Bidston Army Camp
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This is taken approx 1952 and is on the site of the "REME Embarkment Establishment NW Ports" Army Camp at the bottom of School Lane. The station can be seen in the background. Image: Roy Head |
| Bidston Camp Staff September 1952. Back row L to R. Charlie Downham, Martin Kenny, Sid Gory, Johnnie Roberts, Joe Crawley. Front row L to R. Bert Williams (foreman), Bryan Jolley (regular corporal), National Servicemen Geoff Taylor, Les McLellan, George Roylance, Roy Head. Missing are Tom Parker (NS) taking the photo and the Camp Commander WO1 Dowles. |
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| From memory in 1952, the Camp was located at the bottom of School Lane on the left hand side near to the Railway Station. It consisted of Guardroom, Offices, Stores, 2 Accommodation huts, Ablutions block, Workshop, large vehicle parking area and Sports field. The daily routine of the Unit was the repair and servicing of vehicles from other local military camps. Its priority activity was the receipt and storage of a wide range of military lorries and Staff cars and loading these to ships in Liverpool, Birkenhead and Salford Docks for shipment abroad. The Korean War was being fought at the time. Using its own Scammell Recovery Vehicle, the Unit also removed damaged vehicles returned from abroad from the Docks to a vehicle park on the outskirts of Liverpool for onward transportation to larger repair workshops. I was stationed at Bidston Camp from February 1952 until the Unit was transferred to Seaforth Barracks in 1953 from where I returned to civilian life in November 1953. I recall that the entire Pakistani crew of the SS Zulfiqar was stationed with us at Bidston Camp for about 3 months whilst their ex-British warship was undergoing repair in Birkenhead. - Roy Head. | The six civilians were day workers and the five National Serviceman and two Regular soldiers were resident at the Camp. They were skilled vehicle mechanics and auto electricians and all personnel were HGV drivers. |
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David Prince (Sept 2010) tells me that: I am the webmaster for the membership site of the Royal Military Police, Birmingham Central Branch. www.rmpabhamcentral.com and I found your site because someone during the day did a search on our site for' Bidston' and I followed it back, hence this message. I served in the Royal Military Police, 193 (Ports) Provost Company, at Bidston Camp from shortly after the Coronation in June 1953 to early summer 1954 before moving on to Southampton. If you would care to visit our web site and look at page 'As we where No 1' you will find a couple of pictures of me at Bidston and also the partial view of the guardroom/office. My memories are vague except for the snow in late1953/54. I was demobbed in August 1954. The camp was only Military Police when I arrived in june/july 1953. We worked the departure and arrival of all troopships at Princes's Landing stage, Liverpool and ship movements across from Birkenhead to Liverpool. I was unaware that any other unit had been there, but as I say I cannot remember much about it, I've looked once or twice on google earth and couldn't even find the site, although I do remember it was near the station. |
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Also from David Prince (& below) |
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 Bidston 1953 |
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Peter Rodger - email 2003
My special thanks to Kenneth Burnley for his permission:
Portrait of Wirral by Kenneth
Burnley Hale Publications
Images of Wirral by Kenneth Burnley & Guy Huntington The Silver Birch Press