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The Island of Extraordinary Captives: A Painter, a Poet, an Heiress, and a Spy in a World War II British Internment Camp
The remarkable untold story of a Jewish orphan who fled Nazi Germany for London, only to be arrested there by the British government and sent to an internment camp for suspected foreign agents on the Isle of Man, alongside a renowned group of refugee musicians, intellectuals, artists, and—possibly—genuine spies.
Following the events of Kristallnacht in 1938, Peter Fleischmann evaded the Gestapo’s midnight roundups in Berlin by way of a perilous journey to England via the Kindertransport train. But he could not escape the British police, who came for him in the early hours and shipped him off to Hutchinson Camp on the Isle of Man, under suspicion of being a spy for the very regime he had fled.
Peter’s story was no isolated incident. During Hitler’s rise to power in the 1930s, tens of thousands of German and Austrian Jews escaped and found refuge in Britain. Once war broke out in 1939, the nation turned against them, fearing that Nazis had planted spies posing as refugees. Innocent asylum seekers thus were labeled “enemy aliens” and ultimately sentenced to an indefinite period of internment.
When Peter arrived at Hutchinson Camp, he found one of history’s most astounding prison populations: renowned professors, composers, journalists, and artists. Together, they created a thriving cultural community, complete with art exhibitions, lectures, musical performances, and poetry readings. The artists welcomed Peter as their pupil and forever changed the course of his life. Meanwhile, suspicions grew that a real spy was hiding among them—one connected to a vivacious heiress from Peter’s past.
Drawing from unpublished first-person accounts and newly declassified documents from the British government, award-winning journalist Simon Parkin tells the story of this unlikely group of internees. The Island of Extraordinary Captives brings history to life in vivid detail, revealing the hidden truth of Britain’s grave wartime mistake and showcasing how hope and creativity can flourish in even the darkest of circumstances.
Following the events of Kristallnacht in 1938, Peter Fleischmann evaded the Gestapo’s midnight roundups in Berlin by way of a perilous journey to England via the Kindertransport train. But he could not escape the British police, who came for him in the early hours and shipped him off to Hutchinson Camp on the Isle of Man, under suspicion of being a spy for the very regime he had fled.
Peter’s story was no isolated incident. During Hitler’s rise to power in the 1930s, tens of thousands of German and Austrian Jews escaped and found refuge in Britain. Once war broke out in 1939, the nation turned against them, fearing that Nazis had planted spies posing as refugees. Innocent asylum seekers thus were labeled “enemy aliens” and ultimately sentenced to an indefinite period of internment.
When Peter arrived at Hutchinson Camp, he found one of history’s most astounding prison populations: renowned professors, composers, journalists, and artists. Together, they created a thriving cultural community, complete with art exhibitions, lectures, musical performances, and poetry readings. The artists welcomed Peter as their pupil and forever changed the course of his life. Meanwhile, suspicions grew that a real spy was hiding among them—one connected to a vivacious heiress from Peter’s past.
Drawing from unpublished first-person accounts and newly declassified documents from the British government, award-winning journalist Simon Parkin tells the story of this unlikely group of internees. The Island of Extraordinary Captives brings history to life in vivid detail, revealing the hidden truth of Britain’s grave wartime mistake and showcasing how hope and creativity can flourish in even the darkest of circumstances.
448 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2022
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December 1, 2022
“Viewed kindly, Hutchinson had been a world of unparalleled opportunity, a time when historic forces had momentarily aligned to gather a unique cross-section of men. In no other circumstances before or since have the university don, the local butcher, the celebrated Dadaist, the lawmaker, the baker, and the couture dressmaker been forced to cohabitate and, in doing so, enrich one another’s lives.”
I had no idea that England had internment camps during WWII. Unlike the United States that forced US citizens into internment camps, England placed German refugees into camps. There were multiple camps, but this book focuses on Hutchinson Camp on the Isle of Man. Understandably, the English were afraid of Nazi spies, however through fear, antisemitism and/or incompetence they did a poor job of vetting the refugees and determining which (if any) were actually threats.
Although the subject matter was interesting, I’m afraid I found the book a little dull, and there were a lot of people to keep track of. When you have people forming clubs, attending classes, creating art, putting on theatrical performances and using the library, the story is not quite as riveting as the story of the Jews who remained in Germany and faced death in concentration camps. 3.5 stars
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
I had no idea that England had internment camps during WWII. Unlike the United States that forced US citizens into internment camps, England placed German refugees into camps. There were multiple camps, but this book focuses on Hutchinson Camp on the Isle of Man. Understandably, the English were afraid of Nazi spies, however through fear, antisemitism and/or incompetence they did a poor job of vetting the refugees and determining which (if any) were actually threats.
Although the subject matter was interesting, I’m afraid I found the book a little dull, and there were a lot of people to keep track of. When you have people forming clubs, attending classes, creating art, putting on theatrical performances and using the library, the story is not quite as riveting as the story of the Jews who remained in Germany and faced death in concentration camps. 3.5 stars
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
November 24, 2022
3-1/2*
The book is a heavy read and at times goes off on a tangent and becomes confusing which is why I have taken off one half star. It was tough going to finish this book.
To begin: Part one tells of how the internment camp(s) in the UK during WW2 came to be. Ignorance and panic of supposedly smart people acting out of alarm without rational thought proceeded with some very wonky decision making.
The majority of those interred had fled Nazi Germany because they were Jewish or because they were opposed to Hitler and feared for their lives. Having been fortunate enough to arrive in a land where they thought they would be safe imagine their horror at now being called an ‘enemy alien’ in their adopted country. (Unfortunately the government of the time did not stop to consider the possibility of home grown enemy aliens right in their own backyard. They didn’t think to check out Cambridge University).
The prominent artists, painters, sculptors, poets etc. etc. are too numerous to name and the author selects as his main character Peter Fleischmann, a teenager, who had lost his parents – spent time in an orphanage in Berlin and eventually makes it to England on the Kindertransport. How this young man came to be designated as an ‘enemy alien’ shows the height of ignorance. Peter survived and later changed his name to Midgley.
At one point the Government decided they would offload some of these ‘enemy aliens’ to Canada and Australia. The first lot set to sail for Canada only to have their ship torpedoed by Germany. But that did not curtail efforts to ship these already displaced people elsewhere.
