A new monument dedicated to the former residents of a controversial housing project in the city is being planned, the Derry News has learned.
The Springtown Camp shut on Wednesday, October 11, 1967, having been home to over 500 families for 21 years after the US navy vacated huts on the site at the end of World War 2.
At the time the war ended, many local families were living in over-crowded and cramped conditions, sharing the one house – and one outside toilet - in many instances.
As a result, many took the decision to squat in to the many camps that were now empty.
Despite the huts not having electricity, running water, or any means of heating, they were still viewed as being an improvement on that what the families had, as the huts afforded them more space.
The camp’s closure brought to an end a long running battle with its tenants old Londonderry Corporation, which at one time saw 200 residents march from the camp to Derry’s Guildhall in protest at living conditions in January 1964, seen by some as a precursor to the civil rights movement.
Plans have now been lodged for a permanent monument to the residents close to the site of the former camp.
The monument will take the form of a 1/3 scale replica of a Model Nissen hut which would have housed the Springtown residents, constructed out of iron welded together and covered in corrugated zinc tin sheet, painted green.
The proposal has been lodged by local men Willie Deery and Hugo McConnell, both of whom grew up in the Springtown Camp.
Speaking to the Derry News yesterday, Mr Deery said that the monument had been something he and Hugo had been developing for some time, adding that it would be a fitting tribute to mark the significance and legacy of the Springtown camp in the battle for equal rights locally.
“To be honest with you it’s something myself and Hugo have been looking at for some years,” he told the Derry News.
“We’ve now lodged the application with the local council and fingers crossed we’ll get the planning permission.
“There’s a team of people working behind the scenes to secure the funding needed, and the feedback we’ve received to date has been great, we’ve met with local councillors and they’ve been very supportive.”
Willie added that the new monument would also draw visitors to the area.
“At the minute, we have a board up there dedicated to the Springtown camp, and you would often see the descendants of people from the camp, many of whom have emigrated across the water, come down to have their picture taken at the place where their parents or grandparents grew up,” he added.
“This monument will only boost that attraction and interest.
“We also believe that it will mark an important era in Derry’s history given that the residents of the camp were the first people to take on the Londonderry Corporation to fight for equal housing.
“That culminated in a march to the Guildhall on January 28, 1964, which may would see at the beginning of the civil rights struggle here in Derry.”
In addition, Willie has also been working on another project which he will unveil at the launch of the new monument – a brochure containing the names of every one of the 4,000 residents who lived at the camp.
The brochure involved Willie making three trips to The British Library in Westminster, London, before he had a complete list of the residents.
“It was something of a labour of love,” he joked.
“I had to make three separate trips over to the library because there’s only so much information you’re allowed to copy over at one time.
“The work is now complete, and I’m delighted because it’s the first time we’ve had a comprehensive list of everyone who lived at the camp.”
Willie is now planning to hand out the free brochure at the unveiling of the new monument, which he hopes will be ready in time for the 50th anniversary of the historic civil rights protest in the city on October 5, 1968.
“We would really like the unveiling to coincide with the anniversary, given the significance of the camp in the struggle for basic living conditions,” he added.
The application is currently being considered by Derry City and Strabane District Council, and is expected to come before a future meeting of its Planning Committee.
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