Islington Camp

Introduction

This camp, like Libury Hall, is very different from the the other, generally much larger, camps set up to hold civilian internees. Based on the Red Cross (I.C.R.C.) records the first internees entered shortly after the disturbances and destruction of German owned properties provoked by the sinking of the Lusitania. Several reports on Visits of Inspection may be found - that of August 1915 offers a full, though non-critical, description within two months of the opening of the camp. Effectively it was a special camp for friendly 'Enemy Aliens' - a point made in a 1917 report..

Text

The following is a brief, and final report, by the American Embassy

I have the honour to submit herewith a report covering a visit of Inspection to the Camp for Interned Enemy Aliens at Cornwallis Road, Upper Holloway London N. on March 1, 1916.

Direction

The camp is under the general supervision of His Majesty's Home Office and the Superintendent is Major Sir Frederick Halliday, MVO, CIE

Prisoners

There were 714 prisoners in the camp on the day of my visit, of whom 709 were German and 3 Austrian.

Committees

The entire camp is under the control of a Captain Committee, chosen by the prisoners, which is composed of 19 representatives and a Head Captain, elected by them. There is also a Canteen Committee, a Kitchen Committee, a Bedroom Committee, a Wages Committee and a Relief Committee. These are all sub-committees, who report to the Captain Committee. Thus the entire camp is run by the prisoners themselves.

Accommodation

The sleeping accommodations are the same as those described in the last report. They were inspected and found neat and clean, well-aired, well-warmed and well-lighted.

Sanitary

There has been no change in the sanitary arrangements since they were last inspected. They were examined and found to be neat and clean.

Infirmary

There is no regular infirmary in this camp, but there are two good rooms set apart for those, who are slightly ill, containing 11 beds in all. There were 9 patients in these rooms, suffering from slight troubles, chiefly dyspepsia and colds.

A doctor visits them twice a day and there are 2 German attendants. All the serious cases are sent to the German Hospital at Dalston.

Kitchens

There is one chef and an assistant, 4 carvers, 6 potato peelers, 12 washers-up, 6 bakers and 2 turn-spits, all of whom are German.

The kitchen and bake-shop were carefully inspected and found very neat and clean.

The food is of an excellent quality. The diet for the week ending February 25, 1916, is hereto attached. [Not included in the filed report]

There have been improvements made in the kitchen lately, among other things a mincing-machine has been a installed, which prepares the Hamburg Steaks, of which the prisoners are so fond.

There is also a Canteen, which is very well run, from which the prisoners may buy extras.

Work

No prisoners are compelled to work, but those, who wish to do so, may find employment, for which they receive wages. There re 600 men at work, 500 of whom receive wages, amounting, in some cases to 15/- a week.

They were engaged in tailoring, shoemaking, making international postal bags, carpentering and wood carving. There are also waiters, hairdressers, men who clean and look after the general management of the camp, musicians, painters, lecturers and teachers.

The prisoners have classes, where they study languages, shorthand, etc. There are many good musicians in the Camp and there is excellent music, both vocal and instrumental.

Exercise

The prisoners have about 3¼ acres of ground, where they may walk,also a skittles lane, gymnasium and a billiard room with 3 tables.

Complaints

There were no complaints of any kind from the prisoners. I had an opportunity to talk with them privately and the only things, about which they spoke, were the question of their wives' support and the carrying on of their businesses. They were, one and al,l enthusiastic about the camp and management.

Observations

There seems to be no criticism to be made of this camp, and the fact that the only guard consists of a sergeant and four policemen, and of there having been no attempts to escape, shows that the prisoners appreciate their comfort and good treatment here.

A steam laundry has been installed since the last visit of inspection was made to the camp.

They are able to see their wives and children about once a week, a certain number of visitors being allowed each day.

There is a church, where they have Catholic, Church of England, and Non-Conformist services. A Lutheran Service is held in German by Pastor Goehling on the first Sunday in each month. Bishop Bury has also visited the camp.

There are no cells at this camp, as none have been needed.