While there was more than one camp the book deals specifically with the camp known as Hutchinson on the Isle of Man. It opened in 1940 and closed in 1945.
Immediately after Pearl Harbor the US Government did exactly the same thing to their Japanese Americans.
In 2021 Canadian PM Justin Trudeau issued a formal apology to the thirty-two thousand Italian Canadians declared ‘enemy aliens’ during the Second World War. While I’m not terribly impressed by apologies after such shameful occurrences, it’s better than nothing. I am not aware of any apology made by the UK or the USA.
There are no words to describe the stupidity that went into this arrangement but even in peace time something similar is afoot. People have been taught to be fearful of anyone who does not look like them, speak like them, and act like them. There seems to be, regardless of education or station in life, no end to the ignorance of man.
The book is a heavy read and at times goes off on a tangent and becomes confusing which is why I have taken off one half star. It was tough going to finish this book.
To begin: Part one tells of how the internment camp(s) in the UK during WW2 came to be. Ignorance and panic of supposedly smart people acting out of alarm without rational thought proceeded with some very wonky decision making.
The majority of those interred had fled Nazi Germany because they were Jewish or because they were opposed to Hitler and feared for their lives. Having been fortunate enough to arrive in a land where they thought they would be safe imagine their horror at now being called an ‘enemy alien’ in their adopted country. (Unfortunately the government of the time did not stop to consider the possibility of home grown enemy aliens right in their own backyard. They didn’t think to check out Cambridge University).
The prominent artists, painters, sculptors, poets etc. etc. are too numerous to name and the author selects as his main character Peter Fleischmann, a teenager, who had lost his parents – spent time in an orphanage in Berlin and eventually makes it to England on the Kindertransport. How this young man came to be designated as an ‘enemy alien’ shows the height of ignorance. Peter survived and later changed his name to Midgley.
At one point the Government decided they would offload some of these ‘enemy aliens’ to Canada and Australia. The first lot set to sail for Canada only to have their ship torpedoed by Germany. But that did not curtail efforts to ship these already displaced people elsewhere.
While there was more than one camp the book deals specifically with the camp known as Hutchinson on the Isle of Man. It opened in 1940 and closed in 1945.
Immediately after Pearl Harbor the US Government did exactly the same thing to their Japanese Americans.
In 2021 Canadian PM Justin Trudeau issued a formal apology to the thirty-two thousand Italian Canadians declared ‘enemy aliens’ during the Second World War. While I’m not terribly impressed by apologies after such shameful occurrences, it’s better than nothing. I am not aware of any apology made by the UK or the USA.
There are no words to describe the stupidity that went into this arrangement but even in peace time something similar is afoot. People have been taught to be fearful of anyone who does not look like them, speak like them, and act like them. There seems to be, regardless of education or station in life, no end to the ignorance of man.
February 20, 2023
After Kristallnacht in Germany, Britain agreed to take in orphaned children via the Kindertransport as well as other refugees from Nazi Germany. During the 1930s Britain accepted thousands of German and Austrian Jews who were fleeing Germany during Hitler’s rise to power. Once war broke out, Churchill declared that these people were now “enemy aliens” and ordered thousands of them into internment camps for an indefinite period of time, some of whom were now being held with those very people from whom they fled Germany. Thousands were held in camps on the Isle of Man, in the Irish Sea. At one camp, Hutchinson, there was an extraordinary group of artist, writers, poets, musicians, journalists, professors and other cultural figures. These inmates made the best of their circumstances by creating a thriving cultural community.
A poignant story that runs through this book is that of Peter Fleischmann (aka Peter Midgely) an orphan who arrived in England via the Kindertransport but who found himself held captive in the Hutchinson camp. He was an amateur artist who was mentored by many of the gifted and famous artists in the camp. In many ways, the camp provided the first sense of home and security that Peter had ever known.
There are fascinating parts to the book, such as what provoked Kristallnacht, and the prodigious outpouring of art of all kinds that the camp inmates produced. There are also parts of the book that made me rethink how I perceived the British government and its citizens during WWII. I had no idea how antisemitic they were, as well as how incompetent they were. The whole way that the internment of these mostly innocent people was handled was appalling. BTW, I am aware that the US did the same appalling thing to the Japanese during WWII, but the British held these refugees in camps with their enemies. Frankly, the only difference between the British and the Nazi camps was that the Nazis worked people to death or killed them outright. The British may have treated their captives better, but they were interred based on fear and loathing. There are a lot of references to a “Fifth Column” in Britain, which was a fear that there were spies and Nazi sympathizers among the refugees that had arrived in Britain over the past 10 years and they would “support an enemy invasion from within.” This was never proven, but became a rallying cry amongst government officials and journalists, just like “pizza parlor sex slaves” and “Hunter Biden’s laptop” is for the far right fringe today in the US.
Unfortunately, the xenophobic imprisoning of “enemy aliens “ or people perceived as “other” continues to this day. “During the two Gulf wars and the nebulous “War on Terror “, Britain exercised its right to hold individuals without trial merely on suspicion that they might attempt to assist the enemy.” “On the US border, former president Donald Trump instituted internment camps for undocumented immigrants. At any given time between May and June 2019, more than two thousand children, separated from their parents, were being held in the custody of US Border Patrol.” Until governments stop giving in to their inherent xenophobia and fear of “others”, history is doomed to continuously repeat itself.
I think I’m being generous by giving this book 3 stars. Although the information contained in it was enlightening to say the least, the writing style drove me crazy. The author talks about so many people in the book that it is difficult to keep track of them all. He goes off on tangents and you lose track of the point he was trying to make. When he is writing about Peter, his style reminds me of Erik Larson, almost like reading a novel. But for most of the book, the prose is unbearably dry, like a textbook. I often could not stay awake while reading it. (I have to admit that this came in handy when I woke up at 4 AM and couldn’t get back to sleep. After about 20 minutes reading this book, I was drowsy enough to sleep again.) The parts about “an heiress and a spy” are only marginally interesting and could have been left out. Maybe in the hands of Erik Larson, this would have been a much better book.
I’m glad I learned about the internment camps and this slice of history, but I can’t really recommend this book.
A poignant story that runs through this book is that of Peter Fleischmann (aka Peter Midgely) an orphan who arrived in England via the Kindertransport but who found himself held captive in the Hutchinson camp. He was an amateur artist who was mentored by many of the gifted and famous artists in the camp. In many ways, the camp provided the first sense of home and security that Peter had ever known.
