HTML Transcription © F.Coakley , 2020
This is found in TNA FO 383/359/2747 and is a report on Conditions in Internment Camps in the U.K. written by Lammers, an Austrian internee repatriated in November 1917 - apparently originally writen in English and intended to be brought to the notice of the Austro-Hungarian Authorities to persude them not to follow the example of the German Government in its attempt to stop internees from working.
The author would appear to be Oscar Benedict Lammers, who was repatriated from Alexandra Palace on the 19th October 1917 - he is entered in a main list of internees, O-33-1, dated 18 Dec 1915, as aged 44 born in Budapest with UK address of Victoire Lammers, 56 Moorgate Street London W.C. and at that time interned at Alexandra Palace - PoWIB ref number 49300. Thus he would be over 45 in 1917 and eligible on grounds of age and/or disability for repatriation - Alexandra Palace at this time also handled the relatively few civilian transfers to Holland via the service from Tilbury. I can find no record in the I.C.R.C lists of him ever being held in a camp on the Isle of Man, though the final section seems to have been written by one who encounted them at Douglas as the comment re a Hungarian foreman can only have come from someone there or Knockaloe as there were many intercamp transfers of those willing to work in the Brush factory. Many of those interned at about the same time were transferred in mid 1916 to Knockaloe and there would be a significant number transferred from Knockaloe to Alexandra Palace as the policy of interning married men with families in the London area at Alexandra Palace was adopted.
The comments by the FO officials noted on the file cover are
This is an interesting document. The description of Alexandra Palace, Islington & Wakefield is good. Stratford bad, Feltham he knows the character of this camp, it is to be noticed.
He gives a favourable account of working conditions & urges his Gov? not to make difficulties like the German Govt. He complains about the food which sounds very bad.
Health is difficult
Complaint as to mixing up of classes I think that the criminal element has been segregated now. the appeal to his Gov to extend repatriation & praises the generosity of German SS Co as compared with Austrian.
I copy HO secret[ary] for obvious especially as to food. [unreadable sig]An interesting report, and just wish that it could find its way into the newspapers here which are always accusing us of pampering prisoners. N [Lord Newton]
Rotterdam.12th November 1917
The different Internment camps are situated at:-
1. ALEXANDRA PALACE (near London.). About 3,000 civilians are interned here.
These men are composed of "alien enemies" married to Englishwomen
or women of Allied nationality, and formerly resident in the Metropolitan District.
These men are generally well treated, are allowed to be visited frequently,
and at times to leave the camp, under escort, however.
2. ISLINGTON, London, About 800 men are interned here, consisting of men who
are both married to Englishwomen and resident in England for the past 15 years.
This camp is for the specialy privileged who enjoy a series of special favours
unknown elsewhere, such as their own room and furniture, permission to leave
the camp for short periods on their word of honour,and unlimited correspondence
and visits. Moreover this camp is not under the control of the Military police.
3. STRATFORD, London. This old factory building with rusted beams and machine
parts serves principally as a transit camp. It is fitted out for 600 men, but
contains now only about 100, as it was left in the beginning of 1917 and its
occupants sent to the Isle of Man and Alexandra camps on account of the extraordinarily
bad sanitary conditions there. The horrible conditions and the especially bad
treatment here were the cause of the intervention of the American Embassy, which
will have sent a report on this matter to the k.k Ministry at Vienna, and the
Berlin Foreign Office.
4. WAKEFIELD, A special camp, where the interned are lodged in hut and barracks
at their own expense. This camp contains about 1800/2000 persons.
5. FELTHAM, London. The so-called "friendly aliens", such as Poles,
Czechs, Southern Slavs, Alsations, Hanoverians, etc., are interned here.
6. KNOCKALOE (Isle of Man). This is the biggest camp, and contains about 23,000
interned. This camp is divided into 4 camps of 5 or 6 compounds, strongly separated
from one another. Each compound consists of 6 double huts (barracks?) of each
from 150 to 200 prisoners.
7. DOUGLAS (Isle of Man). This is divided into two Parts, one containing about
800 persons who pay for their own food, and the other containing about 1000
persons. The so-called Jewish camp is here as well, where prisoners of this
confession receive their ritual repasts and are able to practice their religious
beliefs. The camp lies in the town Douglas itself, thus allowing the interned
to work in the brush factory, enlarged
for this purpose. About 800 men are employed in this business under the direction
of a Hungarian foreman who looks after the interests of his companions in distress
to the best of his ability. A basket factory, a case factory, and a saw-mill,
are also being erected there.
It is of an importance that, should not be underestimated that the moral resistance power of the interned should be helped by their being employed. The opportunity for this exists in the so-called "Working camps" where skilled and unsklled workers are provided with industrial employment. The payment therefore corresponds with the rates fixed by the trade unions. For food etc., 12/6 to 17/6 is deducted there from, and the remainder paid to the men. Besides this, those persons who apply to go to a working camp, and are allowed to do so after medical examination, are provided with a series of necessary artlcles, such as a working suit, a Sunday suit, two pairs of breeches, two pairs of shoes, a winter overcoat, shirts and other linen, clothes brushes and gaiters . The use of these clothes is compulsory, and the similar property of the prisoners is stored. Joint work is also carried out in the camps by the interned, the payment for which is partly supplied by the British Government.
Since May 1916 gangs of competent men were taken for agricultural work, but
only Austrian and Hungarian interned.
These men were permitted for this purpose, on giving their word of honour, to
move freely within a radius of 5 miles. They receive from 20/25 shillings a
week, of which from 12 to 14/- deducted for their keep. Although this work is
too heavy for many, most of them continue with it and live with their wives
and children with the peasants (farmers) , although they are for the greater
part recruited from clerks and mechanics.
