How were British Germans/Japanese treated during World War Two in Britain? (Were they interned?)

by ButcheringPlato

Many people have heard of American internment camps for the Japanese after 1941, did the British have anything similar? If not, how were British Germans treated, did they lose any rights? Were they able to join the military?

Cheers for the help!

Bigglesworth_

Yes, 'Enemy Aliens' were interned in Britain; see answers from myself and /u/Surprise_Institoris on Were there ever internment camps during WWII in European allied countries, similar to the Japanese internment camps in the US? for some more details. As per those answers, a large proportion of Enemy Aliens were refugees from Nazi Germany, many Jewish, and many did volunteer for the military - around 10,000 of 75,000. Initially they were (generally) only accepted into the Pioneer Corps, but from 1943 could (and did) transfer into more active combat units including the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and Commando Brigades, see Helen Fry's The King's Most Loyal Enemy Aliens: Germans Who Fought for Britain in the Second World War for more.