There are fascinating parts to the book, such as what provoked Kristallnacht, and the prodigious outpouring of art of all kinds that the camp inmates produced. There are also parts of the book that made me rethink how I perceived the British government and its citizens during WWII. I had no idea how antisemitic they were, as well as how incompetent they were. The whole way that the internment of these mostly innocent people was handled was appalling. BTW, I am aware that the US did the same appalling thing to the Japanese during WWII, but the British held these refugees in camps with their enemies. Frankly, the only difference between the British and the Nazi camps was that the Nazis worked people to death or killed them outright. The British may have treated their captives better, but they were interred based on fear and loathing. There are a lot of references to a “Fifth Column” in Britain, which was a fear that there were spies and Nazi sympathizers among the refugees that had arrived in Britain over the past 10 years and they would “support an enemy invasion from within.” This was never proven, but became a rallying cry amongst government officials and journalists, just like “pizza parlor sex slaves” and “Hunter Biden’s laptop” is for the far right fringe today in the US.
Unfortunately, the xenophobic imprisoning of “enemy aliens “ or people perceived as “other” continues to this day. “During the two Gulf wars and the nebulous “War on Terror “, Britain exercised its right to hold individuals without trial merely on suspicion that they might attempt to assist the enemy.” “On the US border, former president Donald Trump instituted internment camps for undocumented immigrants. At any given time between May and June 2019, more than two thousand children, separated from their parents, were being held in the custody of US Border Patrol.” Until governments stop giving in to their inherent xenophobia and fear of “others”, history is doomed to continuously repeat itself.
I think I’m being generous by giving this book 3 stars. Although the information contained in it was enlightening to say the least, the writing style drove me crazy. The author talks about so many people in the book that it is difficult to keep track of them all. He goes off on tangents and you lose track of the point he was trying to make. When he is writing about Peter, his style reminds me of Erik Larson, almost like reading a novel. But for most of the book, the prose is unbearably dry, like a textbook. I often could not stay awake while reading it. (I have to admit that this came in handy when I woke up at 4 AM and couldn’t get back to sleep. After about 20 minutes reading this book, I was drowsy enough to sleep again.) The parts about “an heiress and a spy” are only marginally interesting and could have been left out. Maybe in the hands of Erik Larson, this would have been a much better book.
I’m glad I learned about the internment camps and this slice of history, but I can’t really recommend this book.
December 15, 2024
Extraordinary WW information on initial kindertransport, follow-up of refugee treatment once arrived in Britain, and transfer to internment on the Isle of Man. New perspectives..
July 14, 2022
I received a free digital advance review copy from the publisher, via Netgalley.
Just imagine fleeing to Britain from Nazi Germany and then being locked up as an enemy alien, along with actual Nazis and fascists. At the beginning of World War II, that’s what happened in the UK. Despite classifying foreign nationals according to security risk, ultimately the decision was made to intern them all, with little effort made to keep refugees and anti-fascists away from Nazis and Nazi sympathizers. Internees had their belongings stolen in broad daylight by British soldiers, police officers and prison guards, and were at first forced into crumbling transit camps with poor food, virtually no sanitary facilities, and little shelter from the weather.
The focus of this book is on a particular camp, called Hutchinson, on the Isle of Man, where many refugees were ultimately interned. Conditions there were much better than the transit camp hellhole, and those running the camp made a practice of treating the internees with respect and allowing them a good deal of self-governance.
Many of those who fled the Nazis were artists, musicians, composers, university professors, and other professionals any rational country would want to keep. Hutchinson became a particular standout for its organization of cultural activities.
Author Simon Parkin calls this book a work of historical narrative nonfiction, based on many different kinds of primary source materials. There are scads of characters, and it can be a challenge at times to keep up. But Parkin wisely emphasizes throughout the story of Peter Fleischmann, a Berlin orphan and one of the first German Jews to reach Britain via the famed Kindertransport rescues—and just in time, too, since Peter, at 16, was almost at the cutoff age, and he found after the war that there were apparently no survivors from the orphanage. It’s astonishing to read of Peter’s travails, but also of the way, as an aspiring artist, that he took advantage of his time at Hutchinson to learn all he could from his mature and accomplished fellow internees.
There are other less-emphasized people who are still striking, like the self-promoter who was suspected by MI-5 of being a Nazi spy, despite his Jewish background.
As an American, I was familiar with the shame of the US internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. I knew very little about Britain’s internment policies and practices, and I’m happy to have this readable history fill a gap in my knowledge of WW2 history.
Just imagine fleeing to Britain from Nazi Germany and then being locked up as an enemy alien, along with actual Nazis and fascists. At the beginning of World War II, that’s what happened in the UK. Despite classifying foreign nationals according to security risk, ultimately the decision was made to intern them all, with little effort made to keep refugees and anti-fascists away from Nazis and Nazi sympathizers. Internees had their belongings stolen in broad daylight by British soldiers, police officers and prison guards, and were at first forced into crumbling transit camps with poor food, virtually no sanitary facilities, and little shelter from the weather.
The focus of this book is on a particular camp, called Hutchinson, on the Isle of Man, where many refugees were ultimately interned. Conditions there were much better than the transit camp hellhole, and those running the camp made a practice of treating the internees with respect and allowing them a good deal of self-governance.
Many of those who fled the Nazis were artists, musicians, composers, university professors, and other professionals any rational country would want to keep. Hutchinson became a particular standout for its organization of cultural activities.
Author Simon Parkin calls this book a work of historical narrative nonfiction, based on many different kinds of primary source materials. There are scads of characters, and it can be a challenge at times to keep up. But Parkin wisely emphasizes throughout the story of Peter Fleischmann, a Berlin orphan and one of the first German Jews to reach Britain via the famed Kindertransport rescues—and just in time, too, since Peter, at 16, was almost at the cutoff age, and he found after the war that there were apparently no survivors from the orphanage. It’s astonishing to read of Peter’s travails, but also of the way, as an aspiring artist, that he took advantage of his time at Hutchinson to learn all he could from his mature and accomplished fellow internees.
There are other less-emphasized people who are still striking, like the self-promoter who was suspected by MI-5 of being a Nazi spy, despite his Jewish background.
