Prisoners To Do Work At Schick

Will House 150 Italians in Former N. Y.A. Camp Here

Source: The Clinton Herald, Clinton Iowa, April 28, 1944

A contigent of 150 Italian prisoners of war arrived in Clinton this morning to be used as laborers at Schick General hospital, hospital officials announced today.  They will be house in the former N. Y. A. camp.

The camp, near First avenue and Bluff boulevard, was leased recently by the War department from the Clinton park board.  Improvements and changes have been made in the camp to make it suitable for prisoner-of-war quarters.  No unauthorized person will be permitted to enter the camp area, hospital officials said.

Transporting of prisoners to and from the hospital will be done by means ofthe hospital's new carry-all bus which accommodates aproximately 100 persons, a new bus with a seating capasity of 35 or 40 and official trucks.

The prisoners, according to hospital authorities, will be assigned to work at the hospital wherever their services can be utilized.  They will be used in controlling erosion of the grounds, salvage activities and in various jobs of the mess department.

They were obtained by the commanding officer of the hospital to relieve the labor shortage which has existed at Schick since the hospital has been in operation.

(Note from transcriber:  I have heard a lot of stories about the P.O.W. camps in Clinton.  The prisoners would make art - like paintings and stuff.  There are some on display at the Clinton County Historical Society.  I also heard a story that lots of the citizens of Clinton would gather along Bluff and listen to the music the POWs made - Like a concert of sorts.

If you have any stories relating to the POW camps, we would love to hear them. From what I understand, there was the Italian one along Bluff and then a German one up in Lyons but I'm not sure exactly where.)