Penal Camp Elementary School Yde

Strafkamp Yde was located in the former primary school of Yde-De Punt. In 1832 a school was established on the other side of the road, next to the then Timmer café. In 1866 the school was built on the original site. In 1897 a second room was added, in 1900 a third room and in 1929 a fourth room was added and the building took on the shape it had during the war.
During the war, hundreds of boys and men were housed in the building, who were obliged by Organization Todt to work on the so-called Friesland Line, a defense line for the Germans to repel any attack from the West.

The building consisted of four rooms and the attic was occasionally used as a place to sleep. But given the fire hazard (the men slept on straw and there was only one narrow staircase), less use was made of this. There were 30 to 40 men in each room. They slept on the ground, in the classrooms a wooden partition had been made on which lay loose straw, which was demanded from the farmers. This straw was only changed every few months, making it quickly a breeding ground for all kinds of pests.
In the evening before going to bed, take off your clothes for lice control.

In the center was a table with benches around it. Each room had its own stove. The number of toilets and sinks was not designed for such a large number of users, which meant that they were often clogged and dirty. Hygienic conditions were therefore far below standard. The schoolyard was situated on the right side of the building. Here the men had to get up in the morning and were counted before walking in a column to work. In recent months, a barbed wire barrier has been installed around the building.

After September 1944 Friesland had to supply 13,000 men aged up to 55 years. In Vries alone, there were already 3,180 Dutch workers, mainly Frisians. The German supervisory staff numbered 115 people.
Due to a shortage of German personnel, non-Germans were also trained for these positions. The work mainly consisted of digging tank ditches, trenches and foxholes. The men from Yde also worked a lot at the airport in Eelde.

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Source

• Text: Bert Deelman
• Photos: Bert Deelman
• Strafkamp Yde