Monuments

At the outbreak of the First World War there was a massive increase in military volunteers and infrastructure had to be quickly put in place to house and train the men.

Large camps with standardised plans were made to house upwards of 40,000 men during training. Originally, they were made up of tented structures, then hut models were prefabricated with timber frames clad in corrugated iron. When there were metal shortages, fully wooden huts were used. Some camps were like cities, with their own canteens, hospitals, post offices, and clubs. They also had water supply systems, sewage systems and roads. These camp buildings generally don’t survive because they were built as temporary facilities to be dismantled at the end of the war.

Earthwork platforms for huts and other buildings do survive at some of the camp locations. The regular grid layout of the camps can be seen, with evidence for the roads that crossed and surrounded them. Wooded areas preserved from ploughing are the most likely places to locate traces of these temporary camps.