HTML Transcription © F.Coakley , 2024
Knockaloe was finally closed by mid October 1919 though the large quantity of smaller items needed to support near 25,000 internees and 5000 guards etc started to be sold off even before the final camp closed - the sale followed the closure of Camps II, III and IV -camp I remaining open still with about 1500 internees.
Isle of Man Times, 31st May 1919;
By Direction of the Disposal Board (Furniture Section.)
Sale of Camp Furniture, Ironmongery, Enamel Ware, Farm and Garden Tools, Fire-proof Safes, Sewing Machines, Blanket Rugs, Continuation Bedsteads, Bedding, Chairs, etc.
OVER 30,000 LOTS.
In the ST. JAMES' AND NOBLE'S HALLS, DOUGLAS.
Removed for convenience of sale from the Knockaloe Alien Detention Camp.
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, JUNE 26, 27, and 28.
By Mr. F. D. JOHNSON, Auctioneer.
TO BE SOLD by PUBLIC AUCTION, as above, 8,000 Square Back Chairs, with perforated seats; 500 Trestle Tables, 5,000 Coloured Blanket Rugs, 4,000 Pieces of various Enamel Ware, 200 Iron Combination 3ft. Bedsteads, 200 Wool Mattresses and Pillows, 5,000 Bed Ticks, 5,000 Pillow Ticks, 59 Dressing Chests, with mirrors; many hundreds of Iron Pans, 1,000 Farm and Garden Spades, 750 various Garden Tools, 5,300 Brushes, all varieties ; 1,000 Zinc Buckets, large numbers of Lamps, Spring Balances, Knife Machines, Sewing Machines, Meat Safes, small square Tables, Knives, Forks and Spoons; Fireproof Safes, Zinc Dust Binns, Baskets, and other lots.
Catalogues in course of preparation, can be had on application to the Auctioneer, Mr. F. D. Johnson, 7, Athol-st., Douglas. Any arrangements will be announced, later for inspection of lots prior to sale.
Sales to commence each day at 11 o'clock.
Further particulars, if necessary, may be obtained from the Controller (Furniture Section) Disposal Board, 18, Queen Anne's Gate, London, S.W.
Mona's Herald, 2nd July 1919;
DISPOSAL BOARD SALE.
HUGE AUCTION IN DOUGLAS
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF LOTS.
CHANCES FOR. SMALL BUYERS.
GOVERNMENT BOARD'S EXPERIMENT.
"As regards the number of lots, this is certainly the largest sale ever held in the Isle of Man and probably the largest ever held in the British Isles" said Mr Fred Johnson, in opening the great sale of furniture and ironmongery, etc., from Knockaloe Detention Camp.
The sale started on Thursday morning in Noble's Hall, Douglas, and there was a very large attendance, including many buyers from across the water. The catalogue contained 30,000 lots, and as each lot contained anything from 50 to 1,000 articles, it will be seen that the auction was of huge dimensions.
In his opening remarks, Mr Johnson said the Government had decided to give the public an opportunity of purchasing any portion of the goods they might desire, and his instructions were very definite on the point. Small buyers were to have the same attention as the wholesale buyer. The method would be to put up a lot, and when a fair price had been arrived at, the buyer would have the option of taking a small quantity, to suit his other private requirements, and any other persons in the hall would have the same right. Until all the private purchasers had been satisfied, he would not sell large lots. This was a trial sale, and upon the report of the representatives of the Disposal Board present, the Ministry of Munitions would decide whether the same method should be followed in other sales or not.
Mr Johnson also paid a high tribute to the way in which the clerical work and storekeeping had been done by the officials and the Blue Staff at Knockaloe. The officials of the Board present had informed him that there had been remarkable accuracy in the accountancy. All the stock, comprising millions of articles, had been found in the various stores, or had been properly accounted for, and any balance had always been found to be damaged property placed aside as not being in a usable condition. He thought it only right, seeing that so many Manxmen had been engaged at the Camp, to give testimony on the part of the Board to their work.
Although the hall was crowded with all kinds of articles — clothing, blankets, and unused drapery, ironmongery, and furniture, the auctioneer said St. James Hall was also filled, and the stuff at present in Douglas represented only a small part of what would be sold. The first lot — 500 zinc baths— was then put up. 50 were sold to individual buyers, and 450 to Mr James Reynolds, who was one of the largest buyers on the day. The price was 10s per bath. There was a big run on 1,000 buckets, which sold for half-a-crown each. A couple of thousand bedroom chairs of common quality sold for 2s 6d to 3s 11d per chair. 200 3ft. folding iron bedsteads, with flock mattress and pillow, sold for 32s 9d each; and there was good demand for every article sold, the prices being far in excess of what would have been realised had the goods been sold in bulk.
