Dating back to the 18th century, the Swiss military barracks in Saint-Denis was used during the war as an internment camp for foreign nationals “from the enemy powers of the Reich”. More than 2,000 men were interned here during the entire period of German occupation (June 1940 - August 1944).

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Caserne des Suisses, Saint-Denis

1940-1944, camp for nationals of enemy powers

History

Caserne des Suisses, Saint-Denis, June 1940. The Wehrmacht (German army) moves into Saint-Denis. They took up residence in the Swiss barracks. This 18th-century barracks had been built to house battalions of Swiss Guards attached to the King of France, hence its name. In 1871, it had already been used as barracks by the Prussian army following France's defeat in the war between Prussia and Napoleon III's empire. Its reoccupation is therefore a striking symbol.

Internees walking in the courtyard of the Swiss barracks camp on October 22, 1940 © International Committee of the Red Cross — Internees in the courtyard of the Swiss barracks camp on October 22, 1940 © Photothèque Comité International de la Croix Rouge

A camp for the internment of nationals of “enemy powers of the Reich

From August 1940, the barracks became Frontstalag 220, a camp for the internment of nationals of “enemy powers of the Reich”, i.e. countries at war with Germany. In concrete terms, the prisoners were all men, aged 16 to 65, British civilians or those from countries of the British Colonial Empire settled in France: Maltese, Palestinians, Egyptians, but also Canadians, Australians, Irish, South Africans...

By the end of 1940, the barracks had some 2,000 men, far exceeding its capacity. This explains the use of the Drancy and Fort de Romainville camps as annexes for some of these internees. During 1941, each camp was assigned a different function, and only the Swiss barracks continued to intern foreign nationals.

Living conditions for internees

The Swiss barracks camp was visited several times by the Red Cross. A first visit reported a “poorly maintained” camp. However, in 1941, a new visit mentioned a vegetable garden, flower beds and “decent conditions”. A cultural life even developed within the camp, with libraries and classical orchestras (jazz was forbidden), such as that of musicians Tom Waltham and Arthur Briggs. The sick were treated at the Val de Grâce hospital until 1944, when part of the Saint-Denis hospital was requisitioned.

Families of internees from the Swiss barracks camp carrying parcels. Photo library of the International Committee of the Red Cross, rights reserved.

Families of internees from the Caserne des Suisses leaving a visit with parcels of dirty linen in 1943 © Photothèque Comité International de la Croix Rouge, rights reserved

Camp resistance and liberation

The camp was a place of resistance, and saw a number of escapes, notably in 1941. On November 12, 1943, during a search of the Swiss barracks, the Gestapo found weapons and a T.S.F. transmitter. A 20-meter tunnel had been dug in the cellar for an escape.

The camp and the town of Saint-Denis were liberated on August 27, 1944. The site was then transformed by the Provisional Government of the French Republic into a camp for “suspected collaborators with the enemy” for a few months. On November 15, 1944, there were 1,312 inmates. During the summer of 1945, they were transferred to the Drancy camp, the Tourelles barracks in Paris and the Noailles barracks in Versailles.

To remember

The Swiss barracks were requisitioned by the Germans throughout the Occupation
The Swiss barracks were used as a place of internment for foreign nationals from countries that were enemies of Germany.

Memory

The Swiss barracks: a forgotten place

At liberation in August 1944, the barracks were first temporarily used as a camp for "suspected collaborators with the enemy", i.e. French nationals accused of supporting Germany. Its use changed in 1946. Allocated to the detention of German prisoners of war, it became one of the experimental sites for rebuilding the foundations of Franco-German friendship from the end of 1946 until the end of 1947. A study center was set up, offering prisoners access to a library and lectures, with the aim of introducing them to democracy and liberalism before sending them back to Germany.

Gradual abandonment of the barracks

Reassigned in 1948 to the Ministry's Prisoners of War Department, the barracks were gradually abandoned in the early 1960s. As part of the administrative reform of the Paris region in 1964, it was considered as a site for the prefecture of the future Seine-Saint-Denis, before Bobigny was chosen as the prefecture of the new department. The square in front of the barracks was renamed Place du 8 mai 1945 in 1965. In autumn 1968, it was decided to build an Institut Universitaire Technologique (IUT) attached to the brand-new University of Villetaneuse, whose main premises would be built less than 2 kilometers away.

Demolition of the barracks

After several hesitations, the demolition took place in June 1969, despite a certain amount of emotion in the town. Only the pediment of the central pavilion remained, removed and preserved alongside the IUT, which was listed as a historic monument in June 1988. In addition to this, the former site now includes a high school and a CROUS (university social service) building. Place du 8 mai 1945 was redeveloped in 1996 by architects Paul Chemetov and Borja Huidobro, in conjunction with the arrival of tramway T1. In 1998, a marker was affixed to commemorate the history of the Swiss barracks and its use during the Second World War.

Remembrance without a place

The Saint-Denis camp has been overlooked in the politics of remembrance. This is probably due to the lack of interest in internment without deportation, especially of foreign civilians. The barracks are mainly remembered by British families, some of whose members were interned at Saint-Denis between 1940 and 1945. The Saint-Denis town hall regularly receives requests from these families. Its demolition has made knowledge of its role in the wartime internment system even more fragile. Moreover, the history of the camp is poorly documented, and there is no monograph on the subject.