As an American, I was familiar with the shame of the US internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. I knew very little about Britain’s internment policies and practices, and I’m happy to have this readable history fill a gap in my knowledge of WW2 history.
October 27, 2023
Simon Parkin does a riveting job of showing how panic pushed up and through governmental channels comes out as inconsistent, mismanaged and political bumbling - basically resulting in waste product of ill-used resources.
This was a topic I thought I was well-read on. . .but no. I soon saw that there were large, land-mass related gaps in my understanding about WWII. I thought: Interment camps? US. Death camps? Germany. No! It was happening in other countries as they one by one responded to the response to WWI as troubles that would become WWII were ripening. While this book is not a broad stroke vision of what was happening globally, it becomes apparent as a reader digests Mr. Parkin's well-researched book, that the US was not the only country responding to "refugees" (however they were defined) by quick, gather-them-up-and-sort-later methods that had no consideration for family units, individual liberties, or above-board fairness. Other countries were engaged in their own meticulous head-counting to see who was Dangerous and who wasn't.
Focusing on one of the many British Internment camps settled on the Isle of Man, Hutchison Camp, the book explores what the catch was. The author worked diligently, giving clear and accessible references to those who desire further information. This camp would eventually hold people who had escaped with the help of British citizens in the Kindertransport rescue efforts (get that? they were being rescued by the British to keep them from the terrors of war!!), bundled together with political prisoners of every stripe, including Nazis. Whether an accusation was true or not was not considered at the start and if it was later done, the process was very late in the game.
Yet, and it is a thoughtfully considered "Yet," Hutchison Camp would become a place of positive changes for many of its internees - and Mr. Parkin satisfies readers by considering the life stories of a number of persons. Centered in this collection of life stories is that of an artist, Peter Fleischmann, who used a number of aliases through his long, helpful life, ending with the name he is now known by, Peter Midgley.
This read is fascinating and thought-provoking. Highly recommended for those interested in WWII, or social situations wherein people are moved involuntarily from homelands of centuries prior. Or, for that matter, homelands all, regardless of time on the ground.
*A sincere thank you to Simon Parkin, Scribner, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.*
This was a topic I thought I was well-read on. . .but no. I soon saw that there were large, land-mass related gaps in my understanding about WWII. I thought: Interment camps? US. Death camps? Germany. No! It was happening in other countries as they one by one responded to the response to WWI as troubles that would become WWII were ripening. While this book is not a broad stroke vision of what was happening globally, it becomes apparent as a reader digests Mr. Parkin's well-researched book, that the US was not the only country responding to "refugees" (however they were defined) by quick, gather-them-up-and-sort-later methods that had no consideration for family units, individual liberties, or above-board fairness. Other countries were engaged in their own meticulous head-counting to see who was Dangerous and who wasn't.
Focusing on one of the many British Internment camps settled on the Isle of Man, Hutchison Camp, the book explores what the catch was. The author worked diligently, giving clear and accessible references to those who desire further information. This camp would eventually hold people who had escaped with the help of British citizens in the Kindertransport rescue efforts (get that? they were being rescued by the British to keep them from the terrors of war!!), bundled together with political prisoners of every stripe, including Nazis. Whether an accusation was true or not was not considered at the start and if it was later done, the process was very late in the game.
Yet, and it is a thoughtfully considered "Yet," Hutchison Camp would become a place of positive changes for many of its internees - and Mr. Parkin satisfies readers by considering the life stories of a number of persons. Centered in this collection of life stories is that of an artist, Peter Fleischmann, who used a number of aliases through his long, helpful life, ending with the name he is now known by, Peter Midgley.
This read is fascinating and thought-provoking. Highly recommended for those interested in WWII, or social situations wherein people are moved involuntarily from homelands of centuries prior. Or, for that matter, homelands all, regardless of time on the ground.
*A sincere thank you to Simon Parkin, Scribner, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.*
August 14, 2022
Hutchinson Camp on the Isle of Mann was an internment camp during WW2. From it opening in July 1940 to its close, more than two thousand men were held prisoner. In this highly detailed and thoroughly researched book, Parkin reveals the injustices at work and the unique climate created. Teenagers accepted under the Kindertransport were re-classified as dangerous aliens and interred: the hand of salvation became the hand of damnation. Germans from all classes of life were grouped together -- a potpourri of eminent artists, scientists, musicians, archeologists and philosophers. The greatest injustice occurred when those interred were offered release if they joined the British army; as a way of proving their innocence.
Parkin's book is important because it examines and leaves no stone unturned as it exposes the ill-conceived actions of Churchill's government -- a neglected story is disclosed. The problem with this book, however, is that it is suffocated by detail and narrative threads are lost. The book begins as the story of Peter Fleischmann/Midgley, but this is quickly diverted and becomes an intermittent storyline. Often, chapters will begin then meander off into a completely different direction from what is signposted. There is as much light as there is confusion. And sometimes, Parkin highlights vital paradoxes but does not explore them in depth. For example, the artists in Hutchinson protested that chaos worked against creative order. Yet, one of the principal artists was the Dadaist Kurt Schwitters.
Parkin notes in passing that chaos was the root of Dadaist philosophy. Rather than explore Dadaism and offer a more detailed portrait of Schwitters, Parkin simply moves on as if the Dadaists' opposition to war and "mutual destruction" was not a key issue for the book.
At a time when the British government suspected Ukrainian refugees of being Russian spies and some have called for the expulsion or internment of all Russians in the UK, The Island of Extraordinary Captives is a timely reminder of where ill-conceived policies lead: into inhuman decisions.
Parkin's book is important because it examines and leaves no stone unturned as it exposes the ill-conceived actions of Churchill's government -- a neglected story is disclosed. The problem with this book, however, is that it is suffocated by detail and narrative threads are lost. The book begins as the story of Peter Fleischmann/Midgley, but this is quickly diverted and becomes an intermittent storyline. Often, chapters will begin then meander off into a completely different direction from what is signposted. There is as much light as there is confusion. And sometimes, Parkin highlights vital paradoxes but does not explore them in depth. For example, the artists in Hutchinson protested that chaos worked against creative order. Yet, one of the principal artists was the Dadaist Kurt Schwitters.
Parkin notes in passing that chaos was the root of Dadaist philosophy. Rather than explore Dadaism and offer a more detailed portrait of Schwitters, Parkin simply moves on as if the Dadaists' opposition to war and "mutual destruction" was not a key issue for the book.
