Internment history
The outbreak of war on August 4, 1914, prompted an immediate British government response to intern all German men between the ages of 17 and 42. These men were classified as military age and considered a potential threat. The decision not to repatriate most Germans living in Britain was strategic – their deportation would have provided the enemy with thousands of potential fighters. Throughout the war, only small numbers of men were repatriated, typically those deemed too old or unfit for military service.
This initial full-scale internment policy was quickly retracted and replaced with an order to arrest only those acting suspiciously. By August 13, 1914, 980 men had been interned, growing to 4,300 by August 28. The numbers continued to rise until late September 1914, when all available camps reached capacity. By November 1914, 14,500 civilian enemy aliens were detained in camps around Britain, representing approximately one-third of registered aliens. Debate continued regarding policy exceptions for nationals from more friendly nations, such as Hungarians and Poles.
Rising anti-German hostility, culminating in riots in Deptford, London, on October 18 and 19, 1914, forced the government to reinstate full-scale internment “in the interests of public safety and public order.” However, camp overcrowding meant implementation was limited until May 1915, except in vulnerable areas along the south coast of England.
The first camps were makeshift, utilizing easily convertible buildings. Dorchester Camp opened in August 1914, followed by facilities in York, Edinburgh, Olympia in London, and Lancaster. Ships including the ‘Saxonia’ and ‘Royal Edward,’ docked in the Thames at Southampton, served as temporary camps. Stobs Camp, near Hawick, Scotland, began operating in November 1914, utilizing an existing military training ground. It housed men in tents and military pre-fabricated wooden huts, each accommodating thirty-three internees. Though initially planned as a large civilian camp, Stobs held only 6,000 men at its peak and gradually transformed into a military prison camp by July 1916, with civilian detainees transferred primarily to Knockaloe on the Isle of Man.
Camp conditions varied significantly, with holding camps often providing the worst accommodation. Paul Cohen-Portheim, interned on May 24, 1915, experienced the overcrowded Stratford Camp, where basic provisions, poor food, and cramped sleeping quarters were the norm. Newbury Camp, constructed on a race course, housed up to eight men in horse boxes on straw beds. Lancaster Camp provided even harsher conditions, with seven hundred men sharing one large unheated, unlit room with a dirt floor through the winter of 1914-15.
The situation for Germans in Britain deteriorated dramatically after May 7, 1915, when a German U-boat sank the RMS Lusitania off Ireland’s coast, killing 1,153 passengers and crew. The tragedy sparked violent anti-German riots across Britain, particularly in Liverpool, where many crew members had lived. Rioters attacked shops, businesses, and homes of anyone believed to be German, causing over £200,000 worth of damage in London alone. The violence often extended to other immigrant communities.
The government responded to the Lusitania riots by implementing permanent full-scale internment for all men between 17 and 55 years old. Women’s situations varied – approximately 10,000 women and their children maintained restricted freedom, though many faced economic hardship with their husbands interned. Between May 1915 and June 1916, about 10,000 enemy aliens were repatriated, primarily women, children, and men above military age. Single women with less than five years’ UK residency faced forced repatriation.
The internment process was emotionally challenging. Men reported to police stations, uncertain of their destination or detention length. Paul Cohen-Portheim described his journey to Knockaloe Camp, marching through hostile London crowds who shouted abuse and threw objects. As internee numbers grew, permanent camps expanded at Lofthouse near Wakefield, Alexandra Palace in London, Stobs in Scotland, and Douglas and Knockaloe on the Isle of Man.