Until July 12th 1944 the POWs were settled in a recreation camp situated 7 km west from the town of Shumen. On the ground floor, there was a mess-room, washroom and storerooms. On the second floor there were two big bedrooms – one for the officers and another for the lower ranks. A third room, situated between the other two served as a Commandant Office. The rooms were able to contain up to 120 people. On June 28th 1944 the camp was crowded to such an extent that the new-coming 17 POWs were returned back and settled in military barracks. The fact that the camp was overcrowded brought to its repositioning to a new place – in the former barracks of the 3rd Ammunition Platoon, on the plateau called Ilchov Bair (Hill). There, the living conditions for the POWs and their guard were better than in the old camp. On December 30th 1943 the Army Staff ordered the Head of Staff of 4th Division Region to request form the POWs election of a POWs’ Representative. The POWs’ Representative task was to communicate with the POWs patron country – Switzerland, through its Embassy in Sofia, for protection of their interests in accordance with the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Initially, 1st Lieutenant Darlington was elected a POWs’ Representative. He was later replaced by Major Smith. At their entry into the camp, the POWs had to personally fill in special forms, which were later submitted to the Bulgarian Red Cross Organization and the International Red Cross Organization in Geneva. POW camp was visited twice by the representative of the International Red Cross.The POW camp was under the jurisdiction of the Shumen Garrison Commander.

WW II Prisoner of War Camp - Shumen, Bulgaria