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Quorn Camp closes - 1959
Loughborough Echo - 10th September 1959
Quorn Camp to be closed - once occupied by American paratroopers
Quorn Camp, which was first used in 1944 by American paratroopers and has been in fairly regular use since, is to be closed and the land it occupies derequisitioned.
This news was confirmed by an Army spokesman at Northern Command headquarters, York, on Friday. In part of the camp No 523 Company, Royal Pioneer Corps, is established, and the remainder has been in frequent use for "staging" purposes for large units. After the Americans came prisoners-of-war to the camp and in recent months the Royal Leicestershire Regiment, Royal Lincolnshire Regiment have occupied it for brief periods of changing duties.
The Royal Leicesters, for instance, came to Quorn from Korea and left after several months for Germany.
The land belongs to Mr E G A Farnham, of Quorn House, who did not know of the War Department's decision until informed by a reporter. Recently the War Department land agent had been in touch with Mr Farnham's agents, Messrs Woolley and Noel, surveyors, of Rectory-place, Loughborough, to ask whether he would be prepared to sell the land, or let it on a long lease. No decision had been made.
"What will now happen to the land depends upon how much compensation we get," said Mr Farnham.
"If it is sufficient, we might consider reclaiming it for use as agricultural land, or possibly plant trees and use it for forestry," he added. Asked whether the land could be used for housing, Mr Farnham said, "There is a possibility of using it for building. There is quite a lot of frontage that would be used."
Before 1944 the land was used for grazing. The War Department as well as erecting the camp made roads and drains.
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Submitted on: |
2010-12-07 |
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Submitted by: |
Kathryn Paterson |
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Artefact ID: |
1014 |
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Artefact URL: |
www.quornmuseum.com/display.php?id=1014 |
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