Stobs Camp Walking Tour (September 2020)
Tour of Stobs following the route of the Stobs Camp Project’s heritage trail.
With thanks to Doug Rocks-Macqueen and James White.
The Marks of Stobs drone film (September 2020)
Aerial view of the PoW camp at Stobs.
Filmed by Alan Murray, An Aerial Observation. Music by David Hilowitz.
Digital Dispatches #3 – The Coins of Stobs (September 2020)
Part of Stobs Digital Dispatches looking at the variety of coins found at Stobs.
With thanks to all the metal-detectorists and Stobs Camp Project volunteers who took part in the fieldwork. Music by David Hilowitz.
Digital Dispatches #2 – PoW barrack hut (May 2020)
Part of Stobs Digital Dispatches looking at the last remaining barrack hut in the PoW camp at Stobs.
With thanks to Border Archaeology, Allan Kilpatrick and Ian Lowes.
Digital Dispatches #1 – Marquetry panel (April 2020)
Part of Stobs Digital Dispatches looking at a marquetry panel made by a PoW at Stobs.
With thanks to Dennis Millin, Gordon Gilfether, Eric Scotland, Imperial War Museums, Great Western Auctions and Peter Church.
Unveiling of re-instated Stobs Memorial (November 2018)
Film showing the unveiling of the re-instated Stobs Memorial, 11th November 2018.
We were delighted to complete the reconstruction of the memorial at Stobs Camp. Originally built by the German prisoners for their ‘comrades who died far from home’ it had been destroyed in the 1960s. Our intrepid team of volunteers, guided by Tree-ditions Craft School, rebuilt the memorial as close to the original as possible.
In a moving ceremony on 11th November 2018 it was formerly unveiled by Margaret Eliott, Deputy Lieutenant of Ettrick, Roxburgh & Lauderdale and Colonel Jean-Bernard Lacroix, Minister & Security Co-ordinator from the German Embassy in London. A blessing was led by Rev Michael Scouler MBE and wreaths were laid. Music was provided by the Hawick Saxhorn Band and Ian Lowes unveiled a picture of Sebastian Bichler, a prisoner who had died at Stobs in 1919. Hawick High School ran a poetry competition and the winning entry was read by a volunteer from Kelso High School.
We are grateful to Dawn Berry of SEEit Productions for filming the event. Please listen to these moving speeches and congratulate the team on a job well done!
Stobs Camp parchmarks (July 2018)
Parchmarks revealing features in the PoW Camp, July 2018.
The hot and dry weather experienced in July 2018 revealed many of the paths and building foundations in the First World War PoW camp. These parchmarks are caused by the thin layers of vegetation that cover the stone and concrete features beneath. With little soil depth the grasses die quicker.
A Night at Stobs (June 2018)
Dress rehearsal film of “A Night at Stobs”; a theatrical re-enactment staged by Edinburgh Napier University. The production played to packed audiences in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Hawick in June 2018.
The objective behind the Lustspielabend (or comedy evening) was to bring the history of First World War internment to life in an accessible yet thought-provoking way. Based on programmes found at Hawick Museum the team developed a backstage play featuring six characters discussing life at the camp. Their dialogue ties together two stage plays: By Ourselves and The Broken Jug.
Theatrical performances like these reveal how important evenings of entertainment were to the internees. Such shows helped them keep busy, both physically and mentally. They highlight the role of humour and escapism as coping mechanisms during internment.
We are grateful to Edinburgh Napier University, Aston University, Live Borders and the Arts & Humanities Research Council.
Special thanks to: Iain Davie, Kenneth Dempster, Rachael Durkin, Andrew Frayn, Ian Lowes, Stefan Manz, Susan Martin, Anne Schwan, David Sutherland, Charity Trimm, Olga Tyukova and all the incredible actors & musicians who made it possible.
We hope you enjoy the play!
Practice trenches at Acreknowe reservoir (February 2018)
Continuing their super drone images of Stobs Camp we are delighted to share Border Archaeology’s short film of the practice trenches near to Acreknowe Reservoir filmed in February 2018. It reveals a series of trenches believed to have been dug by British soldiers in the decade before the First World War. With special thanks to Border Archaeology for their remarkable footage.
Excavating the former cemetery (April 2017)
Excavating the former cemetery, April 2017. With thanks to Dawn Berry for VOMO TV.
Stobs Camp drone film (Update)
Following on from their super drone images of Stobs Camp in 2016 Border Archaeology re-edited their film of the PoW camp. It reveals the beautiful scenery around Stobs but also reminds us how isolated and exposed the camp was. With special thanks to Border Archaeology for sharing their remarkable footage.
Stobs Camp drone film (December 2016)
Drone video of Stobs PoW Camp, December 2016. With thanks to Border Archaeology.