The "dry closet" system
This is extracted from a series of reports found in the collected papers of G Stewart M.P. who was a member of a Parliamentary committee that visited many internment camps in 1915 - the visits were generally brief. He consistently gets the name wrong giving it as "Knock-a-Loe" - I have corrected this throughout the report. It follows on from a visit the previous day to Douglas Camp - they stayed overnight at Castle Mona Hotel. . Note that at this period only Camp I was in use - the design of the huts differs in the later camps.
The "dry closet" system
The Latrines needed to be completely changed as the size of the Camp increased. It is not clear if the hospital segregation system remained in use as such a scheme is not mentioned in any other report. The route marches ceased in late May after the sinking of the Lusitania.
On Friday, April 9th we went to Knockaloe by a motor kindly provided by the Manx Government.
The Camp is situated 2 or 3 miles on the Douglas side of Peel. It is entirely a constructed camp - no Buildings have been taken over.
The Prisoners are housed in Wooden huts and the camp is divided up into various compounds, fenced off by high barbed wire railings.
The accommodation for The Guard, Officers, Quarter-Master stores, hospital etc., is all provided by wooden huts.
It would be interesting to know the cost of construction - because the whole outfit will have to be written off at the end of the War. And also whether the charge is borne by the Home Government entirely, or by the Manx Government in whole or in part.
With such an area of wooden erections - as big as many an American Mining Town - the question of "Fire" naturally merits careful consideration. There did not appear to be any large supply of water instantly available, to which hoses of any diameter could be attached, There were stand pipes at the corners of many of the huts with about the bore of a garden hose, but whether there are any hoses for them, or not, I do not know. I did not see any. There were a certain number of buckets of water ready filled at the corner of each hut, for emergency purposes, which was a wise precaution, but I consider that a suppy of "Extincteurs" might be added. I have seen excellent work done by an Extincteur Called X.L.C.R. made at "Darlaston" and there are no doubt others which are good also.
The Commandant, Col. Carpendale, with whose management and arrangements I was very favourably impressed, said that he had had a surprise fire alarm a few nights previously and that it had not been a great success. This is hardly to be wondered at, for the "Guard" are quite inexperienced, and are in many instances old men.
The Guard (about 400) have a good deal to do as there are so many prisoners in the Camp, and if one soldier for ten prisoners is the correct proportion the Guard might be increased by 100 men - for there are just on 5,000 prisoners interned here.
The situation is healthy, and there has been only one death, which was an old tuberculous case of long standing.
The absence of deaths amongst prisoners in all camps up to date is most noticeable and satisfactory, as showing that both diet and sanitation are everywhere well arranged for.
It would be a pity if this satisfactory state of affairs had a set-back through a fire in a wooden hut. Each hut at Knockaloe contains about 200 men the hut is divided by a partition having 100 men on each side. The buildings are long and narrow with a door at each end. If one end became blocked by a fire and men were rendered unconscious by smoke preventable loss of life might occur, and the Lying German Press would spin all sorts of fables about our inhumanity etc., etc. If such a Possibility could be eliminated by a few "extincteurs" it would be cheaply obtained.
Would an admixture of Corrugated Iron huts reduce the risk of fire?
Feeding.
The diet appears to be much the same as at Douglas with the difference that the Contractor only supplies the food, while Government supplies the gear and the accommodation and stands the risk of wear and tear.
In my view this is a better arrangement than that at Cunningham's Camp where the private Contractor bulks too largely.
There were practically no complaints and the messing and cooking arrangements seemed quite good.
The dry closet system prevails here, sawdust being served out in the pans. It seemed to work all right.
Health Precautions.
There is an excellent arrangement for segregating contagious diseases here. All sufferers are put into one compound and the patients are further sub-divided into three sections each with separate latrines, washing arrangements and cooking utensils. Each section has a coloured badge which they must wear:- Blue for Syphilis. Red for Scabies. Yellow for Gonorrhea.
If the unfortunate patients cannot be repatriated altogether, this system seems to me to give them a better chance of recovery and their fellow immates a better chance of escaping contagion than any system I have seen.
There is more room for recreation and exercise here than anywhere we have yet seen, and voluntary route marches on a large scale - sometimes 1,000 at a time are carried out.
Seeing one party start I could not help but feel that if a prisoner chose to make a bolt for it, very few of the Guard could double after him.
The Guard carried Rifles, but I think they would do more execution against a runaway with shot guns and Buck shot!
There is a good Hall for theatres and recreation built by the prisoners with Government wood supplied, and an excellent band.
The Librarian asked for some more German Books.
We saw 500 or more prisoners transferred from the "Saxonia" marching in. Although they had had a long train journey and a rough crossing they seemed very glad of the change in their quarters. Various prisoners whom we had previously seen on board the "Royal Edward" and elsewhere were all pleased with their transfer to Knockaloe.
Various prisoners put forward reasons for their release. One prisoner, Mr Von Wedel, said he had been naturalised for twelve years in Australia and was prepared to return there.
The Camp at Knockaloe is a largely conceived project, well carried out.
SCALE OF RATIONS,
PRISONERS OF WAR, . Bread, 1 lb. 8 oz. or Biscuits, 1 lb,
Meat, Fresh or Frozen, 8 oz., or Pressed, ½ Ration.
Tea, ½oz, or Coffee 1 oz
Salt, ½ oz.
Sugar, 2 ozs.
Pepper 1/72 oz.
Milk, condensed, 1/20th. tin (1 lb)
Vegetables, fresh, 8 oz. Butter or Margarine, 1 oz.Prisoners can buy stores and extra rations at the Canteen which is run on Co-operative principles, a list of prices was given to me at each place.
CAB 45/207 - is the file at UK National Archives.
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
||
| Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The
Editor HTML Transcription © F.Coakley , 2023 |
||