Jim Walker: Andrew Jepson - Stobs Camp history

Thu, Sep 14th 2017 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Weekly meeting with guest speaker


President Scott Elliot welcomed two visitors to the meeting last week Laurie and Anne Turnbull, Sydney, Australia, guests of Past President Billy McWatters.The speaker Andrew Jepson, Project Officer for Stobs Camp gave an excellent, illustrated talk on Stobs Camp from 1902 when it was set-up as a training camp for 20,000 Scottish soldiers and was, in effect, bigger than Hawick.  As a result the Callants Club was formed to retain the town's history and traditions.  At the commencement of the Great War it became a prison camp for non-alliance residents and later a prisoner-of-war camp for captured German soldiers.  Civilians were not allowed within a quarter of a mile of the camps boundaries which held 1,000's of men.  They formed their own community with shops, laundry, hospital, cemetery and even had their own paper Stobsiade several copies of which have survived.  The officers stayed in Stobs Castle while other ranks endured in camp under canvas.  Escapes were rare and all were recaptured and 46 burials took place.  The camp was used again during the Second World War until the 1960's when it was dismantled and sold off.  Andrew is responsible for the survey and excavation of the camp which is attracting international interest.  Questions followed after which Past President Jim Walker gave the vote of thanks for an interesting and informative talk.

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