At a time when the British government suspected Ukrainian refugees of being Russian spies and some have called for the expulsion or internment of all Russians in the UK, The Island of Extraordinary Captives is a timely reminder of where ill-conceived policies lead: into inhuman decisions.
July 31, 2022
I have had a long standing interest in this relatively little known, and disgraceful, part of the UK’s Second World War history. It dispels the notion that this nation has a noble history of welcoming refugees. By far the most shocking aspect was the attempt to ship large numbers of these refugees/enemy aliens to Canada on the Arandora Star only for it to be torpedoed by a German u-boat with huge loss of life. Then, to add insult to injury, many of the survivors were put on another ship bound for Australia! I know it’s not quite analogous, but it’s not so far removed from the present government’s policy to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Simon Parkin’s book is somewhat overloaded but made more readable by concentrating on one camp on the Isle of Man and gives it a narrative thread by linking his history to the stories of two individuals.
Simon Parkin’s book is somewhat overloaded but made more readable by concentrating on one camp on the Isle of Man and gives it a narrative thread by linking his history to the stories of two individuals.
May 24, 2022
It took me a long time to read this, not because it’s a weighty tome, but because it’s a little dry for my taste. Fascinating premise, and with some interesting characters, but the pace was glacial.
I learned quite a few things along the way though.
I learned quite a few things along the way though.
September 25, 2023
The concept of internment was employed during World War II supposedly as a strategy to protect the national security of the countries that implemented it. The most famous example was the internment of Japanese Americans in the United States resulting in 125,284 individuals of Japanese descent rounded up and dispersed to 75 incarceration sites. A lesser known example was perpetrated by the British government for suspected German agents sent to a number of facilities on the Isle of Man. British policy is the subject of Simon Parkin’s latest book, THE ISLAND OF EXTRAORDINARY CAPTIVES: A PAINTER, A POET, AN HEIRESS, AND A SPY IN A WORLD WAR II BRITISH INTERNMENT CAMP.
Parkin’s main focus is the Hutchinson Camp which became the home of an eclectic and talented group of people. The camp was populated with over 1200 prisoners predominantly refugees from Nazi Germany who had been living in England peacefully at the time of their arrest. Parkin’s begins by exploring English paranoia concerning a “fifth column” as it appeared the Nazis were about to invade. Prime Minister Winston Churchill authorized the arrest of thousands among them were “so-called aliens” resulting in the imprisonment of teenagers who fled Germany on Kindertransport trains among them was Peter Fleischmann one of the main characters of the monograph. In an interesting description, Parkin places Fleischmann at a concert performed at Camp Hutchinson symbolizing how one could be imprisoned by one’s liberator. For Peter it was a reminder of Gestapo roundups in a world he had fled. Other prisoners included Oxbridge dons, surgeons, dentists, lawyers and scores of celebrated artists – a truly talented array of people, one of “history’s unlikeliest and most extraordinary prison populations.”
The author launches his subject by describing the story of Herschel Grynszpan’s odyssey leading him to assassinate a German diplomat in Paris as revenge against the Nazis for seizing his parents who wound up in the no man’s land between Germany and Poland. The result was Kristallnacht launched by the Nazis in November 1938 a policy designed to terrorize Jews into leaving Germany. After discussing the impact of the beatings, seizures, and destruction of Jewish property, Parkin relates Peter’s early life after the death of his parents, living with an insensitive uncle, life in a series of orphanages, and finally his arrival in England. His story is one of abandonment and reflects British policy toward German refugees that they accepted and then arrested. British policy was clearly a haphazard one with little thought and planning as they seized thousands of people who in no way were a threat to the “empire.” Rather than carefully constructing tribunals made of knowledgeable people to make decisions they placed people totally unprepared and trained to make those decisions – the result was mass arrest. Churchill was part of the process, and he ordered all enemy aliens between the ages of 16 and 60 seized– leading to the transformation of asylum seekers into enemy suspects.
For Peter his final arrest came on July 5, 1940, and along with thousands of others were subjected to the inhumanity and indignities of how the British processed the men stealing their limited possessions, deprived them of their civil rights, and saw themselves as having survived dangerous escapes from Germany to be imprisoned by their saviors. Hitler laughed at British policy correctly pointing out how the British were copying the Nazis by rounding up so many Jews. Parkin describes a number of British facilities and for many it took months to reach Camp Hutchinson.
Parkin correctly points out that internment brought lingering desperation and gloom, but it also brought the creative inspiration as a vehicle for survival as the men put their substantial musical, literary, and artistic talents to use. Parkin describes concerts, classes of all types – academic to vocational, inventions, and other areas of prisoner expertise in great detail, a creative Hutchinson University. What emerges is a communal type of living where talented people mostly share their expertise with each other to make their situation tolerable.
Parkin focusses on a number of important characters throughout the book. Michael Covin, a former British journalist who survived the sinking of the refugee ship SS Arandora Star by a Nazi submarine to become a chronicler of what brought men to the camp and life under incarceration. Klaus Ernst Hinrichsen, an art historian whose writing and commentary serves as an important source for the author. Kurt Schwitters, poet and artist who served as a mentor for Peter. Bertha Bracey, a Quaker who led a refugee organization working to gain asylum for children from Germany and securing the release of those incarcerated. Ludwig Warschauer, the subject of a fascinating chapter as MI5 refused to allow his release as they correctly identified a German spy within their midst. His wife, Echen Kohsen, an heiress who had cared for Peter in Germany will finally leave him when the truth comes out. Parkin discusses many other talented prisoners and the effect prison life had on them emotionally and professionally.
Once the pressure on the Home Office grew and grew the government decided on a convoluted release policy which was almost as incompetent as their initial internment program. Parkin describes hearings and judgements which made no sense, and of course Churchill did little to circumvent it. For many like Peter the government offered release in return for joining the military. Many agreed, and many refused to be blackmailed. As many talented and influential people were released by 1941, Peter and hundreds of others remained interred.
Parkin includes a final chapter in which he describes what occurred to people after release. Finally, Peter will be accepted to an art school because of recommendations by camp artists and the work of refugee organizations. This had been his life’s wish and finally he acquired people he could rely on and trust.
