Past display
Camp 144 at Kew
- Date
- 1 April to 31 August 2024
- Price
- Free
About Camp 144 at Kew
This temporary installation displayed photographs from the prisoner of war camp that was located on the site of The National Archives in Kew in 1945.
The land The National Archives stands on once housed a complex of buildings known as Camp 144. In July 1945, about 2,300 Italian prisoners of war were held in the camp.
Italy had surrendered in 1943 and many Italian POWs were then categorised as ‘co-operators’ and put to work outside their camps and granted some freedoms. When not working they could travel up to 5 miles away, but weren’t allowed to visit shops, cinemas or pubs. If invited, they could visit local people in their homes.
The ‘co-operators’ living at camp 144 worked on properties across London that had been damaged by V1 and V2 rockets.
The war in Europe ended in May 1945 but many Italian POWs did not start being repatriated until December, as they were still needed for the work they were doing across the country. The final POWs from camp 144 left Kew in July 1946.
The images were from the Ministry of Information Second World War Official Collection, and reproduced courtesy of Imperial War Museums (IWM).
Plan your visit
What is The National Archives?
The National Archives is the official archive of the UK government, and England and Wales. We are the guardians of over 1,000 years of iconic national documents.
Everyone is welcome to visit our headquarters in Kew. We put on exhibitions, events and displays and offer reading rooms giving access to our collections there.
Getting here
The National Archives is located by the River Thames in Kew, 30 minutes from Central London. We offer advice on travelling to us by car, bike, train or bus.
Children and families
We provide a warm welcome to visitors of all ages, including children and family groups.
- Free activity sheets (for ages 1+) are available from the Time Travel Club trolley in our entrance hall
- Our café is child-friendly and there are picnic benches outside
- Prams and buggies are welcome, and we have a buggy park
- Baby changing facilities are located by our entrance hall, at the top of the main stairs, and in the library
- Emergency supplies of nappies and wipes are available
Eat and drink
We have a café and coffee bar provided by Maids of Honour, a historic local tea room and bakery. It has spacious indoor and outside seating and a soft play area.
On the menu is a variety of high-quality lunchtime meals, sandwiches, snacks, soft drinks, tea and coffee. Vegetarians, vegans and other dietary requirements are all catered to.
