Page 3 - Sutclifffe-APD_Censorship_PoW

Prisoner of War, Internment Camps , and Gibraltar Camp , Jamaica .

Section II , World War I - Port Royal .

Although there was an internment camp at Up Park Camp very soon
after the outbreak of hostilities , this housed only housed the few
male enemy aliens . These were mainly civilians who were residing on
the island, although later other internees and prisoners may have
been sent there from other British territories in the Caribbean, the
position regarding the ladies is discussed later .

Not all enemy aliens were interned, however, as there were several
small communities that had been established by the Moravian Church in
Jamaica in the 19th Century ; most of these aliens were of German
Descent and were allowed to remain in their restricted areas under
general police supervision . These inhabitants were either the
original settlers or later generations residents born in Jamaica , as
in the 1870's a number of coopers (barrel makers} together with their
families had been recruited from Germany and established themselves
in Jamaica , maintaining their own language and culture throughout a
long period o f virtual isolation . During both World Wars they were
considered to be a security risk, they are referred to again below .

However, the question of accommodation at Up Park Camp' s prison
Camp changed on the lOth September, 1914 , when H.M. S. Essex escorted
into Port Royal the Hamburg-Amerika liner "Bethania" which she had
intercepted on her way to Germany. This liner had on board over
five hundred German reservists which had been collected from the
German West African colonies . In addition there were the members of
the crew, but this sudden influx of extra prisoners could not be
housed at the Camp, so temporarily they were held on board their
ship in Kingston harbour pending the erection of additional huts at
the Camp. In the meantime these prisoners were guarded by members
of various Jamaican regiments, such as the Kingston Infantry
Volunteers ; whilst their was censored by Royal Navy officers at
Port Royal.

Below is a photograph showing the "Bathania 11 {on the l eft} being
escorted into Port Royal .