ST. STEPHEN’S HOUSE

CHAPTER

PAGE

FOREWORD

9

I.

THE BEGINNINGS -
The First Appeal— The Office— Personnel---The First Cases— A Journalist— An Invalid Baron — The Ruthenian Peasants.

11

II.

DIFFICULTIES
A Hostile Public— Other Relief Agencies— Police Registration— Prohibited Areas— Of Irreproachable Character— The Kaleidoscope

22

III.

TRAVELLERS
An American Lady Doctor — Motherless— The Travel Worker’s Task— The Berlin Committee — Off to America — The German Missionaries — A Family of Cripples — The First Stage — A Zeppelin Night.

29

IV.

THE INTERNMENT CAMPS -
" The Hun Coddlers "— Interning the Alien Enemies— The bad Camps— Inside the Camps — Some curious Cases— The Troubles of the Interned— The Question of Food— " Barbed wire disease "— The Moral of it— Internal Organisation— " Schiebung.

43

V.

THE INTERNMENT CAMPS (CONTINUED)
The P.O.W. Relief Agency— The American Y.M.C.A.— The Visitors from " St. Stephen’s" — Releases— The Camp Workshops— The Camp Gardens— The Military Camps— Christmas in Camp.

57

VI.

KNOCKALOE AND RUHLEBEN -
Knockaloe Camp— Camp 1.— Enter the " In-dustrial Adviser "— The Goods and the Markets — Foreign Exhibitions— Trade Sales— Prisoners as Relief Workers— Other Occupations— The Touch of Sympathy — The Camp Officers — The last Days of Knockaloe — The Prisoners over the Water— Fellow Workers in Germany — Reciprocity— Ruhleben Camp— Last Days at Ruhleben.

66

VII.

IN ALIEN HOMES -
An Average Home— Government Allowances — The English Wives— Boards of Guardians— A War-time Budget— Could an Alien Earn? — Seven hungry Boys— No Marriage lines— A happy ending— A strange story— Two little Ruffians— The Lusitania Riots— Many homeless Victims— A Meeting House as Shelter— In the Provinces— Local Committees— Typical Cases.

82

VIII.

FULLY ORGANISED
Sub-Committees— Case Card Index— Reprisals — An Unwilling Alien Enemy— The sorrows of an Alien— In a Workhouse Infirmary— The Story of Mrs. B.— In a lonely Place — An old Musician — How a German felt about the Lusitania — Dying of Cancer — The Grand-parents — The Special Case Committee.

99

IX.

CHILDREN IN WAR-TIME -
The Baby Cases— The twin Wolves— Bertha and Frederick— Ludwig and Marie— Pawning the Chairs— A Hungarian stranger — Biomalz — The Children’s Homes — Going and Returning — A day in the Country— The Effects— The Parents’ Thanks— The Mothers’ Rest Home— Good-bye to St. Stephen’s House— Summer Outings— Christmas— Some of the Letters.

112

X.

THE MIDDLE YEARS -
Pawnshops and Luggage — Patience and Tact — The Business Committee — The Clothing Room — Boots too — The Employment Problem — Clothes for France — Our Employment Bureau.

126

XI.

TRAVELLERS AGAIN -
Women and Children — The Hostel open at all Hours— The later Clothing Problem— The End of the War— Re-union Party— The Foreign Fund — Parcels — The first envoys to Germany — The Industrial Adviser visits Germany— " Thus Faith and Hope and Love last on."

136

APPENDIX
Extracts from Y.M.C.A. Report of Work in P.O.W. Camps in Germany.

149

FACING PAGE

I.

CABINET WORKER’S SHOP IN CAMP IV., KNOCKALOE, ISLE-OF-MAN -

61

II.

FRIENDS’ EMERGENCY HUT OUTSIDE INTERNMENT CAMP, KNOCKALOE, ISLE-OF-MAN, SHOWING SOME OF THE COMMITTEE’S STAFF, AND MISS SONESON AND HERR VOSS AND HERR KROHN (WEAVING PUPILS) SEATED

68

III.

JAMES T. BAILY (INDUSTRIAL ADVISER) AND EDWARD LEWIS SHOWING CAMP-MADE BASKETS TO THE COMMANDANT OF CAMP III., KNOCKALOE, ISLE-OF-MAN

72

IV.

AN EXHIBITION OF CAMP-MADE GOODS AND SHOWING SOME OF THE INTERNED MEN IN CAMP I., KNOCKALOE, ISLE-OF-MAN

74

V.

A CHRISTMAS PARTY FOR " ENEMY ALIENS " IN LONDON

122

VI.

THE CLOTHING ROOM SHOWING LUCY THOMPSON (AFTERWARDS LUCY STURGE) AND EMMELINE WHARTON

128