Monday 25 November 2013

Stuart Hall Billets


A reader has kindly sent me this photograph of Stuart Hall, County Tyrone, dated ca 1941.

Nissen huts seem to be in the process of construction, presumably for troop billets during the 2nd World War.

Stuart Hall estate is the ancestral seat of the Earl Castle Stewart.

3 comments :

Anonymous said...

The construction of Nissan huts were for the evacuation of refugees from Belfast to what was known at Stuart Hall Hostel. The hostel was the brainchild of Belfast businessman Nathan Goorwitch, he financied and managed it during the duration of the war.

I have this original photo along with others of the hostel if you are interested in more information but I can't get your contact details to work.....

Timothy Belmont said...

Anon, many thanks indeed. I can be contacted directly on earlofbelmont@hotmail.com

Tim

Anonymous said...

I was the chap who submitted this photograph to this site. The copy of this photograph was originally handed into Ballymena Library some years ago by an anonymous caller requesting its location and more information. The circumstances within which the photograph was found; it was found among a stash of photographs which seemed to relate to a refugee camp, location unknown. Since I am a local historian in the Mid-Antrim area, and that I had a collection of photographs of the Gibraltarian Refugee camps dotted around the Mid-Antrim area (taken by me in 2006), it seemed natural to assume I might know. I am indebted to Lord Belmont in Northern Ireland for posting this picture, and to you, anon in providing the background to the photograph. I will pass this information to the Library, who can in turn inform the original enquirer. Many, many thanks