For the most part, Simon Parkin’s account is a riveting one reflecting a shameful chapter in British history which is also a testament to creativity and hope. At times the author gets bogged down in the details of his subjects and it would have been interesting to compare women’s internment camps, which he mentions in passing in more detail. But overall, a useful account of a forgotten category of a brutal British policy.
Parkin’s main focus is the Hutchinson Camp which became the home of an eclectic and talented group of people. The camp was populated with over 1200 prisoners predominantly refugees from Nazi Germany who had been living in England peacefully at the time of their arrest. Parkin’s begins by exploring English paranoia concerning a “fifth column” as it appeared the Nazis were about to invade. Prime Minister Winston Churchill authorized the arrest of thousands among them were “so-called aliens” resulting in the imprisonment of teenagers who fled Germany on Kindertransport trains among them was Peter Fleischmann one of the main characters of the monograph. In an interesting description, Parkin places Fleischmann at a concert performed at Camp Hutchinson symbolizing how one could be imprisoned by one’s liberator. For Peter it was a reminder of Gestapo roundups in a world he had fled. Other prisoners included Oxbridge dons, surgeons, dentists, lawyers and scores of celebrated artists – a truly talented array of people, one of “history’s unlikeliest and most extraordinary prison populations.”
The author launches his subject by describing the story of Herschel Grynszpan’s odyssey leading him to assassinate a German diplomat in Paris as revenge against the Nazis for seizing his parents who wound up in the no man’s land between Germany and Poland. The result was Kristallnacht launched by the Nazis in November 1938 a policy designed to terrorize Jews into leaving Germany. After discussing the impact of the beatings, seizures, and destruction of Jewish property, Parkin relates Peter’s early life after the death of his parents, living with an insensitive uncle, life in a series of orphanages, and finally his arrival in England. His story is one of abandonment and reflects British policy toward German refugees that they accepted and then arrested. British policy was clearly a haphazard one with little thought and planning as they seized thousands of people who in no way were a threat to the “empire.” Rather than carefully constructing tribunals made of knowledgeable people to make decisions they placed people totally unprepared and trained to make those decisions – the result was mass arrest. Churchill was part of the process, and he ordered all enemy aliens between the ages of 16 and 60 seized– leading to the transformation of asylum seekers into enemy suspects.
For Peter his final arrest came on July 5, 1940, and along with thousands of others were subjected to the inhumanity and indignities of how the British processed the men stealing their limited possessions, deprived them of their civil rights, and saw themselves as having survived dangerous escapes from Germany to be imprisoned by their saviors. Hitler laughed at British policy correctly pointing out how the British were copying the Nazis by rounding up so many Jews. Parkin describes a number of British facilities and for many it took months to reach Camp Hutchinson.
Parkin correctly points out that internment brought lingering desperation and gloom, but it also brought the creative inspiration as a vehicle for survival as the men put their substantial musical, literary, and artistic talents to use. Parkin describes concerts, classes of all types – academic to vocational, inventions, and other areas of prisoner expertise in great detail, a creative Hutchinson University. What emerges is a communal type of living where talented people mostly share their expertise with each other to make their situation tolerable.
Parkin focusses on a number of important characters throughout the book. Michael Covin, a former British journalist who survived the sinking of the refugee ship SS Arandora Star by a Nazi submarine to become a chronicler of what brought men to the camp and life under incarceration. Klaus Ernst Hinrichsen, an art historian whose writing and commentary serves as an important source for the author. Kurt Schwitters, poet and artist who served as a mentor for Peter. Bertha Bracey, a Quaker who led a refugee organization working to gain asylum for children from Germany and securing the release of those incarcerated. Ludwig Warschauer, the subject of a fascinating chapter as MI5 refused to allow his release as they correctly identified a German spy within their midst. His wife, Echen Kohsen, an heiress who had cared for Peter in Germany will finally leave him when the truth comes out. Parkin discusses many other talented prisoners and the effect prison life had on them emotionally and professionally.
Once the pressure on the Home Office grew and grew the government decided on a convoluted release policy which was almost as incompetent as their initial internment program. Parkin describes hearings and judgements which made no sense, and of course Churchill did little to circumvent it. For many like Peter the government offered release in return for joining the military. Many agreed, and many refused to be blackmailed. As many talented and influential people were released by 1941, Peter and hundreds of others remained interred.
Parkin includes a final chapter in which he describes what occurred to people after release. Finally, Peter will be accepted to an art school because of recommendations by camp artists and the work of refugee organizations. This had been his life’s wish and finally he acquired people he could rely on and trust.
For the most part, Simon Parkin’s account is a riveting one reflecting a shameful chapter in British history which is also a testament to creativity and hope. At times the author gets bogged down in the details of his subjects and it would have been interesting to compare women’s internment camps, which he mentions in passing in more detail. But overall, a useful account of a forgotten category of a brutal British policy.
January 7, 2023
During war times, countries are liable to institute laws that are seemingly contrary to the country’s ideology. Case in point, the United States in World War II interned thousands of Japanese American citizens without cause or compensation. SIMON PARKIN documents a little-known aspect of British history, the internments of World War II. THE ISLAND OF EXTRAORDINARY CAPTIVES details that story through the eyes and words of several internees.
It starts in 1933 when Adolph Hitler and the Nazis came to power in Germany. Within a few years, if you were Jewish, a Gypsy or even a Catholic Priest, your days were numbered. In 1938, Herschel Grynszpan, a 17-year-old Jewish refugee in Paris buys a gun and goes to the German Embassy in that city. There he assassinates a high-level Nazi diplomat. This leads to the infamous Kristallnacht in Germany. On that night, Jewish places by the thousands were destroyed and hundreds of Jews were beaten and killed in retaliation, more or less with the blessing of law enforcement authorities.
Peter Fleischmann was a 17-year-old orphan living at the Auerbach Orphanage in Berlin. His parents had been killed in an automobile accident when he was about five. His wealthy banker-grandfather raised him for several years before the Nazis seized his property. The grandfather died shortly thereafter and Peter ended up in Auerbach an orphanage and boarding school.
Bertha Bracey was a woman with a big heart in England. She was a member of the British Quakers, a religious group that practiced pacifism. After World War I, Bertha had assisted German orphans so she was well respected in Germany. Bertha, with a group of like-minded British citizens, helped thousands of orphaned Jewish German and Austrian children and Jewish adults escape from the Nazi-held states to Great Britain. At first, they were welcomed warmly. Then thousands were interned in various camps and facilities around England. Some of those “camps” were as bad as the concentration camps in Nazi-held countries.
