Former Prisoner of War Camp, Cultybraggan

Image: © Douglas Nelson Taken: 20 Apr 2017

Built in 1941, the former PoW camp No 21 at Cultybraggan was designed to hold around 4,000 Category A prisoners of war. These German PoWs were classified as “Black” by the British Authorities as they were considered to be the most committed and fanatical Nazi PoWs. Many of these prisoners had been captured from the SS. There were five separate compounds, one each for the Army, Navy, Air Force and SS prisoners, and one for officers. After the war it was used as an Army training camp. Once it ceased to be used for military purposes, it now belongs to the Comrie Development Trust, bought via a community right-to-buy option. Recently, the trust received a bequest from the estate of a former PoW for what he described as the kindness he was shown while he was a prisoner there, and had instructed the executors of his estate to ensure his life savings are spent helping the elderly community of the town. This PoW, on release, found work on a farm in the town and lived there for seven years before returning to Germany.

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