BUTTRILLS CONVALESCENT CENTRE, BARRY

[dimwitt]

Dear all,

I'm looking for information on Buttrills Camp, Barry (South Wales) which was established in late 1914. I have carried out some basic research and come up with the following - excuse the long post:

A hutted military camp initially established as a transit camp as early as October 1914 on the site of the Buttrills Recreation ground. Later in the war it became a centre for the treatment and recuperation of wounded soldiers. After the war it became the Prince of Wales Convalescent Home for ex soldiers and was run by the Ministry of Pensions. (http://www.barrywales.co.uk/tomclemett/walkcolcot.asp). On 3rd Edition OS a number of buildings are depicted adjacent to a newly created recreation ground north of Buttrills but the layout is atypical of a military encampment. The recreation ground as shown is blank but in the Fourth Edition O.S. map, a number of regularly laid out hut type structures are present, much more appropriate for a military encampment. It may be that the camp was present on the recreation ground and it was not depicted on the 1921 map as a number of military sites appear not to have been included in the Third Edition mapping (e.g. Mumbles coastal battery and Maindy Barracks in Cardiff).

Glamorgan Archives contains a letter written by Pte Enos Skrine of 3rd Battalion the Welsh Regiment who had carried out police duties at the camp in 1917. The camp initially accommodated soldiers from the newly formed 12th (Service) Battalion The Welsh Regiment, some of whom were also located in Porthcawl. They were replaced by 1,100 men from the 4th Battalion the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry who arrived in Barry on 12th June 1915, the Welsh Regiment moving to Kinmel Park, North Wales for advanced infantry training. 3rd Battalion the Welsh Regiment were in residence by July 1916, when Pte David Davies was accidentally shot and killed whilst watching a Lewis gun demonstration. The last battalion based at Buttrills prior to the end of the war was 4th Battalion the Lancashire Fusiliers.

Facilities at the camp consisted of a number of wooden huts, each measuring 16 feet by 15 feet and designed to accommodate 30 men (although in practice they could contain between 40-50). In November 1915, a new Y.M.C.A. hut was donated to the camp for the troops welfare. It was 75 feet long and could accommodate 400-500 men. Although there is no cartographic evidence, the camp would have contained a conservative estimate of 25-30 buildings, making it a substantial size. Sources include (Welsh Newspapers online Barry Dock News various issues from 1914 to 1918 http://welshnewspapers.llgc.org.uk/en/home).

The location of the camp is now built over but does anyone have any other information or even photographic evidence to supplement my findings so far?

[Guest]

My father, Charles Ebenezer PRITCHARD,  SOUTH WALES BORDERERS        Pte 302295  List H/ /2788/1

Joined August 8th, 1916.

Transferred to 2/8 MANCHESTER REGIMENT,

Drafted to France on March 3rd 1917.

Badly Wounded: Fractured skull and shrapnel to back and legs, also Mustard gassed.

Hospital in  Ipswich. About early December 1917.

My father suffered from these injuries all his life and was at BUTTRILLS CONVALESCENT CENTRE, Barry in 1923/24.

I cannot find information about this Centre. I have a photograph of a Football Team with Officials, my father being the Hon.Sec. 

Any help with Place of Battle, and how long my father was in Buttrills. would be gratefully received. Also where best to send the Photo.

Thanks,

MILDRED STEARN.

 

 

[HERITAGE PLUS]

Mildred

 

The Convalescent Centre had formerly been Buttrills Army Camp.

 

This previous thread gives info;

 

https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/215172-buttrills-camp-barry/

 

A record is held at the National Archives:

 

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4290571

 

Dave

 

[FROGSMILE]

There’s a bit of detail at these links:

 

1.  https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/215172-buttrills-camp-barry/
 

2.  http://www.ggat.org.uk/cadw/first_world_war/reports/FWW_Call_to_Arms.pdf

 

[HERITAGE PLUS]

and here:

 

https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1920/dec/09/treatment-and-training-centre-glamorgan

 

Dave

[sadbrewer]

If you're interested Mildred, What looks to be the service record of Charles Price Pritchard ( who I think is his father) is on Findmypast.

   He seems to have had a short career, and was far from the model 1890's soldier....but it makes interesting reading.

[Guest]

I am Mildred's son and am posting this for her. This is the photo she referred to in her post yesterday. Sorry, because of lock down I cannot get to see my mother to see the original and only have this old scan in which the names are not very clear, but I'm posting it as it may be of interest to someone.

[DavidOwen]

Welcome to the forum Bob

 

Dimwit hasn't logged in since 2015 however you could try to contact them via the Private Message system. Click on their user name and select the envelope icon. Once you have sent the message they will receive a notification email sent to their registered email address, providing they are still using it.

 

David

[Moonraker]

Hi Bob

 

Welcome to the Forum

 

Dimwitt hasn't visited the Forum  since September 2015. I've sent him a private message, that he might or might not pick up, alerting him to his thread being updated.