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Stobs Camp near Hawick TD9 9SF

In 1914, in answer to Kitchener’s call, men from all over the British Empire came to Stobs Camp near Hawick to train as soldiers. So great were the numbers that men had to be accommodated in the town’s church and public halls – and even a local mill was pressed into service.

Among the many Scottish regiments to train at Stobs were the 12th Scottish Rifles, the 9th Royal Scots and the 13th Highland Light Infantry.

But in late 1914, it was announced that Stobs Camp would house German prisoners of war. The POWs were put to work in construction, building a highly-praised sewerage system for the camp. Other prisoners of war also worked on nearby farms.

One notable escape attempt saw four German POWs daringly boarding the afternoon train from Hawick to Edinburgh. Two men were re-captured, one at Granton and the other at Leith docks. The fate of their fellows is not recorded.

The prisoners also produced their own camp newspaper, the Stobsiade and produced many examples of camp art, carving in both wood and bone.

Image Credit: Hawick Museum

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