Oh, wow! I am impressed --I did a web search a few years ago on this subject with little result. The web has certainly expanded since then!! I did not know about the Italian Service Unit Camps. The rumor I heard in the 1940s could have been about one of those camps. I lived in Wenatchee in central Washington, a fruit producing area -- apples, pears, cherries, peaches, apricots, -- like that. Because of the labor shortage during the war, we adolescents "worked in the fruit" all thru the summer and fall, the high schools not opening until the apples were harvested in September and thru October. Probably some of those orchards also utilized labor from the Italian Service Units, thus justifying a labor camp in an area near Peshastin in the Wenatchee River Valley. A source on Wikipedia says:"Prisoners harvested various crops such as potatoes, sugar beets, onions, apples, and hops at Tule Lake, California; Albany, Oregon; Malheur County, Oregon; Yamhill County, Oregon; and Malott, Washington, just to name a few." Malott is a town in eastern Washington, but the critical words "just to name a few" suggest that other agricultural districts in Washington also employed Italian POWs. Thanks for all the info, Eliz. And I hope from all your sources Ralph will find the records he needs about his Italian kinsman. Elizabeth Engle -----Original Message----- From: Eliz Hanebury [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2014 2:32 PM To: Liz Engle Cc: Ralph Scheffler; Roots Subject: Re: [ROOTS-L] Prisoner of War Records of 1946 Eliz said: "This list of Prisoner of War Camps, Italian Service Unit Camps, and Prisoner of War Hospitals is based on weekly reports located on NARA microfilm #66-538 (population lists June 1942-June 1946). Additional locations based on newspapers, interviews, and other NARA records (at College Park and Regional Archives)." The rest clipped --
This has been a very interesting subject for me, nothing personal thank Heaven. For the most part we treated the POWs very well - not by the Government as such but by the average Joe who so often saw boys far from home and families. Eliz Not Today and Not without a Fight (Anon) For all that has been, thanks. For all that will be, yes. (Dag Hammarskjold) On Thu, Mar 27, 2014 at 7:51 PM, Liz Engle <[email protected]> wrote: > Oh, wow! I am impressed --I did a web search a few years ago on this > subject with little result. The web has certainly expanded since then!! I > did not know about the Italian Service Unit Camps. The rumor I heard in the > 1940s could have been about one of those camps. I lived in Wenatchee in > central Washington, a fruit producing area -- apples, pears, cherries, > peaches, apricots, -- like that. Because of the labor shortage during the > war, we adolescents "worked in the fruit" all thru the summer and fall, the > high schools not opening until the apples were harvested in September and > thru October. Probably some of those orchards also utilized labor from the > Italian Service Units, thus justifying a labor camp in an area near > Peshastin in the Wenatchee River Valley. > A source on Wikipedia says:"Prisoners harvested various crops such as > potatoes, sugar beets, onions, apples, and hops at Tule Lake, California; > Albany, Oregon; Malheur County, Oregon; Yamhill County, Oregon; and Malott, > Washington, just to name a few." Malott is a town in eastern Washington, > but the critical words "just to name a few" suggest that other agricultural > districts in Washington also employed Italian POWs. > Thanks for all the info, Eliz. And I hope from all your sources Ralph will > find the records he needs about his Italian kinsman. > > Elizabeth Engle > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Eliz Hanebury [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2014 2:32 PM > To: Liz Engle > Cc: Ralph Scheffler; Roots > Subject: Re: [ROOTS-L] Prisoner of War Records of 1946 > > > > Eliz said: "This list of Prisoner of War Camps, Italian Service Unit Camps, > and Prisoner of War Hospitals is based on weekly reports located on NARA > microfilm #66-538 (population lists June 1942-June 1946). Additional > locations based on newspapers, interviews, and other NARA records (at > College Park and Regional Archives)." > > The rest clipped -- > > > >