️ Mooragh Camp, Ramsey (WW2 Internment)

WORLD WAR 2 INTERNMENT CAMP. From May 1940 to September 1945, Mooragh Camp in Ramsey held German, Austrian, and Italian internees behind barbed wire along the seafront. This was the FIRST WW2 internment camp on IoM. The internees were mostly civilians — many Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany who were paradoxically interned by Britain. They created a remarkable cultural life: orchestras, universities, art studios, workshops. WHY: 5 years, hundreds of internees. The camp perimeter, exercise areas, and especially the Mooragh Park area (which bordered the camp) accumulated personal items. Internees made handicrafts from whatever materials they could find — improvised tools, tokens, artwork. The seafront promenade area was fenced for the camp. Detecting the park and foreshore could reveal camp tokens, improvised items, personal effects, and standard military material (guards' items).