Sleaford Camp 1917-1918

Introduction

This was the considerably smaller and short-lived associate transit camp to Spalding camp opened in November 1917 to facilitate civilian repatriations to Germany, or civilian internment in Holland and apparently closed after the 16th March transfer.

As far as I can tell neither Spalding nor Sleaford were visited by a neutral Power. However there is a short account, though somewhat lacking in details given by Paul Cohen-Portheim who was transferred to Sleaford from Lofthouse Park en route to interment in Holland on the penultimate transfer through Sleaford,.

He describes the old Union Workhouse that had been transformed into a transit camp, being even worse than Stratford as:

It was a big, bare, stone building and horribly cold. One slept in dormitories which were unheated, wrapped up in all one could find; everything was as cheerless and comfortless as it had been on the first day of that life[at Stratford]. It was worse in some ways, for one had not a book to read nor could one write. One only had one's clothes. There was no organization of any sort, for this had not been foreseen ; there was no canteen at all at first, though on the second day one could obtain a few things. There was a small courtyard closed in by buildings to walk about in, and there was literally nothing one could do but watch the aeroplanes buzzing about in the skies all day, for apparently there was an aviation camp or school close by.

Cohen was one of the party transferred on the 7th March - his camp number being recorded as 591 - he was in a small party of 6 whose camp numbers follow on from a party of 15 internees not apparently from Wakefield (possibly from Knockaloe) that in turn follow on from another party, of 9, from Wakefield also destined for Holland. This earlier party would appear to have been split with the first three arriving at Sleaford on the 26th February and the remaining 6 on the 28th which is the same date as some members of Cohen's party are recorded as transferring to Sleaford yet Cohen describes being in a party of about 8, though he is recalling events after 12 years..

Sleaford, about 25km from Boston had good rail connections including to Boston itself, however Cohen describes it being quite a long way to the steamer for which no cart was provided to carry the luggage with the result that many left their hand baggage along the road being unable to carry it any further. As many in the party were on the list for Holland because of poor health it would seem perverse, even by the standards of treatment meted out to internees, to expect a march of 25km, though he does not not mention catching a train, which itself would involve a good walk to the docks at Boston. He also describes the voyage along the channel from Boston into the Wash - transfers via Spalding needed to use a tender out to the Dutch hospital ship Konigen Regentes which could not berth at Boston dock - the other Dutch ferry used in these transfers was the Sindoro which was probably smaller, as following the sinking of Konigen Regentes by U-boat in June 1918 the numbers transferred declined very substantially, and thus it seems could use Boston dock. Post armistice when presumeably it was safe to use other vessels the numbers transferred via Spalding were considerably increased.

The typical number of internees per transfer voyage would appear to be around 150 which suggests they were using the smaller vessel. Cohen spent some 10 or 11 days at Sleaford camp - this as Cohen points out sppears to have been longer than planned for, with few facilities provided at Sleaford. Internees were strictly limited to hand baggage with no papers to be included as well as many other petty restrictions thus most internees would be poorly provided for any long stay at the transit camp.

Transfer voyages

The following are the various dates given when parties boarded the Dutch vessels - actual departure dates may be a day or so later.

These dates correspond to transfers #2-#7 as seen at Spalding; the camp number boundaries are not 100% certain as the lists are not 100% complete, also especially seen in the early parties was that several internees who from camp number would expect to be on one transfer are found on the next transfer or in one case sent back to their originating camp's hospital as too sick to continue

Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The Editor Text + Transcription © F.Coakley , 2021