Peter Fleischmann ended up in Camp Hutchinson on the Isle of Man, located in the Irish Sea. There he meets Klaus Hinrichsen a 28-year-old art historian; Ludwig Warschauer, a German inventor/engineer and artist/poet Kurt Schwitters. These four constitute the bulk of the stories in this book. However, there are others who deserve mention.
Echen Kempinski, a Jewish-German heiress to a restaurant fortune in Berlin befriends Peter before he leaves Germany. She is about 15 years older than Peter with two daughters who are contemporaries of Fleischmann. Her third husband is Ludwig Warschauer. Captain (later Major) Hubert Daniel is the camp commandant. Under his leadership, Camp Hutchinson is run more like a university than a prison camp. Peter began learning how to be an artist, gaining instruction from all the talented men in the camp. In addition to the artists, there are writers, musicians, archaeologists and well-respected chefs in the camp.
The British government has yet to officially apologize for the policy of internment. Documents concerning internment are hard to come by. The author had a lot of help from the families of those who were victims. If you are Jewish, if you are British, if you are a reader of history, this is a must read book. If possible, I would give it 10 stars. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
GO! BUY! READ!
It starts in 1933 when Adolph Hitler and the Nazis came to power in Germany. Within a few years, if you were Jewish, a Gypsy or even a Catholic Priest, your days were numbered. In 1938, Herschel Grynszpan, a 17-year-old Jewish refugee in Paris buys a gun and goes to the German Embassy in that city. There he assassinates a high-level Nazi diplomat. This leads to the infamous Kristallnacht in Germany. On that night, Jewish places by the thousands were destroyed and hundreds of Jews were beaten and killed in retaliation, more or less with the blessing of law enforcement authorities.
Peter Fleischmann was a 17-year-old orphan living at the Auerbach Orphanage in Berlin. His parents had been killed in an automobile accident when he was about five. His wealthy banker-grandfather raised him for several years before the Nazis seized his property. The grandfather died shortly thereafter and Peter ended up in Auerbach an orphanage and boarding school.
Bertha Bracey was a woman with a big heart in England. She was a member of the British Quakers, a religious group that practiced pacifism. After World War I, Bertha had assisted German orphans so she was well respected in Germany. Bertha, with a group of like-minded British citizens, helped thousands of orphaned Jewish German and Austrian children and Jewish adults escape from the Nazi-held states to Great Britain. At first, they were welcomed warmly. Then thousands were interned in various camps and facilities around England. Some of those “camps” were as bad as the concentration camps in Nazi-held countries.
Peter Fleischmann ended up in Camp Hutchinson on the Isle of Man, located in the Irish Sea. There he meets Klaus Hinrichsen a 28-year-old art historian; Ludwig Warschauer, a German inventor/engineer and artist/poet Kurt Schwitters. These four constitute the bulk of the stories in this book. However, there are others who deserve mention.
Echen Kempinski, a Jewish-German heiress to a restaurant fortune in Berlin befriends Peter before he leaves Germany. She is about 15 years older than Peter with two daughters who are contemporaries of Fleischmann. Her third husband is Ludwig Warschauer. Captain (later Major) Hubert Daniel is the camp commandant. Under his leadership, Camp Hutchinson is run more like a university than a prison camp. Peter began learning how to be an artist, gaining instruction from all the talented men in the camp. In addition to the artists, there are writers, musicians, archaeologists and well-respected chefs in the camp.
The British government has yet to officially apologize for the policy of internment. Documents concerning internment are hard to come by. The author had a lot of help from the families of those who were victims. If you are Jewish, if you are British, if you are a reader of history, this is a must read book. If possible, I would give it 10 stars. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
GO! BUY! READ!
September 14, 2025
my Mum grew up on the Isle of Man during WWII and shares memories of walking past the people behind barb wire fences. This book is the first real recounting of the internment camps and is astounding. well written and paced, also. important read.
November 17, 2023
I legit didn't know that the UK interned tens of thousands of German and Italian immigrants during WW2. And it was such an incompetent clusterfuck too. Like, they interned thousands of German jewish refugees!?!? Including children?!?! In the same camp as actual nazi-sympatizing fashists?!?¿¡
That's fucked up.
Great book. 5 stars.
That's fucked up.
Great book. 5 stars.
April 2, 2023
Such an interesting and relevant/urgent subject matter, but I found the writing style to be too unfocused
December 27, 2022
This is one of the best books I've read in years.
The author's description brought to life the experiences of an unfortunate (with one exception) group of people who were ruthlessly placed in the Hutchinson internment camp during WW2. I couldn't help but feel anger at the Brits, (I know, the U.S. did the same thing to the Japanese) - and devastated at learning that one of my heroes, Winston Churchill, ordered the internment that was done rashly, in a panic, and without vetting. The result was that the large majority of those in the camp had been open Nazi haters, certainly not spies. But somehow their associations with relatives in Germany - or whatever - led the officials to pay them late night visits that took them away from their families, their jobs, and leaving those families destitute in many cases. The author didn't focus on the justified bitterness that must have swamped the men in this camp, day and night, but didn't belittle it either. He praised and celebrated the industriousness and motivation of active minds -- accomplished and talented people who were thrown together and were open to learning each other's areas of expertise to the extent that was possible, and demonstrating their own talents by lecturing, performing, and finding a way to do artwork by creating their own pigments using ground up substances mixed with margarine. Throughout the book the young man Peter Fleishmann's life was the thread of interest. The tragedies in his life piled up through his youth, to such an extent that the internment camp was his first happy experience. It provided him consistent companionship, security, and the unique chance to learn art, his passion, from real artists who happened to be there and ready for this eager student. I won't tell any more, but please don't neglect to read the two short Postscript and Afterword chapters at the end.