Boylston A Beal Special Attaché

The final report based on a visit in May 1919, and possibly the last such report of the war, was made by the Swiss Legation

I have the honour to submit a report covering a visit of inspection to the Civilian Internment Camp at ISLINGTON London N. on the 3rd. of May 1919.

PREVIOUS VISITS:

Islington Camp has been previously visited by representatives of this Legation on the following occasion :
March 7th. 1917 by Dr. F.Schwyzer & D A. L. Vischer
July 18th. 1917 py Dr A. L. Vischer .
Dec. 14th. 1917 by Dr. A. de Sturler
July 18th. 1918 by Dr. A. de Sturler
and reports were addressed to you under date of March 15th. 1917, July 18th. 1917, January 9th. 1918 and July 22nd. 1918 respectively.

DIRECTION:

Major R. F. Godfrey-Faussett is the Commandant of this Camp, a-d Captain R. Luck M, B.E. is the Assistant Commandant.

MEDICAL:

There are three sickwards, where light cases of sickness are treated by Dr. E.F.Eyre C.M.O. who visits the camp twice a day; Cases of serious illness are sent to Hospitals, also ailments requiring special treatment or examination.

INTERNEES:

At Islington there are at present 538 interned civilians amongst whom are 55 Austrians. With a very few exceptions they are men who have married British born. wives and have have children born in this country.

CAMP MANAGEMENT:

The Camp is managed by a Committee consisting of 18 Captains, presided by one HEAD CAPTAIN, who is still H. JUNKER who has occupied this position since the opening of the Camp. The names of the other Captains are as follows:

CAMP ARRANGEMENTS:

With regard to the Camp arrangements, housing etc., I refer you to the previous reports,in which full details were given.

WORK:

With regard to the work done in Islington Camp and particularly with regard to the very important Brush Industry, I also beg to refer you to the previous reports. These industries have, however, came to an end since January, owing to the protests made outside against the competition thus carried on by the Prisoners of War.

I had the opportunity of speaking freely with a great number of the Prisoners, who all seemed perfectly satisfied. They were all particularly pleased at the very liberal way in which they are treated by the present Commandant, and with all the facilities afforded, not only for their families to come and see them at the camp, but also for their return to their homes on parole on certain special occasions. The Camp Leader handed to me a list of their daily rations, a copy of which I enclose herewith. I am giving you below some further details which may be of interest to you:

A Cinema with twice nightly performances, a Billiard Room with three tables. a Skittle Alley and a Hard Court Tennis Ground are provided in the camp for entertainement purposes

There is every Sunday from 10 - 11 a Protestant and a Catholic Service.

All the men in the Islington Camp are men who have, so far, not availed themselves of the opportunity to return to their native land. On the contrary, they are now occupied with drawing up the statements of their respective cases for remaining in England to be submitted to the Committee presided over by Mr. Justice Younger.

In every way I found the camp, as was the case with those who visited it before me, extremely satisfactory in every respect.

Notes

The highest camp number encountered in the I.C.R.C. lists is camp No.1608 which corresponds to a return from an unspecified hospital on 10th October 1919 - however this is an outlier - there is a sequence of names and numbers up to No.1415 which is one of a party returning from a hospital on the 13th September 1919, then No. 1533 returning from a hospital on the 20th. The last remaining internees at Knockaloe, 117 in total, left for Islington on the 10th October so I would expect them to be entered with camp numbers greater than 1533 - the internee corresponding to No 1608 is not found in the very incomplete list of those known to be held at Knockaloe (only known information is that he was 45 years old with a London address on his initial internment in 1915 at Alexandra Palace - this camp closed at the end of May 1919).

From the I.C.R.C. records it would appear that many (most?) of the internees held at Islington in its final year were released - most during August and September but the camp definitely remained open until October 1919 and together with Libury Hall were probably the last camps to remain (though possibly Frith Hill to which those remaining in Alexandra Palace at its closure had been decanted, was also still open).

References

TNA FO 383/106 - contains reports on many camps based on visits in the early part of 1915

TNA FO 383/507 - contains the final report.

Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The Editor Text + Transcription © F.Coakley , 2021