Secret Scottish POW Camps of the Past

Secret POW Camps of the past, is a project exploring the destruction of Scottish memory.

There were hundreds of ‘prisoner of war camps’ in the UK during the second world war. Every prisoner of war camp in the UK is mapped and listed. Scotland’s camps are listed and categories as part of that process. The lists give six-figure map references and camp ID numbers, alongside the camp’s location and number are the reference notes. The most common note for each Scottish camp is simply …Destroyed

However, after an initial exploration of three randomly selected sites, a project has developed to re-discover the reality behinds Scotland’s POW camps and draw attention to the importance of protecting this part of Scotland’s heritage before it is too late. Many, it seems, are not yet fully destroyed. They are privately owned, tucked away, silenced and awaiting the grizzly end to their death sentence.

In this case, destroyed seems to mean, conveniently forgotten and cast into the realms of a selective cultural-amnesia.

The surviving camp fragments potentially represent a new network of meaning and could contribute to an important part of Scotland’s modern identity, an account yet to be revealed, considered and reflected upon. (Gallery)