14/09/2026
NOT ABANDONED‼️ LOCAL HISTORY LOCATION…
ISLAND FARM PRSION OF WAR CAMP🇬🇧
Island Farm, on the outskirts of Bridgend, South Wales, was originally built in the late 1930s to house workers from the nearby Royal Ordnance Factory. During the Second World War it was first used by American troops preparing for the D-Day invasion, before becoming Prisoner of War Camp 198 in 1944, housing more than 1,600 German prisoners. The camp became famous on the night of 10–11 March 1945, when around 70 German prisoners escaped through a tunnel dug beneath Hut 9. All of the escapees were eventually recaptured. After the war, Island Farm was renamed Special Camp XI and held senior German military officers, including Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, who were awaiting investigation and possible war-crimes trials. Most of the camp was later demolished, but Hut 9 survives as an important reminder of Bridgend’s wartime history… now remains owned by the council and open 3 times a year to the public if you are interested in the ww2 history of Bridgend this is definitely worth the visit!!