WW1 Internee - Benno Lippchutz

There were many escapes from both Douglas and Knockaloe Camps, often from working parties outside of the main camps, most were recaptured within hours and none managed to get off the Island - one however managed to elude recapture for 17 days before, as it is reported, voluntarily giving himself up. This was Benno Lippchitz or Lippchutz - his name is often somewhat mangled, noted in the PoWIB lists of early 1915 as a 29 year old sailorthen held at Stratford with a pre-war address in the East End of London - married with a child.

He was transferred from Stratford to Douglas at the end of February 1916, registered as D4320 but within days transferred to Knockaloe as K23574 - however within 4 months he was back at Douglas as D4564 possibly due to the availability of paid work at the Brush Factory. In August 1917 he was reported as missing at 8.40pm when the group of workers that worked late at the Brush factory had returned to Camp. His spell at liberty was however short lived as he was recaptured at Ramsey at 4pm the following day and returned to camp - he was remanded in custody and under Col Madoc's summary justice was given 28 days to be served at the nearby Douglas gaol. Following a message from Government Secretary Bertram Sargeaunt, Madoc was required to reduce this to 14days - there had been a recent agreement with the Germans at the Hague placing limits on the punishments of PoWs. On release from gaol he returned to Douglas as D5135 but as was usual for such offenders he was moved back to Knockaloe as K30244 within 10days.

A year later he made another escape attempt -

Ramsey Courier, Friday, 16th August 1918

Escaped from Knockaloe

On Sunday morning a notification came from Knockaloe internment Camp that a German prisoner had escaped. The missing man is a sailor named Benus Lippchertz B 2035 P.W 30244 from Camp 4. He was last seen at eight o'clock on Saturday evening. He is described as aged 32; dark complexion, dark hair, moustacho and eyes; height, 5ft.; weight, ten stone; English address. 57, Bruce bdgs, Caledonian Road. King's Cross. London: speaks English; supposed to be wearing Government clothing. Any information should be supplied at once to the police.

On enquiry to-day, we are informed that the Hun is still at liberty.

(the relevance or meaning of B 2035 is unclear to me)

Isle of Man Examiner, Saturday, 24th August 1918

The Escape from Knockaloe. GERMAN STILL AT LARGE.

Benno Lippchutz, a German prisoner of war, who escaped from interment at Knnckaioe Detention Camp a fortnight ago, is still at large. The Island has heen scoured throughout its length and breadth for the missing man, but so far no trace of him has been discovered, and it is now conjectured that during the rush for outgoing steamers consequent upon the congestion of holiday-makers in Bank Holiday week, Lippchutz managed to get away to England. If so, he is the first prisoner of war to escape from tne Isle of Man. Many have managed to obtain temporary liberty, but these have always been re-captured in the Island. Lippchutz, who is 32 years old, and five feet in height, speaks English. The probability is that at the time of his escape he had a considerable sum of money in his possession.

Isle of Man Times, Saturday, 31st August 31, 1918

GERMAN PRISONER'S HOLIDAY. ESCAPED IN SOLDIER'S UNIFORM.

On Wednesday, Benus Lippchertz, a German, who escaped from Knockaloe Camp on August 11th, voluntarily surrendered to the guard at the Camp. Lippchertz refused to give any account of himself or where he had spent the seventeen days since he escaped. It is, however, known that he got away from the Camp in the uniform of a member of the Royal Defence Corps,; though when he returned to the Camp he was in civilian clothes. The police suspect that he has spent his "holiday" in or near Douglas, where, in the uniform of a soldier, he would easily escape notice in the crowds of holidaymakers who have been over. They also suspect that someone from across the water has rendered him assistance in his concealment, and probably providing him with money.

Mona's Herald, Wednesday, 4th September, 1918;

ESCAPED ALIEN SURRENDERS AFTER THREE WEEKS' HOLIDAY.

Bennus Lippchertz. the German prisoner of war who escaped from Knockaloe Camp on August 11th voluntarily surrendered himself to the guard at the camp on Wednesday last, August 28th. Lippchertz succeeded in eluding both the police and military, and for a time it was thought that be had succeeded in making his escape from the Island at the time when the rush of returning holidaymakers was at its height. The alien refuses to give any account of how or where he spent his holiday, but it is known that he escaped in a soldier's uniform, although he was in civilian clothing when he returned to the camp. It is believed that he spent the time in Douglas, and obtained lodging in a house in fhe poorer quarters of the town. He was supposed to have about £70 in his possession. It is also suspected that someone from England rendered him assistance in his escape and subsequent adventures. Before being interned Lippchertz resided in London.

