Urgent

[Certacito]

Hello,

I am putting this in the WW2 site also but perhaps someone on here can help?

On behalf of someone who is terminally ill, I am trying to trace information on the army camp which was situated in Upton Wirral where the Champion spark plug factory was.  The idea is to try and locate any photographs if possible.

It would help me if anyone local can tell me which units were situated there and then I can possibly get in touch with the main depots to see if they can help.

Historical society and local libraries have been contacted already with no results.

thank you

[toni*]

local newspapers of that time maybe and the local Council maybe if planning permission was requried (yes they still needed it in those days)

its just occured to me have you contacted the MOD ? army ?

[ShaunJ]

Just searching for references on the web... there seems to have been an army camp at Arrowe Park. The Free French were there in 1940 http://www.charles-de-gaulle.org/article.php3?id_article=162

[trystan]

I'm not getting very far with Google here, but:

The spark plug factory was in business between 1968 and 2006:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/4885468.stm

In what year was the army camp supposed to have been there? Was it an army camp as such or was it a hospital for those injured? Were the army there to move vehicles or equipment from the area perhaps?

Trystan

[trystan]

If it's Arrowe Park (which isn't far from Upton) then there are some photos found on Google:

http://www.rootschat.com/links/02bh/ 

[cathaldus]

dear certa cito,

The Royal Signals Depot Regt. was at Saighton Camp, Chester for many years.   Best of luck.  Fellow Signaller.

[Certacito]

dear certa cito,

The Royal Signals Depot Regt. was at Saighton Camp, Chester for many years.   Best of luck.  Fellow Signaller.

Thanks but nothing to do with me.

I had better edit this as that sounds terrible.  Obviously part of it was cut off.  My PC is really playing up at the moment. What I meant to say was it is not a Royal Signals thing but I am acting for someone else in my capacity as a volunteer.

I have learnt that this place was in 1945 a demob centre.  There really does seem a massive gap in local history in regard to the military. RAF West Kirby is hardly documented yet thousands of men passed through it for one.

Perhaps the Wirral history authors should redress the balance a bit?

[Certacito]

Strange that, I sent two replies earlier but they don't appear to have come up for some reason.

I didn't know about the French but did know that the Americans had a base at Arrowe park. They also had one at New Brighton's football ground. Basically vehicles would come into Birkenhead and Liverpool docks and be shipped to these locations to be checked out etc then sent on to the fighting troops in other parts of Britain.  This is what my late father told me anyway.

I do remember the base I am talking about but only vaguely. I know the place that is behind the current sorting office was used by the British military when I was a lot younger and I am talking about the 1950's or early 60's. In the eighties and maybe still to this day there was a ramp for heavy vehicles to be serviced on.  This would have been used for lorries or tanks.  I've used them myself in other places when servicing armoured personnel carriers. I still think some of the original buildings are being used by BT but it is a while since I was there so perhaps they have gone?

Thanks for all the replies so far.

[J.Patricia D]

The base at Arrowe Park was used by Americans in 1939/45. The  Hospital which was inside the original park, not at the location of the present Arrowe Park Hospital, was a convalescent  Hospital for injured soldiers as was Bidston Avenue School at Bidston.