First World War Billet/Officers Mess Hut

[kkid]

[Hi Paul

I read with interest a query from someone about a billet hut. WW1

I was wondering if you know about Billet huts that were used across the waters during the war in France/Belgium.

I've read a lot about how women were shipped out and camps were set up where they built the huts and then the canal systems was used to ship them to various parts near the front.

My problem is finding inforamation as to what happened to them after the War. I too know of a hut that is used a a welfare hut and the story goes that the hut was one that saw action in the frontline. then after the war they were flatpacked and brought back to england. I am tyring to find evidence that this is in fact what actually happened.

I do know that the hut was sold off in sutton coldfield by the army in 1920.

If we can prove that the hut did in fact come back from the front then we are more than confident that we can get funding to restore this lovely building.

I just need a link that shows that huts were in fact brought back.

On a negative note, i cannot see why we would do this. my logic part thinks that why send women out to build them out of felled wood and crates etc, and not just dismantle and burn for firewood whilost there. I truly hope I'm wrong.

If you have any knowledge whatsoever on the history of these huts, then i'd be ecstatically grateful for any snippet of information you may have

my email is ceily57@yahoo.co.uk if you feel that you could help (have a month to solve mystery or comeup with something)

look forward to hearing from you

kindest regards

Cecilia

[norwichpaul]

Cecilia, that sought of information is going to be very difficult to locate. One could spend ages in TNA going through loads of files and come up with virtually nothing. Obviously I don’t have the definitive answer but I doubt it very much that it had come back from France. Why would it, the British countryside was littered with army camps and PoW camps each with masses of huts. It is more likely that huts erected in France post WWI were used as firewood I am afraid. I note that Sutton Coldfield (Sutton Park Camp) was a WWI camp for ‘Birmingham Pals’ for example.
The only way you are going to find out I guess is to locate the sales (auction) brochure, but finding that might be difficult, but one could make a start with the local paper as War Office auctions would have been well advertised in editions leading up to the sale.
I presume it is an Armstrong timber hut that you are referring to and not a Nissen hut? Do you have any pictures?