Much has been made about the U.S. internment camps
that housed (imprisoned) thousands of Japanese Americans, and to a lesser degree
German Americans and Italian Americans. To put it mildly, it is an unfortunate
part of U.S. history. In researching my current manuscript, I discovered that
Britain also chose to round up “enemy aliens” and others deemed “undesirable.”
When Jews individuals in Germany and Austria saw the
handwriting on the walls in the late 1930s, they began to flee, and by 1939
more than 60,000 had poured into Britain. After the war commenced and Germany
began to overrun Europe, others followed-some Jews seeking asylum, some with
anti-Nazi sentiments, and some merely seeking safety from starvation and indiscriminate
violence.
Hearings were conducted to determine who should be
considered an enemy alien, and approximately ninety-nine percent of those screened
were classified as posing no threat. Those who were regarded as dangerous were
imprisoned, housed in hastily constructed camps, or deported to Canada or
Australia. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter feelings of anti-Semitism
infiltrated the country, and Churchill issued a decree to round up the Jewish
population. They were soon on their way to the Isle of Man alongside enemy
aliens such as Nazis, Nazi sympathizers, and suspected spies. After England
went to war with Italy, Italian resident workers joined them.
Considering the fact that these folks were imprisoned
and families broken up as men were sent to one camp, and women and children
sent to another, conditions were good. The camps were comprised of either hotels/resorts
or vacation homes which featured heat and indoor plumbing. Food supplies were
supplemented with local produce, fish, and dairy.
The women were allowed to work and open bank accounts,
and later the men were given various responsibilities such as managing
inventory, cooking, and working on local farms. Many of the internees were
professionals such as doctors, professors, artists, engineers, etc. and used a
variety of means to practice their craft. Doctors set up clinics and teachers
set up classes and “universities.”
Although they operated through 1945, the camps began
to release the Jewish inmates in late 1941 and early 1942. They were offered the
opportunity to enlist or work for the war effort. Feelings are mixed with
regard to Britain’s decision to intern some of its citizens and residents, but
as internee Fred Godshaw said years later, “It is always easy to be wise after
the event.”
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