Internment

Mooragh internment camp, Ramsey, Isle of Man 1940, credit: Manx National Heritage
This collection of storymaps focuses on the internment of émigré and refugee musicians from Germany and Austria by the British state in 1940-41. This unfortunate episode brought much hardship, but the shared experience of internment also forged lasting friendships and led to many musical activities.

Image: Mooragh internment camp in Ramsey, Isle of Man, 1940. Courtesy of Manx National Heritage (PG/5396/8)

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Scroll down to follow each story, zoom in on the maps and enjoy historical images, archival materials, recordings and videos. A link at the bottom of each map will take you back to this page, or to the next story map in a sequence.

Barbed wire in Britain: Internment in context

This storymap explains the context behind the internment of so-called ‘enemy aliens’ by the British state during the Second World War.

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Conditions in the camps: Internment in context

This storymap explores the conditions that internees were exposed to during their time in British internment camps.

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Culture in the camps: Music and other creative practices in internment

This storymap highlights some of the creative practices that developed within internment camps.

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Internment Diaries: Hans Gál’s Huyton Suite

This storymap follows the diaries of Hans Gál as he composes his Huyton Suite whilst interned.

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