Description and History of Site:-
The stone-and-cement ramp on the village green was built by Prisoners of War during the Second World War; its purpose was for loading milk churns and the sugar beet which was grown for the war effort.

The initials 'POW' can be found close by written in a concrete plaque on the walls at the entrance to Hall Farm, which they also built.

JAN 1-20 1946
ITALIAN PRISONER OF WAR
JACK B CATALINO

1-7 1946
POW BG
ITALY

Following the Italian surrender in 1943, 100,000 Italians volunteered to work as 'co-operators'. They were given considerable freedom and mixed with local people. Mrs Roberts, of Hall Farm, was told that she could have six PoWs to work on the land and went to the PoW camp near Cambridge to ask for volunteers.

She was so determined to make the Italians who volunteered welcome that she reputedly drove to London to purchase pasta for them (it not then being obtainable elsewhere). They never forgot her kindness and one - 'Tino' - came back to live in the village after the War.

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Key Words :- ramp

Address :- Great Wratting, Suffolk
Grid Ref :- TL 68965 48259
Co-ordinates :- Lat 52.106852 , Long 0.465811
Local Authority :- West Suffolk Council
Pre 1974 County :- Suffolk
Site Status :- Site extant - No Protection
Site Condition :- Site disused - but otherwise substantially intact
Site Dates :- 1946 -
Contributor :- Suffolk IA - 23 September 2022

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Suffolk IA