Ruhleben part 2

We continue our look at life in the Ruhleben internment camp in the First World War. 4000 British men were interned there, including 1400 merchant seamen and fishermen, many of whom were from our locality. Last week we saw how they survived their first harsh winter in the camp and how things began to get better. We also saw how the German Camp Commandant remarked in 1916 how the internees themselves had improved the camp. 

By then they had become a self-governing British enclave in the heart of Germany; and they imposed British names on parts of the camp. A large gateway through which the internees passed was known as Marble Arch. A shopping area became Bond Street. Other parts were known as Whitechapel and Fleet Street; and a large open space where public meetings were held became Trafalgar Square.

The internees had little or no work forced on them by the authorities and, apart from rolls calls and meal times, most of the day was their own. So a bewildering number of leisure activities were undertaken. Sports were popular and some internees were professional sportsmen, including Steve Bloomer, the English football international. Internees could choose between football, cricket, rugby, hockey, tennis, athletics and golf – the latter on a five-hole golf course. Sports tournaments were held between teams from the different barracks. Skittles was a popular pastime amongst the older seafarers – who used sawn-off chair legs as skittles. Did the others learn to live with legless chairs?

Those interested in drama could take part in the productions of the camp’s Ruhleben Dramatic Society. Journalists and others became involved in producing the camp’s own magazine. Internees also included professional musicians, artists, teachers, scientists, actors, craftsmen and so on. It was not long before each of these was spending his spare time practising his craft, teaching it to others, or learning something new himself.

Instruction was provided for internees in a wide range of languages, as well as art, music, history, science, navigation, handicrafts and so on. Eventually, students could even take the London Matriculation examinations, the answers being sent to England for marking. But there was never enough space for their activities. Lectures were given in biting winds in open grandstands. Classes and handicrafts were carried on in stuffy sheds and lofts, with great extremes of temperature.

Meanwhile, at home, relatives waited anxiously for news of the men until reports of their internment filtered back. An immediate problem was the need for a regular, sufficient, income for dependants at home – and therein lie tales of family hardship. Some employers continued to make payments to dependants but many families came to rely on charities and ‘the parish’ for food and clothing. And collections were started for the sending of parcels of food and clothing to the internees.

Efforts were made to get the internees released. In 1917 the fight was still being waged by the Ruhleben Prisoners’ Release Committee and others. Some were released, the very sick and the elderly. Even so there were still 2300 men in the camp at the end of the war.

But hopes began to rise with successful Allied offensives in 1918. So hopeful that on 18th October the internees formed their own committee to supervise the breaking-up of the camp. On 6th November, rumours of a revolt by German armed forces were confirmed  and on 11th the armistice was signed.

The next few days were a time to relish. Many of the men went into Berlin to join the crowds – on Sunday 17th November half of the camp were in Berlin. Then on 22nd November 1918, the first train-load of internees started their journey home.

And as the men made their way home, let’s savour the words of a psychologist who was interned in the camp and who gave high praise to the camp’s seafarers when he wrote:

‘Without its seafarers Ruhleben would have been a very different camp; softer, less virile, top-heavy with intellectuals. It was their [seafarers] courage that set the first high standards. Their patriotism was unwavering. Grumblers by profession, they damned the conditions of the camp in the foulest terms, but at the same time bore them more philosophically than the landsmen.’

Anyhow, these patriotic grumblers and others finally arrived in Grimsby on 27th November – to a tumultuous reception. Thousands had gathered to welcome them home, a  band played Rule Britannia, the Mayor gave a welcoming address, the men shouted the camp slogan ‘Are We Downhearted? No!’ and joy was unconfined.

Meantime, their enforced wartime accommodation, Ruhleben, reverted to its pre-war recreational function with racing and other events. It lasted until 1958, when it was torn down to provide space for a new Berlin sewage plant. In view of the smells that used to emanate from the camp latrines, the prisoners would have liked the irony of that!

Some of the information in these two articles is from the pamphlet I wrote for the Ruhleben exhibition which I organised at the Grimsby Central Library in 1978. With help from local residents, the exhibition included superb examples of the handicrafts made by their relatives whilst in the camp. One of the model yachts on view was lent by Miss Gaine, the well-known local art teacher. It was made by her father during his internment at Ruhleben. After his release he would take it to Sidney Park and sail it on the pond – to the delight of his family and others. So out of wartime deprivation came peacetime delight.

But before we leave this account of Ruhleben, I should mention that German civilians were interned in this country during the course of the war. Local author John Walling has written a book on the subject. Please contact me at the Chronicle if you would like details of the book.

© Dr. Alan Dowling

First published in the Cleethorpes Chronicle on 10 November 2011

The use of extracts from this article should be acknowledged merely by citing the name of the author, Dr. Alan Dowling. But please contact the author (who also holds the copyright) if you wish to re-print or otherwise re-use the entire article. He may be contacted on (01472) 690655.