History of Shannon war camps uncovered KAROLINE TUCKEYWarwick Smith/Stuff.co.nzMary Bielski discovers remnants of a forgotten WW2 camp site for conscientious objectors on her property near Shannon. Relevant offersAmateur historians have begun to uncover the "forgotten" history of two Shannon prisons, where 250 conscientious objectors were detained during the Second World War. A historical photo believed to have been taken of prisoners in front of 'public works huts' that housed them, at the Whitaunui camp, during WWII. Mary Bielski with dog Lass, on her Shannon farm, where she has been uncovering a political prison work camp for conscientious objectors during WWII. "Young people are now puzzled about why people were so angry about the conscientious objectors - people have moved on, and can't understand how intense the feelings were."

Source: Stuff July 03, 2016 04:41 UTC