London, September 18,1915.
Sir, We have the honor to submit the following report of a visit made on
Monday, August 23, to the place of internment of civilian prisoners of war
at
CORNWALLIS ROAD INSTITUTION, UPFER HOLLOWAY,LONDON, N.
(N.B. This camp is familiarly kmown as the "Islington Camp").
This camp, which has been in use since about July 1, 1915, is not under the War Office but under the Home Office, and is occupied by married men whose wives are of British birth and most of whom have long resided in London.
Its special features are the following
(1) The interned men are allowed to see their wives and children regularly and often. Many were being thus visited during our inspection.
(2) The Home Secretary has appointed a Civil Adjutant to the Commandant, who is prepared to advise the interned in matters of business.
(3) Persons interned may, upon showing cause, obtain permission to leave the camp during the day in order to attend to business and other urgent matters.
Direction
The general direction is under the Home Office.
Sir Frederick Halliday, Commandant.
Bernard Lailey, Esquire, K.C.,Civil Adjutant.
Prisoners
720; all German.
Committees
An Executive Committee composed of the captains of the various "messes", about 20 in number, manages the whole internal econony of the building, subject to the control of the Commendant. The members of this Executive Committee appear to be kept very busy with the many details connected with the running of so large a household.
There are also (1) a Kitchen Committee, (2) an Education committee, (3) a Relief Committee, (4) a Finance committee.
Sleeping Accomodation
A number of dormitories containing from six to about thirty beds, iron bedsteads, spring, with flock mattress, sheets and three blankets and pillow. One 17 ft x 17 ft contained six beds. There are eight private rooms that are let out by the Finance Committee and the rents are credited entirely to camp funds.
Sitting Rooms
General sitting rooms are provided and accomdate from ten to fifty persons, each person having ample room; open fire places and gas illumination. The dining room is a large hall with accommodation for 800 persons.
Sanitary Arrangements:
There is an ample supply of water closets both in and out of the building, average number about 10 persons to each closet.
Bathing Accomodation:
The general bath room contains six baths in separate compartments, also 25 baths, with hot and cold water laid on, are provided in each wing of the building. A prisoner gets a hot bath once & week, Extra baths are obtainable at a trifling cost.
Washing Basins:
Ample provision is made in all parts of the building, particularly on the 1st and 2nd landings adjoining the bed room, each prisoner is provided with a separate towel in addition to the roller towels in general use.
Fire Hydrants & Extinguishers:
Fire hydrants and extinguishers accessories are in all parts of the building and yards.
Infirmary
A sick ward containing six beds for minor cases. Serious cases are sent to the German Hospital Dalston. Four cases have been sent to the German Hospital since the camp opened on the 26th June 1915.
Kitchens
There is a large kitchen in the house, equipped with steam cookers. There is also a canteen where delicacies can be purchased.
The Kitchen Committee has entire control of the cookery and prepares the food according to the taste of the inmates. Some of the most competent cooks in London are among the inmates of the camp and the food gave the impression of being very well prepared. The following is the diet allowed per man per day :
Bread - 1 lb 8 ozs.
Meat - 8 ozs fresh or frozen or 4 ozs pressed,
Tea - ½ oz or coffee 1 oz,
Sugar - 2 ozs
Milk fresh - 1/5 pint,
Fresh vegetables - 8 ozs.
Pepper - 1/72oz.
Cheese - 2 ozs to be allowed as an alternative for 1 oz butter or margarine.
Peas, beans, lentils or rice - 2 ozs.Extra grant: 7 cwts greens per week.
The meals at the time of our visit were three per day, but the addition of a fourth meal, a light supper, had just been approved by the Home Office.
Work
A carpenter's shop, a small machine shop and a large, well-lighted, wood-carving shop give occupation to a considerable number of men. There is also a finely equipped machine-laundry which does the laundry work of the inmates. Many of the inmates are learning to do artistic wood-carving and particularly all the repairs in and outside of the building are done by the men interned,
Classes are held in languages, commercial chemistry and science. There is a musical society and a band.
Exercise
Within the barbed wire enclosure surrounding the building about two acres of land are open to the free use of the men interned. This space is partly divided up among various courtyards; and a broad strip of garden,with trees and a pathway, runs the whole length of the buildings fronting on Cornwallis Road.
There is no space large enough for a playground or for lawn-tennis courts, but the nearness of the prisoners here to their homes and to their wives and children appears to afford them ample compensation for this fact.
Wants
The complaints of the prisoners as set forth by the members of the Executive Committee, whom we interviewed in a room entirely to ourselves, were few.
While appreciating the advantages enjoyed in having the advice of a Civil Adjutent, and in being able at times to leave the camp, they stated that in cases where the inmates had businesses or shops which could not be run by their wifes it would be desirable that an absence of at least one day a week for several hours should be permitted to each inmate requesting it.
They also complained that, about ten days before, the receipt of German and French newspapers had been stopped, that their personal papers and cheque books had been taken away on their arrest and that the postage was slow and irregular.
Complaints by letter to the Embassy were frequent when this camp was started, but they have now entirely disappeared, several people having written that they wished to withdraw the complaints that they had made, and to tell us that the camp was now perfectly satisfactory.
Observations
The Cornwallis Road Instituion, a fine three-storey brick workhouse of recent construction, is well lighted, well ventilated and has excellent sanitary equipment. Its only drawback is that the grounds are relatively small, as is natural in a city where land is costly. As practically all the inmates, however, are married men with children, the fact that they are near their homes and families doubtless more than offsets the lack of large space for games or exercise.
The Commanant evidently takes a keen interest in having all the affairs of the camp administered as far as possible by the inmates, and the machinery for doing this by means of committees struck us as very well organised and as working with a minimum of friction.
The canteen fund, which by contribution from the richer prisoners and from the rent of private rooms contrives to remunerate the poorer prisoners for their various services, is a feature which strikes one as particularly commendable.
An unique official is the Civil Adjutant, Mr. Barnard Lailry, King's Counsel, who at the personal request of Sir John Simon the Home secretary, undertakes the duties of advising the Germans interned at Islington. Many of these men have business affairs in London needing more or less attention. Anyone needing advice as to such matters is at liberty to approach Mr. Leiley, who is at his office in the camp nearly every day from 11 to 1, and from 2-30 to 4-30. He also recommends the men, if he thinks it advisable, to solicitors who take care of their interests
Mr Leiley stated that in one instance he had allowed a man to stay out from 7 o'clock every morning until late afternoon. In other cases leave was granted once or twice a week. One instance was that of a prisoner who was carrying on a large chemistry business, supplying certain chemicals for the Red Cross, and this men was allowed as a rule two days a week to give general oversight to the business.
Others are permitted to go for periods varying from a few hours to a whole day, if and when their business imperatively needs their personal attention.
Mr Leiley seemed to take a great interest in his work. He was not sure if he could indefinitely give the time to it, but he expressed the hope that such work might be continued long enough have a good effect.
To obtain an interview with the Civil Adjutant an inmate must file a short written statement setting out the object of the interview desired and this statement must be left with the senior captain of the prisoners of war before 3 pm. on the previous day.
Copies of the form of permit issued to prisoners of war for leaving the camp, of the programme of a Sunday concert and of the little journal published by the inmates at Islington are hereto attached; with a sketch of one of the largest dormitories done by an inmate.