I suspect some 'news management' was applied to the story - to gain access to a military uniform and then to return in civilian clothes would indicate some external assistance. However the 'true story' is rather more innocent and possibly the story was managed to avoid unwelcome publicity.

Pat Kelly wrote "Hedge of Thorns" a semi-fictional account of a young girl growing up in the neighborhood of Knockaloe based on the recollections of her mother Margaret Louvima Moore Kelly nee Quirk - she also deposited in the Manx Museum a fuller account of her mother's recollections, late in life, of her wartime experience - both mother and daughter are now dead.

Margaret would appear to have been an only child - the household consisisted of her parents and grandparents, an uncle originally on the Ben my Chree had volunteered for the Navy - there was very little money, they lived mostly on what they could grow in their garden or gather in from other fields, milk from three cows grazed in a rented field, and fish, mostly herring, which was salted down to serve through the year - she comments that the corned beef given by visiting wives of the guards at Knockaloe was the only meat they had. The family lived across the road from Kk Patrick Church, and as a child she attended Patrick School which looked out onto the main gate and entrance road of the camp. In the August of 1918 she was old enough to transfer to the secondary school in Douglas for which she would catch the train from Peel.

Her strongest childhood recollection was of the music emanating from the various orchestras that practiced and performed for the internees - the house was near the corner of the Peel to Glen Maye road and the road from Kk Patrick village (no more than a few houses) to St John's, and well within hearing distance of Camp 2 that occupied the roadside field to the south of the entrance road. Her other main recollection was the light from the camp which was bright enough to be able to read by in her attic bedroom.

She formed an inseperable friendship with a daughter of one of the guards who lived at the camp and also attended Kk Patrick school, called Lilly in the book and account, of about her age - the two of them would cycle or walk with the family dog around the neighborhood.

In both the book and in the account, the name of the internee for whom the 11 year old Margaret developed an infatuation, is given as Kurt however the details could only refer to Benno. She comments on the internees:

We used to see the prisoners being taken out for a walk, about fifty or so at a time, with an armed guard,of course, They were not allowed to speak to anybodyand you were not allowed to speak to them. Some of them would give you a smile. Some of them would have kiddies at home, I suppose and seeing us would remind them.

There were some very pleasant looking fellows, like Kurt, whom I befriended, and some queer looking ones too.

...

Some of the prisoners came to the school and built a platform in a room that wasn't used. Kurt was one of them and I was always getting a scolding from the teacher because I would watch him in the yard instead of paying attention to my work.

Once one of the guards saw him smiling at me and I thought he was going to shoot him.

Another time he spoke to Lily and me in the playground and said he had a daughter about our age.

One of the guards hit him with the butt of his rifle and warned him to stay away from us.

The school at the time also served to hold the necessary inquests on those who died whilst held captive at Knockaloe - legally the inquest jury were to see the body of the deceased but they were not allowed to enter the camp - possibly the platform was designed for use in these inquests.

Her father by now in the Army was posted to Salonika just after Xmas 1917 and some time later landed up in hospital in Malta; though the recollections are in some sequential order, exact dating is quite difficult. Some time later her uncle Edward was posted as missing following the sinking of the ship he was serving on. However it turned out to be a false alarm, he had survived and came home for a few days prior to posting to another ship. It would appear that she was seeing more of Kurt as the account continues:

It was about that same time Kurt told me his daughter was ill. Something wrong with her lungs, so he'd seen nothing of her or his wife for a while.

It turned out that Kurt was the prisoner who escaped on the night my mother's red hat was ruined, something I didn't know it till quite a while later.

The red hat made its appearance in an earlier section in which she described days out in Douglas - her mother had a brand new red hat with a huge feather - however the walk back from St John's railway station was in pouring rain, the hat was ruined and the dye ran - it was put on the back of the fire! However it seems that night the flood lights at Knockaloe had gone out - and as they passed the vicarage corner they thought they heard someone move among the trees. Whether this was Kurt/Benno is debatable but it would seem he had possibly chosen the absence of flood lights as a suitable time to make his escape. However it doesn't explain where he obtained the military uniform which allowed him to pass through the gates - her father had joined the Manx Volunteers whose task at the start of the war was to guard prisoners initially at Douglas; her father came back one night with a bandaged head as the 'riot' at Douglas in Nov 1914.The guards at both Douglas and Knockaloe were merged into the Royal Defence Company and her father might well have left an old uniform at home or possibly via Lily whose father was a guard at the camp.