In order to protect English industries, the British Government does not allow
these men to be employed in their own branch of industry or trade.
Another difficulty in working is in the quarries, gardens, river damming, and
road making, where the workers are daily taken under military escort.
In spite of the marches connected with this work, and the humiliation of the
military escort, this work is very much in favour on account of the change it
brings. The payment is 6d. a day with 4 oz. of bread or 1 ounce of cheese .
The food at the place of work is better and more plentiful as the farmers contribute.
These working parties are so much in favour with the interned that they willingly
pay a shilling to the men chosen for the work for exchanging the "privilege"
with them.
The notice forbidding men to work, resulting from the intervention of the German Government, and which was posted up, caused great disappointment and resulted in fighting between our interned and the German interned, as our men would. not agree to comply therewith. The work serves in the first place, only as a change, and consequently results in soothing the nervous system which, after a year-long sojourn behind wire enclosures, is in almost all cases badly damaged, and the material effect of the work is minimal and cannot have the smallest influence upon the capacity of the enemy.
Under these circumstances I, as an intimate of the conditions herein described, beg to request the K. & K. Austrian Government not to make a similar prohibition to that of the German Government, as a lot can yet be saved from the ruin of these men as regards spirit, nerves, and body, and so as to render it possible for to half cure themselves later on.
The letter and parcel receipt has been satisfactory lately, parcels have been received according to requirements. The outgoing censorship for Parcels for interned from home should be informed that bread and cakes in these packets were broken into small pieces and the packing; very much damaged, thus very much lessening the use of such greatly desired packets,
The Censorship is, as long as camp conditions are not spoken of, is mild. When rations were reduced last March, the Censor, unreservedly stated himself, kept back about 2,000 letters.
Assistance with food parcels from England itself is limited to packets which contain neither meat, flour, nor sugar. There are no restrictions for parcels from home.
The library erected by the "Dr. Markel Committee" and the efforts of the "Friendly Aliens Emergency Society" [sic - the Quaker or "Friends Emergency Committee"] should be mentioned with gratitude, as well as the frequently beneficient intervention of Frau Marcus, and of Mr. Taylor, formerly in the the K. & K General-Consulate in London. Many a man was saved by the efforts of these persons and institutions.
As has been already mentioned, in March 1917 the rations for interned prisoners were reduced. The three meals now consist of coffee or tea without milk and sugar, and oatmeal, midday twice a week soup, meat & vegetables, twice a week herrings or salted fish, and on the other days preserved meat (tinned meat) evenings: tea or coffee with rice or oatmeal. In March three days a week herrings or meat, and other days, however only rice or turnips.
The quality of all these foodstuffs, is, speaking moderately scandalous. In fact, the bags containing the oatmeal were marked "pig-food", which revealed their original destination in a manner not to be doubted. A so-called margarine, was at another time served out. This was composed of some fat substance, and was uneatable owing to its smell. The frozen meat often goes bad and it has been shown that it is often from 12 to 14 years old. Pulse, already attacked by mice and also rats, is also no rarity.
The food price-list in the Cantine, compiled by the military Authorities, is only decorative, for as a matter of fact only such things as laces, boot-polish, tooth-polish, tooth-powder and brushes are to be had.
The bread, which is baked in the camp itself, it quite eatable, but the daily ration of 8 ozs. is unobtainable
The proceeds from concerts, plays, and other improvised amusements, provide a fund for purchasing special foodstuffs, and the kitchen, provided at the cost of the interned, supplies at times, and as far as it is possible, extra dishes.
A. Bodily: On account of the bad food and the lack of variety of food, the
whole of the interned are in a state of serious malnutrition : mumps and tumours
on the ears and head are daily occurrences. Naturally there are also numerous
cases of articular rheumatism, and any organic defect is liable to develop into
an acute stage under such circumstances. Thus the number of those who die in
the camp, although they would have remained more or less healthy under other
conditions, is increasing.
The number of burials in Knockaloe Camp reaches up to 7 a week, and this figure
must naturally increase in the coming winter.
B. Spiritual: It can be said, without being reproached with exaggeration, that the camp would more merit the name of a mad house than that of a prisoner of war camp. War psychose of all kinds attack every interned man sooner or later to a high or low degree. Apart from the fact that this civilian camp is treated with much less interest than the military camps, and that not a small part of the interned are old and infirm, would never be at the front it is incomprehensible why they should be robbed of their freedom and treated as criminals.
The mixing together of all classes - and it is well known that the element
was never lacking in London which gave the police there considerable trouble
- is one of the most depressing acts, and men interned belonging to the intellectual
classes are deeply affected thereby.
That under such circumstances, especially when this state of affairs last much
longer, the mass of these unfortunates, and especially those who are more sensitive
owing to their their education or weak constitution await a very sad fate, can
be prophesised without exaggerated pessimism,
I therefore, as one acquainted with the conditions, this certainly not exaggerated
picture of which will be confirmed by the proximate arrival of the repatriated,
beg to submit to the K. & K. Government that it takes steps at the eleventh
hour to bring these members of human kind, dear to our
country and to thousands of families, who have fallen victims to this fanaticism.
It is painful to me to have to state that the impression is held under the
interned of the Monarchy that they are forgotten by their Fatherland and left
to their fate.
The liberal material assistance and gifts which the German Steamship companies
send regularly to their seamen, which contrasts with the indifference of our
Steamship Companies, only serve to confirm this impression, and to lead to results
which shake and undermine the only medicine under these circumstances, i.e.,
hope of deliverance, amongst the already badly enervated brave men.
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