Stobs Camp near Hawick, in the Scottish Borders, was a major Army training camp from the early 1900s to closure in the late 1950s. In WW1, it hosted a PoW and Internment camp, and also housed prisoners in WW2. The Stobs Camp project is helping to make the camp's story better known, and also hosts public tours round the surviving buildings. Internment Research Centre [IRC] - Hawick, Scottish Borders There is also an Internment Research Centre at Hawick, linked to the camp, which provides English translations of the WW1 camp newspaepr run by the prisoners themselves- Stobsiade. Stobsiade
Great news- the camp has just been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument- "The site of a First World War military training camp has been recognised for its national importance Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has designated Stobs Camp, after the organisation was asked to consider designating parts of the site as a scheduled monmument last year. The site, located near Hawick and spanning 7 square kilometres, consists of a civilian internment camp, prisoner-of-war camp and training trenches, all from the First World War, along with a tank target range used for military training up to and during the Korean War. The Stobs Estate was originally purchased by the War Office in 1902, with the aim of having a permanent training base and barracks for one of the Army Corps. Within months of its creation, nearly 20,000 troops had been through the camp, making it larger than the population of Hawick, at the time. The most significant parts of what remains at the original site are now designated as scheduled monuments, including the remains of the camp, First World War training trenches and firing ranges, and a Second World War tracked target range for tanks that is unique to Scotland. Stobs is also home to the last surviving example of a First World War prisoner of war accommodation hut still in its original location in the UK. Following an assessment and a public consultation, HES decided that the site met the criteria to be a scheduled monument. The site is of national importance because it makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the military heritage of Scotland, in particular the history of early 20th century military training and First World War internment and imprisonment. The assessment of Stobs Camp also found that the site is a rare example of an extensive military camp and serves as a physical reminder of the importance of military camps and wartime internment as part of Scotland’s recent past. The public consultation received 90 responses, which were overwhelmingly in support of HES’s proposal to schedule Stobs Camp and associated sites." www.historicenvironment.scot/about-us/news/stobs-camp-designated-as-scheduled-monument/?fbclid=IwAR2eUQSRvMNdFoCpeXYjpY-fGRxIxCO-orvBUSExaCvZs9m_fBT1Csc0Bj0
