Monument record 4066 - Anti Aircraft Battery and PoW Camp at Snape Farm

<1> CBA, 2002, Defence of Britain Project, 2283 & 2284 (Digital Archive). SCH4380.

Destroyed Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery in association with the P.O.W. camp at Snape Farm. The camp held Italian and German Prisoners of War

<2> Council for British Archaeology, 2001, 20th Century Defences in Britain : An Introductory Guide, p.59 (Book). SCH4453.

The associated accomodation blocks and buildings of AA batteries would sometimes be reused for POWs.

<3> Royal Air Force, 1944-1947, 1940s RAF Aerial Photographs from Operation Review (Aerial Photograph). SCH8041.

The battery and the accommodation buildings are clearly visible on this aerial photograph. The battery comprises four rectangular gun emplacements situated to the east of a partially roofed rectangular structure believed to be the command post. The accommodation buildings are located to c.100m to the south east.

<3> The GeoInformation Group, 2005, 1940s RAF Aerial Photographs from Operation Review (Aerial Photograph). SCH4608.

The battery and the accommodation buildings are clearly visible on this aerial photograph. The battery comprises four rectangular gun emplacements situated to the east of a partially roofed rectangular structure believed to be the command post. The accommodation buildings are located to c.100m to the south east.

<4> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, Edwards, R 21/07/2015 (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

The gun emplacements had been removed/destroyed by the early 1970s. Many of the accomodation buildings are still extant.

<5> Bluesky International Ltd, 2010, 2010 Bluesky Survey (Aerial Photograph). SCH5444.

Circa 25 huts survive on the site. All appear to be of the nissen type.

<6> University of Salford (Centre for Applied Archaeology), 2022, Historic Building Investigation: Weston PoW Camp, Snape Farm, Snape Lane, Weston, Cheshire East, R4630 (Client Report). SCH9285.

A level 3 building survey was produced in 2021 for the former Prisoner of War camp at Snape Farm prior to demolition of the structures and re-development of the site.

Documentary evidence suggests that the camp originated in 1940 as a searchlight and heavy anti-aircraft battery to form part of the defence of Crewe, protecting the town’s industries and railway infrastructure that were vital to the war effort. The anti-aircraft battery was designed to house six concrete gun emplacements, and foundations measuring 12 feet square by 6 feet deep were laid out. The accommodation for the crew manning the battery is thought to have been established near Snape Farm, although there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that the guns were never actually installed and thus the accommodation was not utilised. Its availability, however, coupled with the lack of use of the site as a gun emplacement, led the War Office to requisition 30 acres of land from the owners of Snape Farm in circa 1942 to construct a Prisoner of War camp. This was intended to house 200-300 prisoners. The camp was eventually returned to the owners of Snape Farm, who utilised all the buildings for agricultural purposes, including grain storage.

The original camp contained circa 35 huts, with 23 huts surviving in some form at the time of the archaeological survey. The surviving huts occurred in two types: ‘Curved Asbestos’ huts that were used as living quarters for the prisoners; and Nissen huts that formed communal areas and the warden’s quarters. The huts comprised concrete floors and brick ends, suggesting that they were a permanent fixture on the camp, as portable-style huts typically had timber floors and ends. One of the larger buildings was the cookhouse which contained a row of Belfast sinks, two ovens and an electric refrigerator. There were also provision for a football pitch as a volleyball pitch.

The PoW camp at Snape Farm was originally called 'Weston Hostel' and was listed as '189 G.P.W. Wkg Camp'; Camp 189 was a base camp located in Dunham New Park at Dunham Massey, Altrincham, which was established originally for the United States Army between 1942 to 1944. Following this, the camp became a major base Prisoner of War camp capable of holding up to 3,500 prisoners. However, when capacity was exceeded with some 6,000 prisoners resident in 1945, it is thought that a series of hostels were established in the surrounding area, with 'Weston Hostel' being one.