During WWII, a prisoner of war camp was built on the outskirts of Brigg, in Lincolnshire. It was used to house around 750 Italian and Germany prisoners. There were 35 huts on site – 23 for prisoners and the remainder for guards.
During the 1950s, the role of the site was drastically changed – it was used as a holiday camp. Well, a farming-holiday camp for the local farm. People would book in for a week, have a bit of a holiday and work on the farm. It closed during the 1980s. Some parts are still used by the farm to store machinery, but it is in a rather bad state.
Water Tower
The first thing you see when entering the camp is the huge water tower. It was also used to store items like towels and boots.
Buildings
The huts were of a standard pre-fab design and built by the prisoners in 1942/1943.
Interiors
Inside them was unusual. Some had been totally stripped. Some in original condition. And some covered with gaudy wallpaper from the 1970s. It was unusual to see the contrasting interiors!
A few baths, beds, toilets, chairs and other fittings remained.
Bits
There were lots of old bits lying around. Books from 1943. Suitcases. Old shoes. Egg records. Allsorts. It was like a minature museum.
Art
Several rooms were covered in prisoners’ art – ranging from Goofy to Nazi chickens, via raunchy ladies.
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I am so glad I have discovered this site. My father in law was at Pingley Farm camp after the war, he was Ukranian and came over from Rimini in 1948. Having looked at the pictures I think we have some pictures of men in what looks like a hall having a celebration dinner. How do we send them to you. If ayone has any other information my Father in law was Stefan Czornenkyj
Dear Harry ,
My father was a italian POW at Pingley camp ,
I was very lucky to be at the Brigg nursery in 2008 with my sister how had come to visit when we plucked up courage to knock on your sisters door to ask about the camp ,
she showed us around the camp and said it was being pulled down in a few weeks ,
what luck as I have lived in Lincoln since 1958 and didnt know that my Father [Giovanni Scumaci ] was at Pingley .
I think he out worked for a farmer Edmond Brown but not sure he spoke about Crowle ,Epworth but not sure , If anyone can put any light on his working life before he was sent back to Italy,I would be very grateful .
The feeling my sister and I got walking around the camp will stay with us forever .I know that progress is progress but what a gem ,so sad it’s gone
Nuccio Anna
My grandparent’s family were friends with Italian POWs based in Lincolnshire during WWII. I believe that they worked at the Scunthorpe steelworks and were housed at camps in the area – possibly Pingley Farm. Does anyone have memories of working at the steelworks or on farms around the steelworks?
Andrea Qudah
I just found this web-site today. My Grandfather was a POW here for awhile. I found a piece of paper with his POW # and Pingley Farm Camp Brigg Lines & the date 1 July ’47 on it. Looking at the pics here was very emotional for me, I’m trying to find out as much as possible of his time in the military. And looking at these pics knowing he was actually standing there is great!
If anyone can give me more info about the camp during this period, or actual info on my Grandfather – Hans Roth, POW # B102 686 – it would greatfully appreciated. Thank you. Patty wetsu@rogers.com
65 years ago I lived with may parents and two sisters (3 and 7) in Greenways, a bungalow, on the edge of the Camp I remember German soliders marching out in the morning under escort to work in the fields, and ambling back in the evening. My Dad said the guards had spent the day in the pub. One German soldier used to do our garden in the evening, and look after us if my parents went out. There was an aerodrome near by. My Dad got shouted at once by an air raiding warden for drawing back the curtains and putting all the lights on. He’d heard a plane circling, and thought it must have been “one of ours” looking for the runway. It wasn’t! We used to go to Mass at the RAF camp – we were once turned back because the camp hadf been bombed. My mother’s four brothers were in the services. One was in the infamous Stalag Luft III, the others had been in North Africa, Anzio and Normandy….
Unfortunately the water tower, the last remaining bit, seems to have been demolished in the last few days. The site will eventually have luxury-style housing built on it.
There’s nothing there now.
Could you please put me in contact with Delia who posted her message on 10 February 2010? I might be able to help. Thanks, Enzo Puzzovio
I was at Pingley in 1962 and shared a room with two girls from Manchester called Barbara and Cynthia (I cannot remember their surnames) – I would love to know how they are now. I met my first husband there, Florencio, a Spaniard from Tenerife – if anyone remembers him. I also remember two girls from Liverpool, one called Margaret, I cannot remember the others name and also a Spanish boy called Raphael.
We all loved it there and none of us wanted to go back home – in fact, I never did – we went to London when the weather started to get cold. We loved Charley who was like a father to us and was devastated when I heard that he had been murdered (by someone from his own country).
I have also been back in the last few years and was sad to see a place at one time being so full of life so desolate now.
It will remain in my heart for ever.
I have just found this web regarding Pingley and I am astonished because I did not imagine that memories could back come so. I have not heard anything since I was there as student in the summer of 1957 and I would be very happy to hear of someone that was there in that time. I am spanish, my name is Javier and I keep some fotos from that time
I posted a message some time ago trying to trace Italian POWs who worked in or around Scunthorpe Steelworks. I am also interested in Italian POWs who lived at a camp in Low Santon and worked at the farm there. Can anyone help?
I was there, in the Pingley Farm camp, in the months October to December 1963, as a Turkish student, trying to develop his English abilities. Unfortunately my memory is so weak or weakened that the only traces in my mind are:
1-I remember I had great difficulties in picking potatoes.
2-There was a lady kitchen worker who everybody were delighted teasing her.
3-I watched the notorious assassination of JF Kennedy on TV there.
4-I remember the cute and very dear English girls in the camp.
To all friends I met there, I send my salutations and my best regards…
Atilla Hitay
I also stayed on the camp for about 10 days in 1966 until, unfortunately, my friend became ill and we had to return home. I couldn’t remember the warden’s name but remembered how kind he was to us and how useful his advice was “1 blanket underneath is worth 2 on top”. Despite it being summer, we needed the warmth in bed! Picking potatoes was hard work but worse was picking the green bits out of the tops of strawberries in the canning factory – my finger nails were quickly worn right down. Don’t remember if I ever managed to pick any bad peas out before they were canned as once you started looking at them on the conveyor belt, everything just became a blur of green.
I have great memories of the truly international group of young people who were there at the time. I kept in touch with one for some time.
Sad to see that the camp has been demolished in 2009. I just got hold of a lot from a Belgian PoW during WW2, in it was a letter from a German prisoner (after the war) who was held at POW Camp nr 81, Lincolnshire…this camp. His name was Karl Meyer.
I just came across this website, so interesting to read everyone’s experiences at Pingley. I went to Concordia farm camp in summer 1963 as a 15 year old schoolgirl earning some holiday money picking potatoes and stacking peas. I was very fond of Charlie Spasic and knitted him a cardigan that I took him the following winter. Never saw him or the camp again as I later went to work abroad and have lived in Chile for the past 37 years. Thanks for awakening sleeping memories!