Camp Hereford

Camp Hereford
Company type	Military facility
Industry	Prisoner-of-war camp
Founded	1942
Defunct	1946
Headquarters	Hereford, United States
Area served	United States (Texas)
Key people	Colonel Joseph Carvolth (camp commander)
Products	Prisoner labor for agriculture and local businesses

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Camp Hereford, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 7 August 2025

Camp Hereford, also referred to as the Hereford Internment Camp or the Hereford Military Reservation and Reception Center, served as a World War II prisoner-of-war facility in the United States designated for Italian captives. Situated roughly south of Hereford, Texas, it ranked as the nation's second largest POW camp, accommodating close to 6,000 prisoners alongside 750 American military staff. Established in 1942, the camp became operational in 1943 and was decommissioned in 1946 following the repatriation of all detainees.

Construction

In June 1942, the War Department approved the establishment of Camp Hereford on property straddling the counties of Castro and Deaf Smith. The government acquired from Loyal B. Holland at a price of $14,375 and adjoining land from Walter N. Hodges for $16,475; construction commenced in July 1942. Initially designed to house 3,000 men by November that year, the project expanded in scale, postponing completion until February 1943. The Dallas-based Russell J. Brydan Company oversaw construction; Fort Worth firms Freese and Nichols were responsible for the design; Sherman and Erbett installed utilities; and American District Telegraph supplied electrical services. Approximately 1,000 workers—predominantly non-local and accommodated on-site—participated in building the facility at a total expenditure of $2 million.

The compound consisted of four main sections: three allocated for enlisted personnel and one reserved for officers, each capable of housing about 1,000 individuals, along with quarters for U.S. military staff. Upon finishing construction, it could accommodate up to 4,800 enlisted men, 1,000 officers, plus support personnel. Although not permanent edifices, the camp was constructed as a high-security installation featuring multiple layers of fencing—including an electrified perimeter—and guarded by armed sentries stationed in towers outfitted with machine guns, loudspeakers, floodlights, and telephone lines to maintain strict security and deter escape attempts.

Functioning as a central base camp intended for between 3,000 and 6,000 prisoners, Camp Hereford provided labor resources to smaller satellite camps scattered throughout the Texas Panhandle. Its remote location served dual purposes: enhancing security and enabling prisoner labor support for local agricultural operations and businesses experiencing workforce shortages during wartime. Distinctive among Texas POW camps for being erected on privately owned land specifically to house prisoners, it was the sole base camp in Texas designated exclusively for Italian detainees and recognized as a facility housing "hard-core Fascists and troublemakers." A brief presence of German prisoners ended after conflicts with Italian inmates led to their transfer elsewhere.

Camp life

Upon arrival in the United States, Axis prisoners were supposed to undergo showering and delousing at their ports of entry; however, this procedure was frequently bypassed. Many arrived at their assigned camps still wearing their captured uniforms. The first group of inmates arriving at Camp Hereford in spring 1943 were Italian soldiers captured during the African Campaign. They disembarked at Summerfield, Texas, then marched approximately eight miles to the camp while reportedly singing "Rosamunde." Upon arrival, prisoners received meals and showers before being assigned to barracks; they underwent vaccinations, medical examinations, interviews, and were issued serial numbers. Each individual was provided with standard-issue clothing including underwear, socks, belt, cap, coat, gloves, and an overcoat. Enlisted men’s uniforms that remained serviceable were marked "PW"; those deemed unfit were replaced with similarly marked garments. Officer uniforms did not bear any markings. Daily routines began with reveille at 5:45 a.m., followed by lights out at 10 p.m.

The Italian prisoners were divided into two primary factions: staunch supporters of Mussolini ("Mussolini's men") and more moderate adherents loyal to King Victor Emmanuel III ("King's men"). The latter group largely surrendered without resistance during reinforcements’ collapse in North Africa against Allied forces. To prevent unrest between these groups and maintain discipline within the camp, prisoners were segregated by rank and political allegiance: Mussolini’s followers occupied compound one; King's supporters resided in compound two; non-commissioned officers were housed in compound three—each barracks accommodating around 40 men in open dormitory style. Officers lived in compound four within apartment-style barracks arranged according to rank.

Following Italy’s 1943 Armistice of Cassibile and subsequent declaration of war against Germany by the Badoglio government, Italian POWs were encouraged to cooperate with Allied forces. Starting in early 1944, the U.S. War Department established Italian Service Units (ISUs) composed of POWs who pledged allegiance to the Allies. These men were transferred from camps to military installations requiring labor support; they received partial payment in cash and scrip along with standard G.I. uniforms and access to base amenities plus freedom of local movement. Over 85% of the approximately 51,000 Italian prisoners joined ISUs; those who declined often remained confined at Camp Hereford. Consequently, as moderate prisoners departed for ISUs, Hereford increasingly housed pro-fascist detainees resistant to cooperation.

