WW II substitute crop pickers - how were they transported en masse?

[NW Mailing List]

There was a POW camp in Newport News with a siding in NW corner of
Jefferson and Mercury.
Charlie Long
Lynchburg, VA

On Wed, Jun 7, 2017 at 2:58 PM, NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List <
nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:

> Richard Andre', Charleston, WV historian, recalled several times seeing
> German POW's passing through Charleston on the C&O. They looked out in
> amazement with big eyes at the Kanawha Valley he would say. These were on
> regular trains in Pullman Green coaches.
>
> Now, whether these are farm hands or POW's headed to points west was never
> explained but it might add to the conversation.
>
> Matt////:CHW
>
> On Jun 7, 2017, at 1:38 PM, NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List <
> nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
>
> There was a CCC camp that was converted to a POW camp near Sherandah.
>
> Jeff Cornelius
>
> On Jun 7, 2017, at 10:53 AM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
> wrote:
>
> We know there were several POW crop-picker camps around the Shenandoah
> valley as substitute labor for our troops fighting overseas. Is there
> anything about how they were transported?
>
> The Southern Railway had ended passenger services six weeks before Pearl
> Harbor on its Shenandoah Valley Line but the Norfolk & Western Railway
> continued passenger services on its line between Hagerstown and Roanoke
> until 1962.
>
> Knowing the old spy adage "loose lips sink ships", perhaps there is
> nothing in writing -- however, do we have any clues as to how these
> substitute farm-laborers were transported from their POW camps elsewhere in
> Virginia to the Valley?
>
> I know the main POW camps were elsewhere in Virginia and many other places
> during WW II and when the harvest season especially came, they were
> transported from over near Williamsburg and Richmond and elsewhere for
> several weeks of picking season. When the harvest season was done, they
> were transported out and back; but by truck? by train? OR ?????
>
> Any ideas or thoughts will be greatly appreciated. Sometimes even local
> lore can also be used from those who might remember and know from first
> hand experiences.
>
> Thanks.
> Bob
> Reply
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>
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