Kington Camp

1939-1940: Beginnings

The Camp was known locally as Hergest Camp (being situated beneath Hergest Ridge and close to the hamlets of Lower and Upper Hergest) and to the military as Kington Camp. It lies along the Arrow River, a major tributary of the River Lugg about 2 miles West of Kington. It came into being in 1940 when land was requisitioned from five local farms by the War Office.

Although Kington Urban District Council were originally informed that their offer of land for the war effort was not needed, the situation changed and in April 1940, three fields were requisitioned from R. A. Banks of Ridgebourne. Between 1940 and 1942, over 80 acres of Banks’ land was requisitioned, although half was later released. In 1940, land was also requisitioned from the Evans family at Bredward Farm (8 acres), the Merediths at Arrow Court (20 acres), the Romillys at Huntington Park (13 acres) and from Mahollam Farm (owned by the Romilly family, but farmed by the Williams’ (33 acres).

See a requisition form

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1920-1942: Dunkirk and Early British Use

During the first part of the war, Kington Camp was used by the British military. Shortly after Dunkirk, troops from the evacuation began to arrive. Kington people remember how the soldiers walked up the main street in torn and ragged uniforms, many without shoes and some just in their underclothes; those too shattered for camp life were taken in by local families such as the Creswells of 16 Bridge Street.

In 1940 and 1941 various regiments were billeted at Kington, all under canvas in sometimes extremely wet weather – for one regiment, their new address was proposed as: ‘Kington-in-the-Mud’. Soldiers undertook exercises in surrounding fields where they sometimes surprised local people. The Black Watch band marched up and down the roads in full ceremonial dress – much to the delight of Kington children.

Listen to Bill Brookes talking about the Dunkirk Soldiers

Read Mary Creswell’s story about life at 16 Bridge Street

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1943-1945: The American Hospitals

In 1943, Wimpey’s construction company began to build two US General Hospitals at Kington Camp (the 107th and the 122nd). This was part of a national plan by the US to cater for predicted wounded from the European campaigns. Completed in Spring of 1944, they were huge establishments: each employed just under 500 US military and administrative personnel and some 50 local people in various roles. The bed capacity for each hospital was about 1250, with over 40 patients to a ward. There were administrative buildings, x-ray labs, operating theatres and dental clinics as well as personnel quarters, chapels, rehabilitation wards, cinemas, mess halls, warehouses, and laboratories. Between June 1944 and May 1945 the hospitals admitted over 13,000 patients wounded in Europe, some from the D-Day landings and many from the Battle of the Bulge and subsequent European campaigns.

The 107th Hospital began to receive wounded soldiers from the D-Day landings in June 1944—earlier than the hospital staff had expected. Both hospitals opened officially in August 1944. The wounded were brought to Kington by train. Hospital trains were much bigger than the usual ones to arrive at Kington, and were the source of fascination for many Kington children at the time. Bill Brookes vividly remembers their arrival. Each train contained up to 300 soldiers and nearly always arrived at night. The wounded were then placed in ambulances and driven up to the camp. Some of the wounded may have been flown into the airfield at Shobdon which was predominantly used for glider training during the War.

Listen to Joan Billingham talk about the wounded soldiers

See a scan of an invite to a dance in the 107th hospital in 1944

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1945-1947: The War Ends

The end of the war in Europe was celebrated in Kington with a huge street party. For the summer of 1945, the Coldstream, Grenadier and Welsh Guards occupied the camp as they trained to enter the war still continuing in Japan, although it ended before they could do so. In 1946, between one and two thousand members of the Polish Resettlement Corps arrived, some with their families, as many of the Poles who had fought alongside Western allies did not wish to return to a newly communist dominated Poland. When the Poles left, the King’s Regiment No. 1 Battle School used the camp for a short period of time, and men on National Service came here to train with various regiments. The Camp was last used as a military billet in 1947 by the 208 S.O. Field Regiment Royal Artillery who had recently returned from India. This was a full regiment of 350 men, some with their families.

Listen to Mr. Cunningham of the Coldstream Guards talk about the camp

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1947-1960s: A Home for Local People

When the military finally left, people began moving in to the 107th hospital buildings. There was an acute housing shortage after the war and many people, including ex-servicemen, required homes to live in. As with many other US hospital camps throughout the UK, Kington helped fill this shortage. At first this was done on an unofficial basis, but later the local councils converted some of the old wards into small homes. Many families from Kington once lived at the camp, and we know of at least two people who were born there.

Listen to Buddy Robinson talk about living in the camp in the 1950s

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2006: Today

Since 1947 many of the camp buildings have been demolished, but Kington is one of the few 2WW US hospital sites in the UK to still have a considerable amount of buildings existing, some derelict but many in use as workshops and storage areas for local businesses. The most prominent building in the landscape is the watertower, made, it is said, from a million bricks. The camp’s sewage works is used today by the small housing estate that was built on part of the site of the 107th Hospital over 40 years ago. An archaeological survey undertaken as part of this project by Southampton University has revealed exactly what parts of the camp are still in existence today. You can view the results of the survey here.

See an aerial photo of the camp in 2000

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