There was some speculation that the 5 large engine/generators coud be used for the electrification of Douglas but in early January came the surprise announcement that the whole of the camp, with its remaining fittings, had been sold to a recently arrived businessman who had started to acquire considerable property in Douglas along with large shareholdings in some companies which had seen their profits severely reduced during the war years
Isle of Man Times, 17th January 1920;
THE KNOCKALOE CAMP.
Sold to Mr. R. D Brailli. We are officially informed that the Imperial Disposal Board has sold Mr Brailli the whole of Knockaloe Camp, including the 400 acres of land and all the buildings, as also the railway and sewage works, together with the whole erections of over 1,000 buildings which comprise the huts and officers' quarters of the Camp. The Camp's magnificent electric power plant has also been purchased by Mr Brailli. lt is claimed that this plant is sufficient to generate light or power for a town of a hundred thousand people.
Mr Brailli. in the course of an interview with a representative of "The Isle of Man Times" said that it was a fact that he had purchased Knockaloe Camp, and that he was hoping to make an interesting anouncement relating to prospective large industries which are likely to be put on the site. Mr Brailli further said that, although a considerable number of the buildings would be required to remain on the site, there was still a large number of sectional and non-sectional huts which would be available for sale and which could be utilised as bungalows and dwelling-houses on the Island, and also large structures suitable for farmers and others.
Mr Brailli has appointed Mr E. G. Lynde. of The Disposal Board. No. 2. Hill-street. Douglas, to continue the sale of the surplus huts at the Camp, and, pending the transfer from the Government, early next month, the sales will take place, as heretofore, at the office of the Disposal Board in Hill-street.
In the course of the next month the selling agency wll be transferred to Messrs The Insular Trading Co. Ltd. (of which Company Mr Brailli is the managing director), and which Company has recently acquired large premises at No. 60. Athol-street. Douglas. where there will be a showroom in connection with the Beaver Board Company of London, who have the entire contract for lining ont a large number of bungalows which will be available for erection in the Island. These bungalows are to be erected under the supervision and design of Mr J. E. Teare, architect, of Athol-street, Douglas, and the huts in question are to be converted into bungalows equal to and in many respects far superior to. the designs selling on the mainland at prices quite 30 percent, higher than they will cost erected on the Island. This should prove a great boon to residents on the Island who are searching for houses during the present great house shortage. As there are only a limited number of bungalows to be erected, early application to Mr J. E. Teare is advisable for those who intend to avail themselves of the offer now made. Sufficient sites have been retained for the majority of the bungalows to be erected, but other sites available for disposal may he acquired, if owners having suitable land will submit their offers to Mr J. E. Teare.
We understand the possibilities of large industries being brought to Peel through the resources that Mr Brailli puts behind his pushful energy have awakened great interest in the "Western City" and surrounding districts. We hope to get Mr Brailli to make a much more interesting announcement relating to the Knockaloe site when matters have further developed.
This somewhat fawning interview and advertisement is explained by the fact that Brailli had been elected as the seventh director of the Palace & Derby Castle Co. having bought a considerable share holding, which company was controlled by J. A. Brown, editor and owner of the IoM Times and almost certainly the author of the newspaper article.
As no new housing had been built in Douglas during the war years there was a considerable demand for such - Brailli had sought permission to erect such bungalows, using the hut frames salvaged from the camp, along Glencrutchery and Victoria Roads, but had been blocked by Douglas Town Council who stated they were not up to the required housing standard.[Mona's Herald 21st April 1920].
Capt Smith-Cleburne,a professional engineer, had been appointed as engineering officer for the camp and at the end of the war joined a group of promoters for a private company to have the necessary monopoly of electricity supply for Douglas - the 5 engine/generators would appear to have been part of their scheme. However this forced Douglas Town Council to put forward an alternative scheme which was the one adopted by Tynwald [see IoM Examiner 20th November 1920].
I can find no further mention of plans for Knockaloe until the acquisition by the Manx Government following the death of Brailli in October 1921 -after which the site was completely cleared of all huts and the land returned to agricultural use albeit as an experimental farm..
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
| Any comments, errors
or omissions gratefully received The
Editor HTML Transcription © F.Coakley , 2024 |
||