By Camden Guide, Chris Everett
This week, as we continue to celebrate 60 years of the Borough of Camden, having just commemorated Armistice Day, it feels apt to dive into a hidden chapter of World War I history, revealing how a quiet corner of Regent’s Park became the biggest, busiest, and most vital link between the home front and the Western Front.
The Home Depot: Camden’s Mail Mammoth
Imagine the sheer volume of letters and parcels needed to keep morale high for millions of British troops during World War I. Every single piece of mail, from a mother’s comforting letter to a pair of warm socks, had to be sorted and dispatched. And the epicentre of this incredible logistical operation was in Camden.
To cope with demand, the General Post Office (GPO) took over a five-acre site in Regent’s Park, and erected an immense, temporary structure of huts which was said to be ‘the largest wooden structure in the world.’
The Scale of the Operation
These huts, known officially as the Home Depot, were built to deal with demand, it had space for up to 200 trucks and a massive sorting floor. At its peak, the depot was responsible for:
12 million letters and 1 million parcels A WEEK!
Employing over 2,500 people, mostly women, by 1918 they had handled a staggering 2 billion letters and 114 million parcels.
A Haven of Hope: St Dunstan’s Hospital
The postal depot wasn’t the park’s only wartime contribution. Regent’s Park also became a crucial sanctuary for soldiers returning home with devastating injuries.
In 1915, St Dunstan’s Lodge (now the site of Winfield House, the London residence of the US Ambassador) became St Dunstan’s Hospital. This was a pioneering facility dedicated to the rehabilitation of blinded soldiers and sailors.
It wasn’t just a place for recuperation; it was a place of transformation. Soldiers were trained in new skills like Braille, massage, and crafts, learning to live independently after losing their sight.
From War to Peace: A Post-War Legacy
When the war ended in 1918, you might expect the gigantic Home Depot to have been immediately demolished. Instead, it was given a second, equally important life.
The wooden structure was actually expanded and repurposed to house the War Pensions Department.
For the next few years, this building in Regent’s Park became home to a new, largely female, 3,000-strong workforce dedicated to administering pensions and support to wounded ex-servicemen and their families. This crucial department stayed in Regent’s Park until the early 1920s, only moving when permanent accommodation was finally secured in Acton.
Even other areas of the park contributed Marylebone Green had its own temporary sheds storing aircraft spares, supporting the air war effort.
A Plaque is Long Overdue
We think it is high time this remarkable period in Regent’s Park’s history is officially recognised. Perhaps a plaque commemorating the Home Depot and the War Pensions Department is long overdue.
What do you think? Should this vital chapter of Camden’s history be marked with a permanent plaque?
If you’d like to explore more of Camden’s extraordinary history sign up to our newsletter or join us on a walk.
Further reading
You can read more about extraordinary lost hospitals of London here, https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/stdunstans.html
The Postal Museum which is on the border of Camden and Islington tells the incredible story of post through time, https://www.postalmuseum.org/
A map of Regents Park (which is partly in Camden) can be found here, https://www.royalparks.org.uk/sites/default/files/2024-08/Regents-Park-Map-English.pdf