I live in England and after bumping into a German born English man the other day I began wondering what life may have been like for a German man or woman who resided in England during World War 2. Were they persecuted? Locked up? Seen as traitors to their home country? Also likewise for any English or Americans who either chose to live in Germany or were ‘caught’ there when War broke out.
Also were there any prominent foreigners in Germany who were part of the Reich Administration, and again Vice versa, were Germans in Britain and America actively helping fight the Nazi’s, were they locked up like the Japanese?
After all the vitriol and blind hate towards Muslims following the reveal of ‘Jihadi John’ living in London and the flak English Muslims are receiving thanks to it, it made me think that perhaps there are comparisons with Germans who weren’t Nazi’s in any shape or form but simply had the bad luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when War broke out, and perhaps interesting insight on how to deal with it.
Thanks in advance for any answers I may receive.
In Britain 'Enemy Aliens' were interned, at first only those considered to be high security risks, but as concerns over collaboration and fifth columns intensified the numbers greatly increased. Some were sent overseas to Canada or Australia, the main camps in the UK were in the Isle of Man, as they had been in the First World War. Many German and Austrian internees were Jewish refugees, most of whom were released as their cases were reviewed.
Internment camps cropped up a couple of times on the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are if you can find the DVDs or episodes online; David Baddiel's German grandfather and Tamzin Outhwaite's Italian great-grandfather were both interned on the Isle of Man. There's also [an overview] (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/timeline/factfiles/nonflash/a6651858.shtml) as part of the People's War website, with links to several personal testimonies.