Champion family of Stoke St Gregory

[The Golding Line]

The champion family were Withy workers who lived at Briar House, Stoke St Gregory.

During the Second World War 1939-45 there was a Prisoner of War camp located nearby.  There were Italian POWs but I'm not sure which other nationalities were listed there. Were there any Americans?

Some of the POW's worked on the withys at Briar House.

The people living at Briar House were Henry Champion, Margaret Champion and Vera Kathleen Champion.

Does anyone have any information regards to the POW's or anyone who worked on the Withys at Briar House, Stoke st Gregory between  July 1944 and may 1945?

Thanks for any help

[CaroleW]

For information only - posted to prevent "living persons" comments

Rootschat has a no living persons policy and Vera Champion was born 1924.  However - she married and died in 2002 under her married name

[The Golding Line]

Thank you for your reply.

I know when she died. I havnt broke any regulations have I?

[CaroleW]

None at all.  When we see somebody's birth within the past 100yrs we check to see if they have died.

Presumed Henry & Margaret were her parents but the only Champion/Fry marriage I can find is in 1915 - William H Champion to Alma C Fry in Salisbury

[Girl Guide]

Having done a quick check on the 1939 I see that 'Henry' was born in 1893.  There is a birth registered in the June Quarter of 1893 Taunton district of a William Harry Champion mmn Dare.

Alma is registered June Quarter 1896 as Alma Caroline Marlborough district, mmn Gray.

[philipsearching]

According to a blog from The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2010/nov/08/prisoner-of-war-camps-uk#data there were 8 PoW camps in Somerset.  The nearest to Stoke St Gregory seems to be camp 665 - Cross Keys Camp, Norton FitzWarren (about 12 miles away).  wiki says: "It was the location of a 300-person Prisoner of War camp during World War II, initially housing Italian prisoners from the Western Desert Campaign, and later German prisoners after the Battle of Normandy."

I am sure that Stoke St Gregory locals would have seen American soldiers in the area as they gathered in the south of England to prepare for D-Day, but I don't know where the nearest American training camp was located.

Philip

[Girl Guide]

The 1901 census shows a Henry b.1869 and Margaret b.1872 Champion living at Curload, Stoke St Gregory, Taunton, Somerset.

Ref for 1901: Piece number 2275, Folio 37 and Page 16

Henry's occupation is withy merchant.

They have three sons with them William b.1893, Reginald b.1895 and Howard b.1897.

William is the one who is married to Alma and therefore the father of Vera.

The family are still living in the same place in 1911 as in 1901 but William is in Caerphilly in 1911.

Henry & Margaret are therefore William's parents and Vera's grandparents.