They'd searched and searched everywhere, 'specially in the room under the church where they kept all the old pews and scenery and clothes for the nativity plays and things.

It was about the time I started at secondary school in Douglas. We had to get the train from Peel and for a couple of weeks my grandfather used to walk with Lily and me to the station to make sure this desperate escaped prisoner couldn't get us.

Finally the policeman decided the escaped prisoner was either dead or had left the Island and Lily and I were allowed out again.

We went to Traie Cabbag and of course Poogey went too. He started barking outside a cave and I went in thinking there must be an animal inside. But it was Kurt and he was in an awful state. His clothes were soaked and he was starving and cold.

Traiee Cabbag ('Cabbage' on the O/S sheet) was a beach below the cliffs just south of Knockaloe - there was a path running along the southern edge of the Knockaloe fields which led down the cliff to the beach - there are some caves along these cliffs. It is the 'we' that is interesting - Lily must have been involved.

He desperately wanted to get back to England to see his daughter, who was desperately ill by that time. I managed to convince him the search had been called off and that he would be safe in the room under the church.

For about two weeks after that I was creeping down at night, when the grown-ups were in the living-room and taking a candle, some matches, bits of raw herring and any other scraps of food I could smuggle out for him. And I took him some warm, dry clothes of my uncle's.

A couple of times I nearly got caught by the policeman.

There was it seems a policeman commonly stationed at the corner of the roads -possibly to control returning guards as the R.D.C force had somewhat of a reputaion as the Royal Drunken Corps.

Every day, on my way home from school I looked for might be a boat Kurt could pinch to get back across. When I finally found one I took him to Peel to show him where it was.

He got in and sailed off down the harbour, while I watched from a shop. I was getting quite excited because he was nearly away, then someone shouted and a Guard at the harbour mouth started shooting at the boat. Kurt had to turn round and come back and they recaptured him.

I cried all the way home, crying every inch of the way. You know, I'd grown to love him. Really love him almost as much as I did my father and uncle.

I didn't see him for a long time after that because they kept him in solitary confinement. By the time I did see him again his daughter had died of tuberculosis without him ever being able to see her.

The account given by Margaret in her recollections matches the newspaper accounts up to this point - in the 'official' account Benno handed himself in to the guard - no mention of a boat. Benno was noted as re-admitted to Camp on 29th August 1918 as K33203 re-entering Camp4 - he was still at Knockaloe in March 1919 as the ICRC lists note he was in camp hospital between the 7th and 11th March 1919 suffering from influenza. By the end of March there were less than 2,000 internees remaining and the number of guards had been reduced from 2000 to some 300 and only camp 1 was left in operation.. The RDC were replaced by troops returned from France, whom it seems adopted a much more casual approach - those internees left were those who wished to remain in Britain - Margaret states of this period:

I talked to Kurt as often as I could and once the war was over the guards softened a lot. They used to turn a blind eye, but of course there was always the barbed wire between us.

Her uncle Edward had died towards the end of the war with the sinking of his ship; her father had been demobbed and returned to the Island as a changed man

My father could not settle on the Island; couldn't keep a job because he ended up fighting with everyone. He was filled with anger and hated all the farmers and any man who hadn't been in the war.

and she spent much time with Lily's family

Lily and her family were the next to go. It was the most awful wrench for me because we'd become closer than sisters. I felt as if I was losing yet another part of my family. I went to Douglas with them to see them off on the boat.

Just as the boat was leaving there was a twenty-one gun salute fired. Then all the little boats in the harbour started blowing their sirens and church bells were ranging.

This dates it to 28th June 1919 and the signing of the Peace Treaty.

Kurt was one of the last group of prisoners to go. I ran after him and clung to him for a minute, but then they made him march on and I was left behind with a broken heart. I had grown to love him almost as much as anyone else in my life. And he was gone! Just like that! As if he'd never existed.

Peel City Guardian, Saturday 11th October, 1919

The Knockaloe Alien Detention Camp has this week been cleared of aliens, the last batch, numbering 117, leaving Peel on Friday morning.

References

MM MD 1275 - Knockaloe 1914-1915 by Margaret Louvima Moore Kelly nee Quirk as told to Pat Kelly

.
Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The Editor HTML Transcription © F.Coakley , 2019