Latest news with #prisonerofwar
The Independent
12-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
World's first prisoner of war camp in Cambridgeshire to open to the public
The site of the world's first purpose-built prisoner of war camp, which dates back to the Napoleonic wars, has been saved by Historic England funding. Assembled in four months using 500 carpenters and labourers, the historic site in Yaxley, Cambridgeshire, housed around 7,000 French Prisoners and inspired the creation of the world's largest collection of prisoner craftwork. Now, the Napoleonic Norman Cross prison depot site, which contains the remains of the camp dating back to 1796, has been purchased by Nene Park Trust with £200,000 grant funding from Historic England and £50,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Currently there is no public access to the site, but the Nene Park Trust is developing plans to allow visitors to explore the area. The acquisition of the Norman Cross site fulfils the ambition of long-term resident and supporter, Derek Lopez, who died before seeing his vision completed. Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said: 'The Norman Cross prisoner of war camp represents a pivotal moment in our shared European heritage that deserves to be better known. After years of work to secure this site, we're delighted that our partnership work with Nene Park Trust, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Lopez family has helped to save this internationally significant monument for the nation.' Functioning as a self-contained town with barracks, offices, a hospital, school, marketplace and banking system the prison measured about 250m by 270m and was designed around four quadrangles. Each one had wooden accommodation blocks for prisoners, as well as an exercise yard, a store house and cooking house. Prisoners created craftwork – including artefacts such as toys, model ships and dominos sets carved from wood or animal bone – and sold them at a regular market. Battles were being fought in Europe, the Caribbean, north Africa and the Indian Ocean with French and Dutch soldiers and sailors captured and brought to the UK. The last prisoners left the camp in 1814 and it was dismantled two years later. A memorial to the 1,770 prisoners who died there, many due to diseases such as Typhus, was erected in 1914. Paul Chamberlain, author and historian of the Napoleonic era, said: 'Norman Cross Prison Depot is unique in that it is an historic site that continues to tell its story, involving communities, both local and national. 'This acquisition will enable more of the story to be told for future generations and provide us with a better understanding of a lost town that had a significant impact on the region over two hundred years ago.'
BBC News
12-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Cambridgeshire Napoleonic prisoner of war camp to open to public
People will soon be able to visit what is believed to be the world's first purpose-built prisoner of war camp dating from the Napoleonic Wars between Britain and Norman Cross Camp just south of Peterborough housed about 7,000 French prisoners and inspired the world's largest collection of prisoner historic site, which dates back to 1796, was bought by the Peterborough-based Nene Park Trust who want to introduce visitors to the site in September. Historian Paul Chamberlain, said it could provide a better understanding of a "lost town" that had a significant impact on the region more than 200 years ago. The Norman Cross Camp operated from 1797 to 1814 and functioned as a self-contained town with barracks, offices, a hospital, school, market place and was far from the sea, making it difficult for escapees to return to France, and was away from potential invasion areas, in a fertile part of the History: Napoleon, Nelson and the French ThreatIt closed in August 1814 and two years later the buildings were demolished, and the site sold. The land was used for arable crops and grazing and is primarily under pasture, but the site still contains the earthworks and buried remains of the camp. Napoleonic era author and historian, Mr Chamberlain, said: "Norman Cross Prison Depot is unique in that it is an historic site that continues to tell its story, involving communities, both local and national. "This acquisition will enable more of the story to be told for future generations and provide us with a better understanding of a lost town that had a significant impact on the region over 200 years ago." About 1,770 former combatants are buried at the site, which just off the A1(M) at junction 16 for Yaxley and south Minister Baroness Twycross said it represented a "poignant chapter in our shared European story". "The remarkable stories of those held in what was the first purpose-built prisoner of war camp should be remembered now and in the future," she Bradbury, chief executive of Nene Park Trust, said the charity was delighted to take on the ownership to "share its green space and unique stories for generations to come". Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Al Arabiya
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Russia and Ukraine exchange group of younger prisoners of war, Moscow says
