Ilford Park – Polish Camp, Newton Abbot, Devon :: November 2008

A crisp November morning saw us getting up super early and head to Newton Abbot. Part of the grounds are live so we had to choose our access route carefully. After about ten minutes, as is most often the case, we found a hole in a fence. And so we were in.

Luckily we had entered the site at it’s most interesting part – the accommodation. Room upon room filled with war memorabilia, journals, letters, newspapers – some of these things should be in a museum!

We managed to see quite a lot of the site before we bumped in to the care taker! Absolutely shit ourselves as we turned a corner right in to him! He was a really nice person, and gave us a little whirlwind tour before booting us out!

Ilford Park opened in September 1948 – one of 45 hostels across Britain set up to house the 200,000 exiled Poles who had fought alongside the Allies.

Built 60 years ago, at its peak the site was home to 600 exiled Polish people. Sadly, this site, and we presume all the personal belongings with it, has been demolished.