Knockaloe Camp - Departures

Introduction

On 11th November 1918 there were some 15,952 internees held at Knockaloe. There had been group departures for repatriation or internment in Holland earlier in 1918 but the major clearance of the camp occured during early 1919. James Baily noted that it took just about twelve months to clear Knockaloe Camp post Armistice and "those months were the most exacting for everybody of the internment years, for the P.o.Ws it was the worst, never did so many rumours become current, some setting the men's hopes high then to be subject time after time to deferment until the heart and and mind became sick with disappointment, men became ill in body and mind".

Baily quotes a colleague Edward Lewis who was one of the F.E.C. helping with the numerous problems that arose at this time. In Lewis's report dated 8 March 1919 he writes:

We have had a record week of repatriations as since Monday last [3 Mar 1919] some 1600 have left whilst a further 700 are due to leave tomorrow (Sunday). A start was was made with Camp 3 on Monday and by Wednesday morning next, the whole camp will have been cleared. On Tuesday last it was announced that a ship would sail direct to Rotterdam from Douglas on Friday which would accommodate 750 men, but only those who were prepared to pay the sum of £2 for the passage would be allowed to sail. Needless to say the required number was very quickly forthcoming as it was regarded as a great boon to be rid of the troublesome experiences in the mainland camps. On Wednesday it was announced that the number would be reduced to 700. The men left here in great spirits yesterday morning but on their arrival at Douglas the Captain of the ship (an Irish cross-channel steamer, the Colleen Brawn) refused to allow more than 500 on board which was the maximum number his ship could accomodate. It was a sorry procession of 200 men which straggled back to Knockaloe last evening about 7 o'clock. It was a great disappointment to the men which was heightened by their treatment at Douglas. The man complained they were kept standing on the exposed Douglas pier all day in the cold and rain. These men will be included in the 700 who will leave tomorrow. It was a very bad bungle on the part of the authorities.

The final group departures did not all go plan - Peel City Guardian Saturday 22 March 1919

A batch of 800 left Peel on Wednesday morning for Douglas to embark on a special boat, the City of Belfast, but, owing to the stormy weather, the boat could not come alongside the pier, and she had to proceed to Peel, where she came alongside the breakwater early in the afternoon. A special train had to be put on to convey the aliens and their luggage back to Peel for shipment, and this arrived in Peel about four o'clock. The men were then marched to the breakwater where they were put on board the vessel, the luggage being carted out. The vessel left Peel about ten o'clock in the evening. Further departures of aliens will take place during the week, and it is expected that all aliens down for repatriation will have left the camp by the beginning of next week. About 2,000 aliens, who have applied for permission, on account of their life long connections to stay in England, will remain to be dealt with. With the departure of the aliens there has also been a general clearing out of the guard. There were further departures of these during the week, and the garrison of 2,000 troops have been reduced to about 300. The closing of the camp has already made itself greatly felt in Peel. There is almost an entire absence of khaki in the streets , and the shopkeepers generally feel a great deal of difference in their takes

Group Departures in 1919

Most of the departures would be by scheduled services to Liverpool followed by trains to Alexandra Palace (yet again acting as a clearing house), Spalding (for either Hull or Harwich) or Ripon (suitable for Hull)

The Arrival and Departure register of Knockaloe records the following:

Final Months

After these departures only Camp 1 remained open with around 1500 internees which included the final 110 from the closing Douglas Camp, most of whom had rejected repatriation and were awaiting the decision of various tribunals as to their future. The other camps began to be cleared - 30,000 smaller items were removed to two halls in Douglas for sale by auction in late June, the huts and heavier items were sold by auction on site starting in early July. After a quiet period departures started to increase.

Isle of Man Times, Saturday, August 16, 1919

A batch of nearly 100 aliens from Knockaloe Camp left the Island for Germany last week, and several small parties have since left for release in England. Only about 1,000 now remain in the Camp

Isle of Man Times, Saturday, August 30, 1919

Practically every morning this week, some fifty aliens from Knockaloe have crossed to the Mainland, there to be released. The British Government were understood at the last General Election, to promise that enemy aliens would be sent home to Germany. This promise is not being kept. These aliens who are now being released are those who, for family reasons, have been adjudged by the Governmental Committee to be entitled to their release, and have permission to reside in England.

As can be seen from the above newspaper cutting there was considerable opposition to any German remaining in Britain.

The number remained above 1000 until August 20 following releases of 20 per day and a couple of small repatriation groups sent via Harwich and Rotterdam.The pace of releases somewhat increased in late August to some 40 a day but there were still just over 500 interned on September 10th, down to 124 remaining by September 24 with the final 117 sent to Islington on 10th October when the camp finally closed.

Peel City Guardian, Saturday October 11, 1919

The Knockaloe Alien Detention Camp has this week been cleared of aliens, the last batch, numbering 117, leaving Peel on Friday morning. The Camp has now been in existence almost five years, and during that time it has proved of great benefit to the Island generally, but more especially to Douglas and Peel. and its absence will be greatly felt during the coming winter. The Camp, having served its purpose, will be dismantled and arrangements are in progress for the sale of the huts. etc. There are still a number of soldiers in occupation of the camp, but it is probable that these will very shortly leave. It is expected that a company of Royal Engineers will replace the Cheshires to dismantle the Camp.

Baily writing some 20 years later, possibly with faulty memory, remarked that he stood at the gate that day and saw some 175 pass through the gate under escort to Peel station.

Notes:

1 the Colleen Bawn (White Girl) was a twinscrew steamer of 1,200 tons gross, capable of 17 knots, built at Barrow for the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway company after it had acquired the Drogheda Port Company in 1902 - entered service in August 1903 on the Liverpool- Drogheda route - it continued as a cattle boat on this route until B&I Steampacket Company took over the trade in 1928. The boat also took passengers, steerage + salon but could not compete with the better service though Dublin thus the Drougheda-Liverpool service declined to 2 per week and ceased during WW1 never to restart. The sea voyage from Douglas to Rotterdam must have taken a couple of days at least and probably not that comfortable. This vessel is also named in FO 383/502/5844 that it provided transport for released internees on 23rd March 1919 on the Harwich-Rotterdam route - the complaint of theft of belongings etc was by an exKnockaloe internee Heinrich Buckendahl.probably one of the 700 sent to Alexandra Palace on 22nd March as it is known then AxP was acting as a transit camp for this route.

References

http://www.droghedaport.ie/cms/publish/printer_163.shtml

TNA FO 383/502/5844

Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The Editor HTML Transcription © F.Coakley , 2018