Roger Grey sought to protect the medieval deer park from tree felling in WW2 and didn’t want to allow the park to be used as a military camp. Various areas were offered – eg the Devisdale http://www.friendsofdenzellanddevisdale.com/history.html and the Scout camp in the New Park
2 October 1942: the Scout camp was inspected and passed as suitable for American Army troops who moved in from October 1943. They made preparations for D-Day 6th June 1944 – leaving from May 1944. It is said there were some 190 barrack huts for 6000 soldiers.
18 October 1944: Earl of Stamford was informed that the campsite would be used as a Prisoner of War Camp for 3500 German POWs from the liberation of Europe and Italian POWs from North Africa who started arriving from first week of November 1944. And stayed until 1946 before they were repatriated back to Germany and Italy – but some stayed having worked on local farms and industry. One of the old POW huts was requisitioned by the Red Cross to form a community Centre at Lark hill in Timperley Village – only replaced by the current building in 1999.
1943: temporary camp – further along the New Park towards Dunham Town village with access from near the “concrete tree” in the middle of the village
1946: recognising the campsite was still in the hands of the War Dept, there was a dispute about the return of the campsite from the War Dept which continued for a few years.