Arthritis Care in the North East

Eden Camp Day Trip

on Sunday 3^rd June 2007

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Helmsley Castle, a quick break on the way. We could spend a lot more time here. Helmsley market place.

Eden Camp The People's War 1939 - 1945.
Our visit to this unique Museum at EDEN CAMP transported us back in time to wartime Britain.
This is no ordinary Museum - Not another Military Museum - Not a glass showcase Museum - They have reconstructed scenes using movement, lighting, sound, smells, even smoke machines to transport us back in time, to make us feel that we where there taking part in history. The Rolls Royce club is in town.

This special award winning Museum is an original Prisoner of War Camp built in 1942. The fascinating displays hold, and reveal to you, the vital spirit which eventually triumphed in 1945. These superb and lifelike exhibits make a visit to EDEN CAMP a wonderful and educational day out for all of us.

A main route through the camp, and a tank.
Millennium Projects: Four new areas opened over the last few years, complimenting the original Museum; A Garden of Remembrance; A War Newspaper Reading Room; The Conflicts from 1945 to present day and World War One.

Briton prepares for war. In Britain it was a mild day, most people going about their Sunday morning business, some going to church, while some mowed lawns, others got themselves ready for a midday tipple. But the gossip was about the possiblity of war. Adolf Hitler was refusing to reply to Neville Chamberlain's request, to withdrawing his military forces from Poland. Great Britain, the date: Sunday 3^rd September 1939 the time: 11.00am and we are at war with Nazi Germany.

Friendz in Hut 7.
On Saturday 29th September 2001, Eden Camp Modern History Theme Museum hosted a reunion of the R.A.F. Bomb Disposal Association. The reunion had been organised to coincide with the unveiling of the National Memorial dedicated to those members of RAF Bomb Disposal who where been killed or injured whilst carrying out their duties since 1939. A former RAF Flight Sergeant, Fred Knox from Carlisle, who was involved in bomb disposal was one of the main fundraisers for the memorial which was paid for through donations.

The German military stratergy of speed and surprise was described as Blitzkrieg, (Literally meaning - lightning war), from which the British word 'Blitz' was derived. While the German air-supported attacks on Poland, France, the Netherlands and other countries was described as blitzkrieg, the prolonged strategic bombing of London, some say, did not fit the term.

German U-Boat or U-boot, (abbreviation of 'Unterseeboot' “undersea boat”), a German submarine.
The destruction of UK shipping by German U-boats was an horrific feature of both World War I and II.

Friendz debating which hut to visit next.    How to hide a Spitfire.

The vast majority of German soldiers who survived the war spent time in captivity, either Allied or Soviet. There were differences between the conditions endured by Germans captured by the Allies and those by the Soviets however and the main reason for this was the fact the Allies complied with the Geneva Convention and the Soviets did not comply.
The Geneva Convention (of 1929) was a bill of rights for prisoners of war and should have been displayed openly in every prison camp. The protecting Power which was a neutral government appointed by a belligerent to look after it's interests in enemy territory until the normal restoration of diplomatic relations was restored. Delegates from these countries were permitted to visit the camps and to investigate complaints. As well as these appointed delegates the International Red Cross were permitted to visit the camps and this soon became standard practice. Article 79 of the convention entitled the International Committee to enforce the opposing powers to set up an Central Information Agency for the reception, recording and forwarding of information and replies to enquiries about prisoners and this agency was set up in 1939.

There were two main powers who were not bound by the Geneva Convention and did not apply it to their prisoners of war, Japan and the Soviet Union. Japan had signed but had not ratified it. The Soviet Union had applied the terms of the Hague Convention of 1907 (which the Geneva Convention replaced), but failed to meet any of the requirements of the Geneva Convention during World War II and as a result no information was released on captured German troops and PoW camp visits were not allowed. Natzi Germany followed suit and no visits or information on Soviet PoWs held was allowed to be released.

The first prisoners to be imprisoned in Britain were a U-boat crew, they came from U-27 after it was depth charged in the North Sea in September 1939. The entire crew including the commander were rescued without loss. U-27 captain, Gerhard Glattes, was captured by Lord Montbatten, they kept in contact and were friends for many years.

Some friendz take a well deserved break.

Prisoner of War account - "Some hours later, a train took us elsewhere. It was not just any old train; we sat on upholstered seats. There was no screaming and spitting at us like in Holland. At the camp there was long rows of tables. Interrogation: your name, your rank, your company, your papers. delousing station. A shower or a bath..."

The hell of war contrasted with the beauty of music.
The Malton White Star Band was established in 1900. The town of Malton is situated half way between York & Scarborough. The band has a Band Room in Old Malton Gate which is the road out of Malton to Pickering.

Some of the armaments at Eden Camp.

Michael and Fidget enjoying the sunshine. My Mum just loves trees. Where are we going again?

A model minesweeper. The V1 flying bomb or two. The battle of Briton rages overhead.

The Spitfire was an iconic British single-seat fighter used by the RAF and other Allied countries through the Second World War and into the 1950s.
Produced by a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong, the Spitfire was designed by the company's Chief Designer Mr R J Mitchell, who continued to refine the design until his death from cancer in 1937. The position of chief designer then taken over by Mr Joseph Smith.

Its unique elliptical wing shape and thin cross-section, giving a higher top speed than the Hawker Hurricane. This resulted in a distinctive appearance and enhanced its overall streamlined features.
Loved by it's pilots, the Spitfire saw service during the whole of the Second World War.
The Spitfire has always be compared to it's adversary: the Messerschmitt Bf 109, both were among the best of their countries fighters.

The last coach in the car park. We'er on our way home - HOoRAY!!! What happrned to the giant golf balls?

Figgit has had a long day! We stop for icecream on the way home.