Metropole Internment Camp facts for kids
The Metropole Internment Camp was a special place on the Isle of Man during World War II. It was a camp where people, mostly from Italy, had to stay. The camp was also called “S” Camp. It was open from July 1940 until November 1944.
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Where Was Metropole Camp?
The Metropole Camp was in Douglas, a town on the Isle of Man. It was located near the northern end of the Douglas promenade. The back of the camp was very close to the rocky cliffs.
How Many People Stayed There?
The camp opened in July 1940 with 743 people. This number grew for a while. By January 1941, about 650 people were there. In October 1944, only 482 people remained. The camp closed in the first week of November 1944.
What Was the Camp Like Inside?
The camp used to be four different buildings. These were the Alexander (later called the Continental) and Metropole Hotels. There were also the Waverley and Dodsworth's.
The Metropole Hotel had a canteen and a store on its main floor. It also had a billiard room, a hall, a library, and a dining room. This dining room was also used for fun activities. In the basement, there was a bakery, a post office for packages, and the kitchen.
The Alexander Hotel had the camp office and a big dining room. In its basement, there were kitchens where people could cook their own food. There was also a music room with a piano. A special room was used as a church for religious services.
The Waverley building had a large room for fun and a dining room. In its basement, there was a barber's shop and a carpenter's shop. There was also an office to help people and a room used as a school.
The upper floors of all buildings had bedrooms, bathrooms, and toilets. Most rooms held three men. Some rooms were for one person. Other rooms were for families, where up to eight men and boys could stay together.
Dodsworth's building was the camp's infirmary, which is like a small hospital.
Outside the main camp fence were the military offices. There was also a small prison for people who needed special discipline. This prison used to be a stable for horses.
Daily Life in the Camp
Each day started at 7 AM with a wake-up call. Everyone had to be present for a roll call and do physical exercises. After that, they ate breakfast together. Meals were usually eaten as a group. This was special because the hotels had large dining rooms.
During the day, people could do many things. They had fun, played sports, and learned new things.
A school was set up in the Metropole Hotel. People could learn French, English, Latin, German, and Russian. There were also shows and performances put on by the people in the camp. These took place in the dining room. The basement of the Waverley had a school for Italian sailors who needed to learn to read and write. Sometimes, people could go on walks outside the camp with guards. They could even swim in the sea.
After a while, people were allowed to work outside the camp. They could help on local farms. They also started their own small businesses inside the camp. They even made their own money from stamped cardboard pieces!
Family members could visit if they arranged it beforehand. They needed official permission. Visits were for a short time in a special area of the camp.
At 5 PM, there was another roll call. This was when names of people who would be released the next morning were announced. This started in October 1941. People who were not considered a danger were allowed to leave.
Sometimes, guards were not as strict as in other camps. There were reports of small thefts and guards falling asleep. Searches of people returning to camp were sometimes not done well.
If there were air raids on the island, everyone in the camp would go to a nearby quarry for safety.
Escape Attempts
There were three times when people tried to escape from Metropole Camp.
One man tried to visit his English wife. She was staying in a hotel very close to the camp. He escaped to see her. But the police arrived quickly because other guests told them. He was caught almost right away.
On September 21, 1942, two men broke through the fence. They heard a guard coming and hid in the hotel next door. They were caught within three hours. They had spent most of that time hiding in a bedroom.
Another man, a marine engineer, tried to escape. He did not speak English. He had been staying at a special hospital for a short time before returning to the camp. He escaped from the camp to walk back to that hospital to get help again.
See also
- Category: People interned in the Isle of Man during World War II
