WWI and WWII internees

[amberdog]

Hi Alistair. the Knockaloe camp archive also have a facebook page https://www.facebook.com/knockaloeinternmentcampiom/

They are a great help.  What's the names of the individuals you are seeking?

Cheers
Maria

[alistquin]

Hi 'amberdog', thanks for that. I've had a look at the IoM Museum site that an earlier reply suggested and found one possible name I was looking for - a Johann Kuss.

Several members of the Kuss family were internees during both WWI and WWII. They had been in business in Hull, Newcastle and Tamworth since the 1850s and various members of the family were constantly going back and forward to a town called Furtwangen in the Black Forest.

Some stayed long-term and others eventually returned to Germany, but we don't know for certain which members of the family were on the wrong side of the Channel on each occasion when war broke out.

Alistair

[knockaloe.im]

Hi Alistair

We now have around 40,000 Germans and Austrians on the database for WW1, including three Germans and one Austrian by the name of Kuss. There are actually two separate johann's. We are pulling a huge amount of information together over the next year before it all goes "live" in March 2019. We should be delighted to start working with you to get information together about your family and this will then be completed after the database goes live.

If you would like to please contact us on info@knockaloe.im, we should also love to hear more about your family's experiences.

(and many thanks Maria)

Kind regards

Alison
Knockaloe.im Registered Charity in the Isle of Man

[alistquin]

Hi Alison,

Thanks for the message. I'll put together a few known facts and drop you an email.

Alistair

[knockaloe.im]

Look forward to hearing from you in due course 

[Vossagutt]

Hi Alistair

A book published recently, 2022, unexpectedly contains a rollcall of men confirmed to have been interned at Hutchinson Camp, Isle of Man.

The book is "The Island of Extraordinary Captives" by Simon Parkins (Sceptre 2022, ISBN 9781529347197) and is, well, an extraordinary story that many will find has a resonance with the situation today, those escaping harm and warm being themselves interned. Whilst the book itself deals with mainly Jewish internees, from Germany and Austria, the surprising benefit to family historians is the rollcall from just one of the Isle of Man camps, Hutchinson. The relevant pages in my edition (see above) are pages 329 to 387. Data include the internee's name, date of birth, profession, release date, and notes relating to other events in the internee's life. Very, very useful.

There is also a discussion on and list of sources, pp. 389 to 397.

Kind regards
Peter

[Clear]

The usual focus seems to be German POWs but from time to time I come across mention of a much wider range of prisoners including British citizens e.g. British political prisoners,  conscientious objectors, agitators, scientists.  Also Jewish refugees were often sent there. Over the years informal Information may have come from British soldiers posted as prison guards - who knows ?

[alistquin]

knockaloe.im

On looking at a recent post here, I notice that back in 2018 I offered to send you some information, but I have no memory of this so don't know whether I sent you the information. Are you able to tell me or is that too far back?

Alistair

[Frances_mnb]

In my data base for Knockaloe I have a Johann Kuss - in 1st Red Cross record age 39 born Schonenbach + noted with UK address 49 Gordon Road Strood - he was given Knockaloe camp # 12849 and released 23 Sept 1919 - ie at very end of the camp's life which indicates he was successful in his appeal not to be deported (see my internment pages on www.manxnotebook.com) - he probably arrived at Knockaloe on 22/23 July 1915 and was in camp 3 compound 2 probably initially hut 2a or 2b as these seemed to be allocated in sequence, he would appear to be in the 3rd tranche of arrivals to this camp which opened early July 1915 - he would be one of a party of some 300 transferred from camps in England as more internees were being concentrated in the two IoM camps.