Work

Prisoners were allotted a monthly stipend ranging from $3 for enlisted personnel to $40 for officers of major rank or above. Under the Geneva Conventions, officers were exempt from compulsory labor, while non-commissioned officers could be assigned supervisory administrative duties. The enlisted men, who made up the bulk of the labor pool, carried out unpaid routine chores such as cleaning, maintenance, and kitchen work. Paid employment beyond these basic tasks was compensated at a rate of $0.10 per hour, equivalent to that paid to an American private. Skilled inmates frequently engaged in remunerated tasks within the camp; however, most paid labor contracts were awarded to local farmers and businesses. These contracts mandated that farmers provide certificates of need to the War Manpower Commission, with prisoner labor assignments coordinated by the Department of Agriculture's Extension Service. At Camp Hereford, prisoners participated in agricultural activities including carrot processing, cotton harvesting, and pouring concrete for nearby grain elevators. One work detail even contributed to constructing a local church.

Actual currency was prohibited inside the camp; instead, wages and allowances were issued as scrip redeemable only at the prisoner-run canteen or post exchange. The canteen offered various goods such as candy, beer, stationery, toiletries, clothing, playing cards, magazines, cigarettes, and tobacco products. Profits generated from these sales were accumulated in a fund that the camp commander could use at his discretion to procure special items benefiting the prisoner population.

Food

Each compound featured identical mess halls with kitchens where prisoners prepared meals under supervision tailored to their preferences to reduce food waste. Early in the conflict, U.S. policy adhered to Geneva Convention standards by providing prisoners with food equal in both quality and quantity to that supplied to American soldiers. Many undernourished Italian detainees experienced weight gain during their internment. Favored items included apple butter, tomatoes, tomato sauce, ketchup, and rolled oats; corn was generally unpopular. Reports from 1943 detailed three-course meals comprising a variety of dishes such as eggs, beef with gravy, polenta, chicken cacciatore, peas, spaghetti with sauce, bread, cake, coffee, bacon, raisins, baked beans, beets, salad greens, lamb, salami, and fresh vegetables.

In spring 1945, due to domestic food shortages and public criticism accusing authorities of excessively favoring POWs—especially following revelations of starving American prisoners liberated from Axis camps—the Provost Marshal General’s office reduced daily rations to 2,500 calories for non-working prisoners and 3,400 calories for those engaged in labor. Implementation varied across camps; at Camp Hereford Colonel Joseph Carvolth rigorously enforced these restrictions. The camp doctor reported actual daily calorie intake often fell below 2,500 and occasionally dropped as low as 1,500 calories. This period of scarcity—referred to by prisoners as la fame—persisted until late 1945.

With diminished rations and limited canteen access, prisoners resorted to inventive methods of supplementing their diets: officers received food tossed over fences by enlisted men; some captured rattlesnakes or grasshoppers for protein; others prepared broths from fish heads or wild plants. Those working outside the camp had more consistent access to extra food; laborers in potato fields could boil unlimited potatoes and sometimes obtained bread and meat from local farmers. Army Sergeant John Coyle smuggled rabbits from nearby fields to provide additional nourishment for inmates.

Censorship delayed recognition of prisoner mistreatment until Reverend Achilles Ferreri informed Bishop Laurence Julius FitzSimon of Amarillo. After visiting and sharing meals with detainees, FitzSimon contacted Representative Eugene Worley. This led to a military inquiry involving the Italian ambassador, International Red Cross representatives, the Diocese of Amarillo, and the Provost Marshal General’s office. The investigation validated prisoner complaints; by November 1945 the canteen reopened and rations were modestly increased. During la fame, prisoners lost an average of approximately 20 pounds (9 kilograms), with some experiencing weight loss up to 40 pounds (18 kilograms). No deaths were directly attributed to camp conditions; however, one corporal was fatally stabbed during a dispute over candy sharing.

Recreation and Entertainment

Although not mandated by the Geneva Conventions, Camp Hereford provided recreational facilities and entertainment to encourage cooperation among prisoners. The U.S. government furnished all POW camps with equipment such as soccer balls, basketballs, volleyballs and nets, ping-pong tables, croquet gear, horseshoes, along with a variety of board and card games. Additional materials were contributed by organizations like the Red Cross and YMCA or acquired by inmates using profits from the camp canteen. Each compound featured its own sports field, and prisoners constructed a tennis court within the officers' compound. While efforts were made to introduce American football, soccer and bocce gained greater popularity.

The detainees also produced at least three newsletters addressing different interests: camp updates (Il Powieri), literary and political topics (Argomenti), and sports coverage (Olimpia). Lacking printing facilities, these bulletins were manually distributed throughout the camp.

Notable Prisoners

Works Cited