We’ve recreated materials about our historic work converting army huts in Ipswich into bungalows for First World War veterans, for display in a museum run by the Great War Huts organisation. The reproduction of two of the original ballot notices used in the sale of the bungalows, along with a booklet detailing the work which went into the conversions in the 1920s, will be on display to guests who book a tour.
The items were presented to the Great War Huts team at an event on Thursday 3 October 2024.
Taff Gillingham, one of the founders of Great War Huts said: “We’ve been hard at work to create an immersive First World War museum here in the Suffolk countryside close to Bury St Edmunds. So much of what we do depends on people giving their time, knowledge and skills to make the project become a reality. We’re so pleased to receive these materials from Suffolk Building Society, which will help to tell the story of the Great War from a local point of view for our visitors.”
History of the Great War Huts
Following the end of the First World War, there was a shortage of suitable accommodation for veterans returning home to Suffolk. Among a range of schemes aimed at addressing this problem, The Ipswich and Suffolk Freehold Land Society (as Suffolk Building Society was known then), was involved in relocating several army huts to recently purchased land in Bramford Lane in Ipswich and converting them into residential homes.
Conversion of army huts into homes
In August 1919, the project was launched with plans to buy 10-12 war huts, with four purchased initially. While the original location of these huts is unclear, work to prepare the Bramford Lane site, which was previously farmland, was well underway. In November 1919 straw from the land was sold for £12 and the cost of threshing was agreed, and by April 1920 arrangements were made to lay a water supply for the homes.
Ballot of hutments in Bramford Lane
The first five converted huts, described as bungalow houses with small holdings, were balloted to members of the Society at the Old Museum Rooms, Ipswich, on Thursday 8 July 1920, and sold for £650 – £680 each.
The secretary received 59 applications for the properties, perhaps partly as a result of articles printed in the East Anglian Daily Times, which were full of praise for the excellence of the materials used and the finish which the Society had applied to the work. One comment stated that, “once inside, it is difficult to imagine that they ever were Army huts”.
Shortly afterwards, in September 1920, another six converted huts were balloted, with the ballot notice stating that due to an increase in the cost of labour and materials, each property would sit on a smaller plot to keep prices at a similar level to the previous batch. However, despite this, 49 applications for the houses were received, meaning that once again demand for them greatly exceeded availability.
The huts existing as bungalows for around 50 years before being demolished to make way for modern builds.
Margaret Hancock, Archivist at Suffolk Building Society, said: “We are proud of the Society’s history in providing homes across the county between the 1860s and 1930s. The conversion of these war huts into homes that were ‘fit for heroes’ is a unique piece of local history here in Suffolk. We are very pleased to provide these replica ballot notices to the Great War Huts museum, along with an educational booklet. We hope people enjoy them for many years to come.”
About Great War Huts
Great War Huts at Brook Farm Camp will be a ground-breaking First World War museum and visitor centre in the heart of the Suffolk countryside, in Hawstead near Bury St Edmunds.
Built on a four-and-a-half-acre site, the original plan would have seen eleven replica wooden barrack huts built to tell the story of the First World War in a fresh way. However, the discovery of an original Recreation Hut in Ipswich, which was due to be demolished, changed everything.
The eleven huts will all now be original restored buildings, constructed over a century ago to house the servicemen and women who served during the war.
Great War Huts is open for regular talks, tours and events throughout the year. To view Suffolk Building Society’s contribution to the museum and see the progress of the Brook Farm Camp, visit the events page at https://www.greatwarhuts.org/events. Great War Huts also welcomes groups for private tours.
