Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp facts for kids

Camp life

Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp was a special camp near Berlin, Germany. During World War I, it held British civilians who were in Germany when the war started. Ruhleben was once a small village, but today it is part of the big city of Berlin. The camp itself used to be a horse racecourse.

Who Was Held at Ruhleben?

A show of The Mikado at the camp

The people held at Ruhleben were called "detainees." Most of them were British. They were in Germany for different reasons when the war began. Some lived there, while others were just on holiday. Some were even sailors whose ships were in German harbours or were captured at sea.

About 5,500 people were kept at Ruhleben. Most of them stayed there for all four years of World War I. One famous person, Geoffrey Pyke, even wrote a book called To Ruhleben - And Back after he managed to escape in 1915!

Life in the Camp

Life in Ruhleben was generally quite good for the prisoners. The guards had to follow special rules called the Geneva Conventions. This meant the prisoners were treated fairly.

Even though being held captive was hard for some, many found ways to stay busy. They were allowed to receive letters, books, and sports gear. They even had a printing press! The detainees created their own police force, a magazine, a library, and a postal service.

Some young people who were held there later became very famous.

• Ernest MacMillan from Canada became a well-known conductor for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He was on holiday in Germany when the war started.
• Charles Ellis and James Chadwick became important scientists. They used their time in Ruhleben to study and even built a small laboratory to do experiments!
• There were also famous footballers and athletes in the camp.

Arts and Music at Ruhleben

The detainees were very creative! They organized many musical activities. The Ruhleben Musical Society was very active. Ernest MacMillan was a member, and he gave concerts and lectures.

He and another musician, Benjamin Dale, played all of Beethoven’s symphonies as piano duets. The society even put on a show of the famous Gilbert and Sullivan opera Mikado. They also performed a pantomime version of Cinderella.

It's amazing because they didn't have the music for Mikado! But someone had the words (called the libretto), and four musicians wrote the music from memory. They wrote it out for whatever instruments they had in the camp.

There was also a Ruhleben Drama Society. They performed plays by famous writers like Shakespeare, including Othello and Twelfth Night. They also put on Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest.

Sports at Ruhleben

Sports were a huge part of camp life. Many talented athletes were held there.

• Four England international football players were at Ruhleben: Fred Spiksley, Fred Pentland, Samuel Wolstenholme, and Steve Bloomer.
• A Scotland international, John Cameron, was also there.
• Even a German international, Edwin Dutton, was held at the camp.
• John Brearley, who played for famous teams like Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, was also a detainee.

The camp had its own Ruhleben Football Association. Sometimes, 1,000 detainees would gather to watch a game! Other popular sports included Cricket, rugby, tennis, golf, and boxing.

The War Ends

When World War I finally ended, the detainees were free! Many of them traveled by ship back to Britain to reunite with their families.

Images for kids

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  A wide view of Ruhleben internment camp by Nico Jungmann, one of the detainees

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  A bird's eye view of the camp

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  Detainees waiting in line for Christmas dinner, painted by Nico Jungman

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  A boxing match in the camp, painted by Nico Jungman