Russia and Ukraine have carried out a prisoner of war exchange involving POWs under the age of 25, Russia's Defense Ministry said on Monday, saying the swap was the result of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine earlier this month. The June 2 Istanbul talks resulted in an agreement to conduct an exchange of at least 1,200 POWs on each side - focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded - and to repatriate thousands of bodies of those killed in the war. Both sides said it would be the biggest exchange once completed, something that was expected to happen in phases. The return of prisoners of war and the return of the bodies of the dead is one of the few things the two sides have been able to agree on, even as their broader negotiations have failed to get close to ending the war, now in its fourth year. The Russian Defense Ministry did not say in its statement how many POWs had been exchanged on Monday, but said both sides had swapped the same amount of military personnel. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said at the weekend that a first list of 640 POWs had been handed to Ukraine. The Russian military said its returned servicemen were now in Belarus, a close Russian ally, where they were getting psychological and medical assistance before being transferred to Russia for further care. The Kremlin had said earlier on Monday that Russia was ready to honor agreements with Ukraine on the prisoner of war exchange and on the repatriation of dead soldiers despite what it said was Kyiv's failure to fully honor its side of the bargain.
Reuters
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Russia and Ukraine exchange group of younger prisoners of war, Moscow says
MOSCOW, June 9 (Reuters) - Russia and Ukraine have carried out a prisoner of war exchange involving POWs under the age of 25, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday, saying the swap was the result of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine earlier this month. The June 2 Istanbul talks resulted in an agreement to conduct an exchange of at least 1,200 POWs on each side - focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded - and to repatriate thousands of bodies of those killed in the war. Both sides said it would be the biggest exchange once completed, something that was expected to happen in phases. The return of prisoners of war and the return of the bodies of the dead is one of the few things the two sides have been able to agree on, even as their broader negotiations have failed to get close to ending the war, now in its fourth year. The Russian Defence Ministry did not say in its statement how many POWs had been exchanged on Monday, but said both sides had swapped the same amount of military personnel. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said at the weekend that a first list of 640 POWs had been handed to Ukraine. The Russian military said its returned servicemen were now in Belarus, a close Russian ally, where they were getting psychological and medical assistance before being transferred to Russia for further care. The Kremlin had said earlier on Monday that Russia was ready to honour agreements with Ukraine on the prisoner of war exchange and on the repatriation of dead soldiers despite what it said was Kyiv's failure to fully honour its side of the bargain.
Reuters
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Kremlin says Russia is still ready for prisoner swap with Ukraine despite problems
MOSCOW, June 9 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia was still ready to honour agreements with Ukraine on a new prisoner of war exchange and on the repatriation of dead soldiers despite what it said was Kyiv's failure to so far honour its side of the bargain. Russia accused Ukraine on Saturday of indefinitely postponing the exchanges, something Kyiv denied. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday repeated Russian accusations against Ukraine. "We have seen and heard a hundred different excuses, justifications and so on, but it is difficult to view them as credible," Peskov told reporters. "The Russian side remains ready to implement the agreements reached in Istanbul." The exchanges were agreed to during a second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul on June 2 and are meant to see a new prisoner of war swap of at least 1,200 POWs - focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded - as well as the repatriation of thousands of bodies of those killed in the war. The return of prisoners of war and the return of the bodies of the dead is one of the few things the two sides had been able to agree on, even as their broader negotiations have failed to get close to ending the war, now in its fourth year. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday that the Russian side had shown up at the agreed exchange point with the bodies of 1,212 Ukrainian dead soldiers only to find nobody from Ukraine to take them. He said a first list of 640 POWs had also been handed to Ukraine in order to begin the exchange. Ukrainian officials rejected those accusations and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed on Sunday to press on with prisoner exchanges despite tensions around the issue. He said though that Ukraine had not yet received a full list of prisoners to be released and accused Moscow of "trying to play some kind of dirty political and information game."
