German camp at the Isle of Man 1940s

[Kimmycat]

On 'Coast' recently they featured this camp and I was interested because my Grandfather or great Grandfather used to be one of the doctors there during WW2. I don't know much else but would like to. I sort of hope if the camp had doctors it was not too brutal, apart from taking people from their homes and locking them elsewhere!? But I wonder if anyone knows anything about my grandfather's time at the camp and what job the doctors did?

Many thanks

[aghadowey]

Here's a bit about one of Italian P.O.W.s sent to Isle of Man from Northern Ireland. If you search Google lots of entries about that period on Isle of Man come up.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6366957.stm

[stanmapstone]

See http://www.gov.im/mnh/heritage/library/bibliographies/internment.xml
 http://timewitnesses.org/english/IsleOfMan.html
http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/famhist/genealgy/intern.htm


Stan

[Kimmycat]

Wow! Thanks for such a fast reply!  I am very grateful.

[Kimmycat]

I now see that the camp was there in WW1 as well so it could have been my great grandfather. I have a fair bit of searching to do.

[Dancing Master]

the Isle of Man was used for internment of aliens during WW2.

[Kimmycat]

Thanks Dancing Master, I did know that - but that is all I know. My grandfather was a doctor there during WW2, and I am trying to find out more about this time there.   I know he married while he was there so that holds possiblities too.

[Dancing Master]

The Isle of Man was used as an internment camp for foreign nationals who were stranded or un-naturalised in England in both WW1 and WW2.

There were also POW Camps,  not only in the Isle of Man but all over the North West of England.   It would have been more difficult for escapees to have to cross the whole country in order to get to the East Coast nearest ot Holland, Belgium and Germany which were already in German hands.

There were Italian, German POW's working on the farms in this area, and a lot of them decided to stay after the war ended.

In Liverpool  in WW1 and  in WW2 residents did attack German born owners of shops and businesses.   It is well documented and these were some of the people sent over to the IOM  mostly for their own protection as they had lived and worked  in the City for generations prior to that.

In times of war people panic and do things they would not necessarily do in normal times.

They used to wave to us as we walked past them whilst they were working in the fields.

We also had a lot of Polish people who joined the Free Polish Army over here and who also decided to stay after the war.

[harper]

Hi
My Great grandfather was sent to the camp. His surname was Neuhofer! I have been told that not many records, if any, survived. I would have loved to know more about his time there.
Harper