Text + Transcription © F.Coakley , 2021
Two major problems for internees developed as the war continued were mental problems caused by idleness and imprisonment together with the financial problems encountered by the many families when the main breadwinner was imprisoned. Regular paid work was seen as a solution to both, but, unlike military prisoners, civilian prisoners could not be forced to work - camp based employment such as the brush factory at Douglas was one solution, another was to establish civilian work camps away from the camp (military work camps were well established). Several such camps were established using Knockaloe as the 'mother' camp - some on Island (e.g. Sulby, Regaby), others in England. One such was Bulford camp, the exact purpose of which is somewhat skated over in the report but sounds rather like building or extending some form of military establishment; this type of work which benefited the war effort had been explicitly forbidden to German Civilians and had caused problems at Douglas where the Brush Factory was largely worked by Austrians. There is still a very large Military Camp at Bulford which dates from 1897.
One Knockaloe internee who volunteered for work here, 'felling trees', was Karl Schonwalder.
The following is a report on the newly opened camp by Dr F Vischer of the Swiss Embassy which had taken over the protection of German interests from the Americans following their entry into the war in 1917.
I have the honour to submit a report covering a visit of inspection to the Prisoners of War Working Camp at BULFORD, Wiltshire, on September 7th 1917.
This Camp was opened about 2 months ago for civilian prisoners of war from Knockaloe.
Direction
Lieut. J.G. Pool is Commandant,
Lieut. Aitken, R.A.M.C. and Lieut. Clery, R,A.M.C. are the medical officers.Numbers
There are 191 civilian prisoners here. The majority of these men have families in Great Britain, and have volunteered to work in order to earn money
Description of Camp
The Camp is situated in undulating country on the northern borders of Salisbury Plain.
Housing
There are 25 Army tents, each holding 8 men, and two marquee tents, furnished with dining tables and benches. One tent has been set aside as an infirmary, where patients can be under observation; serious cases are sent to Fargo Hospital, two cases of chronic ear trouble are now under treatment at Dartford Hospital.
The tents are of good quality, with floor boards. Each man has a palliasse bolster and 3 blankets
Sanitary Arrangements
In one shed are clean bucket latrines, and in another are shower baths.
There is a sufficiently large drying place, and the ablution benches, which are covered-in, are well arranged.
The water supply is good and ample. Drainage is provided.
Good board walks have been laid throughout the camp.Nutrition
The kitchen is in a shed and is well arranged; bread, meat, etc. were inspected and found good. All the prisoners receive the working ration. Each man now receives an additional 4 oz. potatoes and 4oz.fresh vegetables a day, in lieu of 1oz. of rice
There is an Army Canteen where the usual food is sold, such as oatmeal, cheese, margarine,fruit, potatoes, and tinned goods. Tobacco is sold at 7½d an oz. and each man buys on a average 5oz. a Week.
Work
The prisoners are employed by the Road Board and the Royal Engineers in painting, plumbing, blacksmith work, carpentry and bricklaying, in connection with camp hut construction. Unskilled workmen are paid 7d. an hour, according to the local trade union rates; carpenters receive 10½d., painters 7d. - 7½d., bricklayers 10½d thus, the average weekly earnings amount to about £1 16 9d. Out of this, the men have to pay 2/6d. a day for maintenance (17/6d. week), leaving a balance of 19/3d; Most of them draw 15/- a week and spend it in the Canteen,
I was told that there is gambling at the camp
If the men need clothes they can buy a suit for 16/- ; and a pair of second-hand boots in good repair cost 4/-.
The prisoners desired definite information as to whether they ere insured against accidents. I told them that it was my understanding that such was the case.
The Camp workers, i.e. the Camp Senior, barber, shoemaker, clerk and postman, receive the same pay as the others - 7d. an hour, Sundays included
The cooks are paid 7½d. an hour, for a day of 9 hours, 7 days a week. In bad weather when the men are unable to work, or if a man is ill, the 2/6d charged for maintenance is not deducted.Complaints
The men consider the charges of the dentist, who comes from Amesbury, too high. They stated that a set of artificial teeth cost £4.10.0.
The prisoners do not like the herrings.
Resume
Bulford Camp is good. In a few weeks the men will be moving into a hut camp for the winter.
In the Knockaloe arrivals/departures register I can only find two parties transferred from Knockaloe to Bulford prior to this visit - the initial 145 men (130 German) on the 11th June 1917 and a party of 30 (25 German + 5 Austrian) just prior to the visit on 5th of September - the missing 16 must have come from elsewhere. Eleven internees returned from Bulford on 26th September 1917 - a further 19 (included Schonwalder) were transferred to Bulford on 21st December 1917. Twenty seven returned from Bulford on 8th February 1918, a further 22 on 25th May and 58 on 12 Dec 1918 - there would appear to be near 100 internees unaccounted for in these transfers.
The two internees sent to Dartford Hospital for ear trouble can be identified - one Herman Beck has two Knockaloe camp numbers (#13419 & #30564), the other probably Karl Arnold Gutjahr whose camp number is unknown; apart from the already mentioned Karl Schonwalder other internees known to have been at Bulford include
As the internees at Bulford were still, it seems, viewed as connected with the mother camp of Knockaloe, it is not clear that they were given new camp numbers on return to Knockaloe - I have not yet seen any clear indication either way.
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
| Any comments, errors
or omissions gratefully received The
Editor Text + Transcription © F.Coakley , 2021 |
||