Internment of enemy aliens - how were they identified etc?

[RogerWill]

How were 'enemy aliens' actually identified as such during the Great War? The pre-war 1911 census for example noted places/countries of birth, though not always accurately. Was this used to identify them or did it rely on self-identification or community informants?

While men were interned (what percentage and on what criteria?), I understand women and children were not subject to internment; did they have to register or were their movements restricted in some way?

Thanks

Roger

[Moonraker]

I'm just re-reading Prisoners of War in British Hands during WWI by Graham Mark, which covers internees but doesn't  answer your questions! But it seems that the authorities moved very quickly into action with the Aliens Restriction Act being passed on August 5, 1914. Initially the responsibility for rounding up aliens was placed with military Commands but within two days the duty was passed  to the police. Early detentions were at ports as foreign nationals tried to get home. By October 4, some 10,000 "male enemy subjects of military age" had been arrested, less than one-third of those residing in the UK. By the end of the month, 20,000 had been arrested. It appears that a very few women were detained, probably because they were perceived as over-sympathetic to hostile nations, from birth or through marriage.

[RogerWill]

Thanks Moonraker for this. Were the males who were interred only/primarily those of 'military age' (however that was defined)?

 

What the intell from Graham Mark points to is the police being the primary body responsible for implementing the regulations. The question of how they identified such enemy aliens, especially those who had been resident in the UK for a long time, remains...

[Moonraker]

The initial arrests in August 1914 was of men "of military age, at the time defined as between 17 and 42 years, but  this changed during the war. But "old and physically incapable Germans and Austrians" were detained from early September at Libury Hall, Hertfordshire; in October 1915 there were 99 inmates, only 33 of whom were under 50 years old, but some may have been pre-war members of the German Farm Colony established in 1900.

See https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/enemy-aliens-great-britain-1914-1919/

[RogerWill]

Thanks again Moonraker. The TNA blog points to a couple of texts on this subject that look very useful. I'll order them.

 

Roger 

[RogerWill]

Related to the above, what's the best historical study available to anti-German (etc) riots that apparently occurred in London and other British cities during WWI?

Thanks

 

Roger

[Moonraker]

Not my subject area, but Googling "great war forum riots against germans" will leads to threads about riots in Liverpool and Canning Town and following the sinking of the Lusitania. The sinking also led to resentment against German PoWs, with Graham Mark's book giving several instances.

[KernelPanic]

I've found this book extremely helpful when researching the circumstances, and the political and social events surrounding the internment of a German family member in the North East of England.

The enemy in our midst : Germans in Britain during the First World War by Panikos Panayi. 

You can find details of it on Amazon, but it's ridiculously expensive! I borrowed a copy from my work library.

[RogerWill]

Hi Kernel, yes I have seen mention of that volume too though its cover price has put me off too at the moment. I will check it out through the library.

Panyi has written a few other volumes on a similar theme I note too.

Roger

[Kath]

https://archive.org/details/enemyinourmidstg0000pana

 

 

[RogerWill]

Thanks Kkath, that's very helpful.

Roger

[Matlock1418]

Richard Van Emden's "Meeting the Enemy" offers an insight into attitudes relating to such 'aliens'

M

[RogerWill]

Thanks Matlock, I'll have a look at that too.

Roger

 

[Ewan D]

Hi Roger, 

I'm not entirely sure this is what you're after, but I hope this is of interest none the less. Attached is my Great-great uncle Charles' enlistment record. His parents (or at least his mother was) were German and it states so on the record. He and one of his older brothers, Valentine, ended up serving in a special labour unit of the Middlesex Regiment for British born soldiers, but who had alien parentage (Strangely it appears their oldest brother, my Great grandfather, Martin, didn't serve in this unit and continued serving with the 14th Londons) 

Ewan   

(Also worth noting he lied about his age here. He was born in 1900 so was around 15/16 when he signed up, not 20!)

Edited 9 June , 2023 by Ewan D
adding information

[RogerWill]

Thanks Ewan. It's an interesting tale, not least his underage enlistment in the circumstances and the fact that his oldest brother's ancestry was ignored (or perhaps not known).

[Martin Lepley]

Enemy Aliens were restricted in their movement. I understand that this also included Women and Children.

 

I have an example of a Lady, although born in Blighty, married a German and by that process became German. By the outbreak of The Great War her husband had died. She owned a House in Leigh-on-sea (part of Southend-on-sea, Essex) but she also owned a summer residence on Canvey Island Essex. She was not allowed to go to her house in Leigh on sea as enemy aliens were restricted to go to Southend-on-sea. I believe they had to go through a process of checking out at their current police station and when arriving they had to again check in. But that was just visiting. I do not think that they could stay. Both of her Sons were fighting for Blighty at the time. (Surname LOESCHER which she subsequenty changed to LESTER)