Knockaloe First World War Internment Camp: A Virtual Museum and Archive

During the First World War Knockaloe Farm on the west coast of the Isle of Man became an internment camp home to almost 25,000 ‘enemy aliens’. These men, interned for the duration of the war turned their place of incarceration into a unique and productive community with facilities for work, sports and entertainment. The material culture of Knockaloe is wealthy in both quantity and style. Sources include postcards, camp newspapers, journals and photographs along with large collections in public and private ownership of craftwork produced for sale throughout Europe by the internees.

This research aims to draw together the material culture of Knockaloe providing interpretation and accessibility through the creation of a virtual museum and archive. By drawing the material together and considering objects, documents and images collectively it is hoped to reconnect with the internees and their experiences within the camp. Through studying aspects of camp life such as the use of space, activities and broader issues such as identity and control and the consideration of other sites of designed and controlled settlement it will be possible to show if Knockaloe was a stereotypical representation of incarceration or if its constraints were relaxed allowing the internees to manipulate their environment.