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MHG57167 - WWII Polish army camp - Invergordon

Summary

Site of a WWII Polish army camp in Invergordon.

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Full Description

Site of a WWII Polish army camp in Invergordon.

From 1945 a battalion of Polish soldiers were stationed in Invergordon. A camp was built within the old castle grounds and as the soldiers worked to protect the area they also integrated into the local community and developed relationships with the local townsfolk. <1>

Early in World War II a military camp was set up in the Castle Gardens and along the lane leading to the Tomich Road. At first the camp was used as an army transit camp: soldiers would arrive by train, stay overnight, then march down to the shore where transport ships would take them north. As the war went on, other troops stayed there, and at the end of the war and just post-war it became a camp for Polish soldiers.

There was mixture of hutted accommodation and nissen huts. Photos of the lane when it was used by the Poles show timber huts. In the woods around the central area, now overgrown, are concrete bases. This northern area became the site of the Invergordon Games in postwar years, with parking taking place on some of the concrete hut bases to the south of the green.

A sketch map was made by Hamish MacLeod and shows the areas he remembers of the camp. Area A, at the north near Rosskeen Cottage, he remembers as the officer’s mess and accommodation. Area B to the east of the central area was the cook house, dining hall, military transport and accommodation. This area has the largest foundations, and is also remembered as the dance hall for the Polish camp. It also has a number of dressed masonry fragments lying around, probably remains from Invergordon Castle which was demolished in 1928.

Area C, to the southwest was remembered by Mr MacLeod as being the Sergeant’s mess and accommodation. This was situated where there was a double line of trees leading to the castle (visible on the 1st and 2nd edition OS maps, where it is called The Avenue).

Area D, to the east of Area C was accommodation, and concrete bases can still be found in this area. He also remembers a guard house at the western end of the lane, to the east of the present Polish memorial.

Along the lane, also labelled Area D on this sketch map, was more accommodation. A water tank survived on the north side of the lane in recent memory. No concrete bases were visible on a field visit in 2016, although vegetation was quite high. However, aerial photographs from the 1980s show no hint of foundations here either. Photos on the Invergordon Archive (http://www.theinvergordonarchive.org) and in Invergordon Museum show Polish troops and huts (and the water tank) along the lane.

The exact location of many buildings is still unclear. The camp was deliberately built in an area with mature trees, providing camouflage. As a result, the buildings are not visible on many aerial photographs. Some of the clearest evidence is for Area C, from aerial photographs from October 1946 (sortie CPF/UK/0184, frame 2292), with the remains of bases visible in May 1975 (eg NCAP-000-000-194-177; sortie FSL/7343/32, frame 079) and April 1982 (NCAP-000-000-230-929; sortie CLY/8201/01, frame 0039).

The camp was quite large, with a cinema. Seaforth Highlanders are remembered there for part of the war. They guarded the oil tanks and dockyard during WWII. The Royal Engineers were there in 1942, as Invergordon Town Council agreed to allow them to make a water connection at the Castle for a daily supply of 8,000 gallons for the troops, the charge to be at the rate of 1/- per 1000 gallons. (Invergordon Town Council Minutes 18-7-1941). A document from August 1942 states that the camp was under Captain Wisely , and that the Royal Engineers Det. 14 Gens. Cons. Company R.E. was stationed there (The National Archives WO 166/6778). In October 1943 Captain Abdy took over command of the Transit Camp (The National Archives WO 166/11009). Lovat Scouts are also remembered at the camp.

An advance party for the Poles came in summer 1945 to set up in Castle Gardens and their first task was to clean around the huts. It was the 25th Infantry division. Photographs and memories of the Polish camp can be found on the Invergordon Archive (http://www.theinvergordonarchive.org) especially photos 82, 81, 571, 1091. There may have been Norwegians using the camp before the Poles.

1975 and 1982 aerial photographs are available on http://ncap.org.uk
Old photographs of the Poles camp are available on the Invergordon Archive www.theinvergordonarchive.org <2>

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Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 7022 6965 (756m by 504m) Indicative centroid
Map sheet	NH76NW
Geographical Area	ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish	ROSSKEEN

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