Wartime

Manx men and women have played a part in many of the conflicts of the 19th and 20th Centuries. During the Revolutionary wars with France, the island raised its own regiment of ‘Fencibles’ to defend itself, whilst Manxmen served at Trafalgar, Waterloo, and other engagements.

Prisoners in the workshops of Knockaloe Camp

Prisoners in the workshops of Knockaloe Camp

In the two World Wars, the island contributed to land, sea and air forces, and suffered heavy casualties in proportion to the small size of its population. It is however for its role in the internment of enemy aliens from 1914-18 and 1940-45 that the island is perhaps best known. In the Great War the purpose built camp at Knockaloe held some 25,000 Germans, Austrians and Turks, whilst in the Second World War requisitioned guest houses held Germans, Italians and others, among them prominent artists and intellectuals.

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