was a disused cotton factory near Manchester. I gather that over the course of the Second World War over 100,000 internees and POWs passed through here.
Interestingly, the Manchester Evening News has just run an article about the project to gather information on the camp at Warth Mill:
The Imperial War Museum also holds some records about the camp, if you are interested in following this up and think your family might have some connection here: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/37506
The Association of Jewish Refugees has also published articles over a number of years on Warth Mills, if you would like to check their online archive: https://ajr.org.uk/ajr-journal/
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While we’re helping our friends running projects on related matters, a quick reminder here that we have also been asked to assist as follows, below.
One of our descendant families in Australia is also interested in the research into the Niederschoenhausen, because he has a family link there, as well as to Kitchener camp
As part of a research project, Dr Verena Buser is searching for witnesses or relatives of those who lived and worked in the Hachshara and retraining schemes in Berlin-Niederschoenhausen (Berufsumschichtung und Tagesschule für Berufsvorlehre) in the 1930s Young Jews were trained in carpentry, as locksmiths, in gardening and in other practical skills. Some managed to escape via Kitchener camp to Australia and other destinations Verena is also interested in similar training sites in Nazi Germany, such as the groups in Neuendorf, Schiebinchen, and Groß Breesen Any contact or information is welcome. Please email Dr Verena Buser directly: [email protected]