Ukrainian POW Chapel
This pre-war building is made of a timber frame with plaster boarding inside. Looking at the building from the outside, the impression is of just another hut in the middle of nowhere. It is when you open the door and step inside then you realise what lies hidden behind the outer walls. The history of the building is as follows:
At 7.00 am on the morning of 27 May 1947 Ukrainian POW's arrived at Glasgow Docks from a POW camp near Rimini in Italy. From the docks some of the POW's were transport to a camp at Haddington, between Edinburgh and Newcastle. The remainder went to a camp at Hapendon Lodge near Motherwell. The gates to that camp still stand to this day.
After a stay of 10 days at Happendon Lodge, they were then taken by trucks and transported to Carstairs train station. From Carstairs they finally arrived Lockerbie train station on the morning of 6 June 1947. Between 420 and 450 Ukrainians marched through Lockerbie to Hallmuir Camp.
Once settled on the camp they were employed by the Ministry of Agriculture to work on the farms and forestry in the area. With the prospect of work and a better life style the POW's started their own gardens to brighten up the surrounding area.
One of the Ukrainian POW's called Mr Fallat brought with him three match boxes of fruit seeds from Italy and after a lot of care and devotion, he planted the small orchard which is still standing and is bearing fruit to this day.
Of all the 40 huts that were home to the Ukrainian POW's only 7 remain. Unlike the German and Italian POW's who were in the camp and could return home, the Ukrainian POW's could not, as it was made clear that on their return to the Soviet Union they would either be executed or sent to Siberia.
During their stay at Hallmuir they made friends with the local Community and started to lay on entertainment such as plays and dances which the local people attended and had a great time.
The landowner at the time was Sir John Buchanan Jardine and he kindly donated one of the huts to the Ukrainians so that they could use it as a Chapel. At first the Chapel was very plain and was situated at the top of the camp but when the POW's moved to the bottom end, with a lot of hard work and devotion, they put what skills they had and started making hand carved items for the Chapel. The Chapel has come what is is today.
It is the first Ukrainian Chapel of its' kind in Scotland and is still in use to this day. Services are still being held on the first Sunday of every second month. About 3 miles from the Camp is 'The Garden of Remembrance' for the Lockerbie Air Disaster.
The Chapel is situated approximately 3 miles from Lockerbie along the C92 (a) road to Dalton.
Contact
family
Pufkyi
Muirhill
Lockerbie
Dumfries & Galloway
DG11
Scotland
Tel: +44 (1576) 204025
Tel: +44 (7932) 438817
