I learned about Hutchinson Internment Camp while reading the fascinating book, "The Island of Extraordinary Captives," About the people imprisoned at Hutchinson, on The Isle of Man, during World War 11. I just had to know more.
Hutchinson Internment Camp was a WW 11 internment camp in Douglas, Isle of Man, particulary noted as "the artists" camp due to the thriving artistic and intellectual life of its internees. The camp housed enemy aliens, civilians who the government believed to be a potential threat and have sympathy with the enemies war objectives. Almost all of the internees were German or Austrians, living in Britain.
The internees were not treated as prisoners, and after some initial mistrust, they were allowed to apply to work outside of the camp, predominantly on local farms. Additionally they carried out professional activities within the camp, tailors, barbers, a Viennese baker and many artists and intellectuals.
At it's height, there were over 1,000 enemy aliens in captivity. Always want to learn, the internees set up a camp university, holding lectures, and utilizing the talent of scientists, mathematicians, lawyers, philosophers, writes and artists. This was in addition to the artists and musicians who offered lesson to individual students. A camp newspaper was produced, written in English, by the internees. It contained reviews and stories, as well as editorial pieces.
Hutchinson was renowned for its thriving artistic life. The art created in the camp ranged from figurative sculpture, graphic art, expressionism, Dadism, engraving, and other styles of art that were being suprpressed within the Third Reich. Kurt Schwitters, perhaps the most significant artist in the camp, produced over 200 works during his 16 months of internment. In the field of music, a camp orchestra was formed, led by Professon Kastner, nephew of Thomas Mann.
The camp was closed in March, 1944, and ended an ugly chapter in British history.
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