Harperley P.0.W. Camp no.93 (a brief history)

Located on a hill above the River Wear approximately 250m West of the A68 & A689 junction. It was built on farmland from the Spring of 1943 by its first occupants. Italian POW's. and the camp's life expectancy was then estimated to be 15 years.

Harperley Camp was a purpose-built structure to house low security risk prisoners numbering from 800 to 1500 men. It was also a headquarters camp, eventually controlling a further 10 satellite camps across North East England. These in turn, were run by NCO's housing in total, a further 500 POW's making the maximum number controlled from Harperley 2000 men.

After the Italian Government capitulated & it's army surrendered in September 1943, the camp's current population were informed they were to be repatriated when it became safe to do so in Spring 1944.