Douglas P-O-W Camps

[lochee]

Hi,
I have posted a similar request on the Military board, tried other sites, but with no luck.
An uncle of mine bought two hand made photo frames at a car boot sale, engraved on the backs it states
             P-O-W
       No. iii8 Douglas
              1916
Any ideas as to where I can find any information as to the person who made them would be very welcome.
Bob.

[Frances_mnb]

the manx museum is putting together a list of internees (the official records were destroyed) - try library@mnh.gov.im
some background at www.manxnotebook.com/famhist/genealgy/intern.htm but don't hold out too much hope - the Douglas camp was basically either for Jews(kosher meals) or priviledged internees(ie those who could pay for a servant)
BTW not usually PoW but interned aliens

[lochee]

Hi,   Frances_mnb
Thanks for that, I will follow it up.
One more question, what was BTW?
Regards
Bob.

[Frances_mnb]

by the way btw is usual shorthand for' by the way' - my point was they were not PoW camps but civilian internment camps for enemy aliens who had the bad luck to be in England after August 1914 - in fact many had married British wives and some even had sons in the British armed services but had neglected to take out citiznship - there was of course the usual tabloid hysteria which made rational decision making difficult if not impossible

[lochee]

Many thanks for that
Regards
Bob.

[scasta]

Hello -- I read your post online and thought I'd "chime" in here.  Wyoming State Parks, HIstoric Sites and Trails has been given the Douglas WWII P.O.W Camp as a new state historic site.  We are doing a dedication of that on Friday, May 11th.  I copied your post and sent it to the new curator to get her take. She says, the date would be wrong for Camp Douglas.   "We have some Italian prisoners numbers, but the Germans were more likely to make photo frames.  It certainly looks like it came from our camp though."
We have a Facebook page for Douglas WWII P.O.W. Camp if you want to follow along.

Take care.

[Frances_mnb]

Hello -- I read your post online and thought I'd "chime" in here.  Wyoming State Parks, HIstoric Sites and Trails has been given the Douglas WWII P.O.W Camp as a new state historic site.  We are doing a dedication of that on Friday, May 11th.  I copied your post and sent it to the new curator to get her take. She says, the date would be wrong for Camp Douglas.   ...

I understand that the USA had not declared war in 1916 - I suspect you have both the wrong hemisphere and wrong war - the Douglas camp was the reused Cunningham's camp on that rock in the middle of the Irish sea - see www.manxnotebook.com/tourism/ccamp/index.htm

[lochee]

Hi, scasta and Frances_mnb
Many thanks for the information, I will certainly follow it up.
Regards
Bob.

[TootyFruity]

Although this is an old thread I thought I'd add there is a book about the internment camps on the Isle of Man called:-

Island of Barbed Wire

It explains the Islands role in WW2 and the interment camps.