Report on North Camp Ripon

Introduction

Graham Mark's book on WW1 Prisoners of War is based around descriptions of the main internment camps both military and civil within the British Isles - written in 2007 it makes full use of the UK National Archive of Foreign Office documents in the FO 383 series as well as reports found in both local and national papers. However this was prior to the I.C.R.C. digitisation of their internment records.

His brief one page entry covering Ripon mentions that there were two camps opened in October 1918, one, No 3 Camp, for 720 Officers (+ 216 servants) and one, No 8 North Camp, for 1200 Other Ranks - the camp numbers reflecting the other camps used for the British Army which were occupied from early 1915. The Officers' Camp was visited on 26th Feb. 1919 by the Swiss Legation [FO 383/506] when it contained 675 Officers and 219 Orderlies living in concrete huts. There is no mention of a visit to the Other Ranks camp. This apparent omission was because by that date No 8 Camp had been emptied of its military occupants and had become a transit camp for civilian internees. The South Camp at Ripon was later used for British PoWs being returned from Germany.

The first note of No. 8 camp is an entry in the cover sheet of List D-226 dated 11th January 1919 that the abbreviation "Ni" would be used for No 8 North Camp, Ripon. This camp is noted as the final camp of several thousand civilian internees from the Manx camps of Douglas and Knockaloe - no transfer is found from any other camp and only two transfers found from this camp (probably internees whose appeal against deportation had been allowed). Transfers from both Douglas and Knockaloe would be in parties of 250 though there were larger parties with even one of 1000. Those for Knockaloe are shown elsewhere - those for Douglas to Ripon, derived from the existing register, are shown below:

there were some smaller parties which shared transport with Knockaloe.

This re-use of the "Other Ranks" camp explains the earliest found "Ni" camp number allocated to a transiting internee being 1254 - the earlier numbers having presumably been used for the exiting Military prisoners - the highest camp number so far found is 8448. It is however impossible to put together a full list of Knockaloe internees that passed through No 8 Camp as the Red Cross records from which they are derived are only partial - those noted were those for whom the PoWIB believed had some claim on the British Government, which under the Armistice agreement they were to claim against the German Government..

In about 9 weeks some 7,500 internees transited through the camp which could hold about 1200 - the censoring and checking of baggage would presumably be similar to that experienced at Spalding and would take at least two or three days - it is not clear what shipping was available.

George Kenner, travelling in a party of 200, has left a brief description of the journey from Knockaloe to Rotterdam starting on the 10th March 1919:

We travelled on a small freight steam-boat [from Peel] on a rather stormy sea to Liverpool, where all the horrors of sea-warfare appeared before our eyes by wrecks drifting about. In spite of heavy seas breaking over the deck and seasickness we remained on deck for the fresh air

After 4 or 5 hours we reached our destination and marched to the not distant station, whence we travelled across England to another transfer-camp. After marching again 1½ hours we reached there, and were divided 50 men in each hut.

We received good treatment, including shower baths. After a week's stay we once more arranged our baggage and moved to the station, going by rail along the coast to Harwich, and passed the night on a Channel-steamer. 5 o'clock in the morning the boat blew the steam whistle and started.

We awoke with empty stomachs amidst heavy sea, and everybody took seasick. It was the most shocking crossing I ever had. Towards evening we arrived at Rotterdam. Dutch shop-people came alongside with boats to offer us eatables. Once more we slept as Civil-Prisoners of War on the English boat, and in the morning we sailed to the Pier.

English inspectors stepped on board (among them also negroes), searched our baggage for the last time, also money purses and wallets. We did not oppose anything for fear of being sent back. And, as the names were being called out we could at last step over the bridge unto Dutch ground.

Kenner probably crossed to Liverpool on S.S. Fenella, the smaller of the two passenger ships then operated by the IOMSPCo though there was the Tyrconnel though as a freight boat unlikely to take 200 together with guards etc, but as it seems this transfer had been organised at short notice following a problem earlier with a direct boat to Rotterdam, it may have been used. They probably used the now demolished Exchange Station at Liverpool which is within a short distance of the Pierhead and had good access to lines to Preston; "4 or 5 hours" seems somewhat too short for this crossing especially if the freight boat was used. Once on Dutch soil and after a hearty breakfast the party were given railway passes to Wesel just over the border in Germany.

Mark notes with some surprise the report in the Times that the PoW camp had been vacated by 4th June 1919 - but by this date the 5000 or so civilian internees left in camps, mainly Alexandra Palace, were appealing against forced repatriation. The reception camp for returning PoWs from Germany would appear to have continued beyond this date.

References

Graham Mark Prisoners of War in British Hands during WW1 Postal History Society 2007 ISBN 978-0-85377-029-9

Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The Editor Text + Transcription © F.Coakley , 2021