The author's description brought to life the experiences of an unfortunate (with one exception) group of people who were ruthlessly placed in the Hutchinson internment camp during WW2. I couldn't help but feel anger at the Brits, (I know, the U.S. did the same thing to the Japanese) - and devastated at learning that one of my heroes, Winston Churchill, ordered the internment that was done rashly, in a panic, and without vetting. The result was that the large majority of those in the camp had been open Nazi haters, certainly not spies. But somehow their associations with relatives in Germany - or whatever - led the officials to pay them late night visits that took them away from their families, their jobs, and leaving those families destitute in many cases. The author didn't focus on the justified bitterness that must have swamped the men in this camp, day and night, but didn't belittle it either. He praised and celebrated the industriousness and motivation of active minds -- accomplished and talented people who were thrown together and were open to learning each other's areas of expertise to the extent that was possible, and demonstrating their own talents by lecturing, performing, and finding a way to do artwork by creating their own pigments using ground up substances mixed with margarine. Throughout the book the young man Peter Fleishmann's life was the thread of interest. The tragedies in his life piled up through his youth, to such an extent that the internment camp was his first happy experience. It provided him consistent companionship, security, and the unique chance to learn art, his passion, from real artists who happened to be there and ready for this eager student. I won't tell any more, but please don't neglect to read the two short Postscript and Afterword chapters at the end.
May 24, 2023
I've always thought the British people were incredibly brave and honorable during WWII, but this book changed my opinion. Or rather, it made me realize that they could be just as fearful of strangers and cruel to refugees as the citizens of most other countries. This book tells the story of a group of refugees, most of whom fled Nazi Germany for the hope of freedom in England, who were classified as "enemy aliens" and sent to an internment camp. One of these was a 17 year old orphan who arrived on the Kindertransport, only to be shipped off to the Hutchinson Camp on the Isle of Man. Nothing in Peter's life had gone well for him, but amazingly he found that he had landed in the midst of an extraordinary group of captives who had created a thriving cultural community. It's a great story that also posits an important moral question that nations must answer about how they respond to refugees who may or may not be who they claim to be: "How far can we go in the rightful defense of our values, without abandoning them along the way?"
February 7, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. I thought the author did a great job of telling a compelling story without getting bogged down in the details.
During WW2 Great Britain used internment camps for foreign nationals. Many of these camps were on the Island of Mann. The author tells stories of one of the camps and it's famous residents. Most of the "prisoners" were German Jews who fled Germany under Hitler's rule. Pretty crazy. Overall great book.
I also really enjoyed another book from this author, "A Game of Birds and Wolves"
During WW2 Great Britain used internment camps for foreign nationals. Many of these camps were on the Island of Mann. The author tells stories of one of the camps and it's famous residents. Most of the "prisoners" were German Jews who fled Germany under Hitler's rule. Pretty crazy. Overall great book.
I also really enjoyed another book from this author, "A Game of Birds and Wolves"
December 15, 2025
Fascinating book about the lives of three people interned on the Isle of Man. In the course of following their lives preceding the war, journey to internment on to lives post war, the protagonists encounter terrible cruel events, a phenomenal number of cultural icons - artists, musicians, - and highly regarded academics. The book is overly packed with details of so many individuals, maybe missing a detail of a person would mean not witnessing them fully. I’m not sure… it does make for dense read at times. The back of the book has many endnotes, which I have to admit I stopped referring back to them as that disrupted the flow of the narrative.
What I learned, and half knew, more fully was the chaos of allocating exiles, child refugees of Kristalnacht and hard core fascists randomly for internment, despite the obvious injustice.
Definitely worth reading.
What I learned, and half knew, more fully was the chaos of allocating exiles, child refugees of Kristalnacht and hard core fascists randomly for internment, despite the obvious injustice.
Definitely worth reading.
February 1, 2023
This is the largely untold story of Hutchinson, a camp on the Isle of Man, which interned thousands of “enemy aliens” during WWII. Many of those interned were German Jews and refugees who had fled the Nazis only to be forced into British camps. Hutchinson, however, became a bustling artistic and cultural hub because so many of its internees were famous artists, writers, musicians, and professors. This book was fascinating and meticulously researched; I loved it.
April 7, 2025
Fascinating look at British internment camps during WWII, where refugees were imprisoned because the government were worried about them being spies. There were some refugee children who turned 16 then were placed into the camps! The people who had money or connections, were able to get out. I didn’t like how the author jumped from person to person with differing time periods. This made it a little confusing to follow at times.
March 31, 2024
Very interesting part of British history that I did not know much about. There were a few moments when I got a little bored, maybe too many details about a few of the characters, but all in all, an enjoyable read. I did find it strange that there was not the least mention of American internment of the Japanese during the war, because it mentioned several times how America criticized the British for their internment camps before the USA got into the war.
November 12, 2024
Informative book about a topic I knew nothing about. It's a little choppy, but full of information about Britain's internment program during WWII, mostly German Jews who'd escaped to Britain.
February 12, 2023
Incredible story and various biographies within the backdrop of WWII. A must read for anyone who enjoys history and triumph of the human spirit.
November 26, 2022
Just when I thought the US had the market on atrocities committed [and don't get me wrong, we are 100% in the lead for stupid, horrible things done to other human beings, in the name of protection, when it was really done in the name of hate and superiority and SUPREME IGNORANCE], along comes a book about one of the biggest stains on Britain's history that few know about [and to be a fly on the wall of some people's houses when this book comes out and they are presented with it] and when people read it, it will be done in horror that people, some of them CHILDREN, were treated in such a way when all they wanted was safety and comfort from the horrors of Nazi Germany.
Imagine, being a child and being a part of the Kinder Transport and getting to England, the land that is to save you, and you find yourself, not in someone's home, getting love and comfort, but in a camp - the very thing that you were fleeing [often at the expense of the parent's that sent you to keep you safe] wondering just why you were there. This is what happens to Peter [one of the main characters of the book] along with others who were just fleeing for their lives and had the misfortune to be German [though there is a TWIST at the end, though it doesn't have to do with Peter and I will admit breathing a sigh of relief at that] and this book is about their time on the Isle of Man and what happened to them there and afterwards.
What I found interesting is, after the war was over and the horrors of what happened in Poland and Czechoslovakia and Russia and Germany came out, according to interviews with the detainees at the camp, they were grateful it wasn't them at those camps [like it was for many of their family members and friends] as they had 3 meals a day, access to music and art supplies and companionship, warm clothing, common comforts and even though they absolutely should NOT have been there [and the fact that they were not mistreated will never change my mind on this], they certainly had it better than most people in camps [and that includes the Japanese interment here in the states]. Another thing that was said that surprised me, but makes sense given how well they all were treated [even the ones they thought or KNEW were Nazis], is that none of this was done in hate, it was done in fear [unlike the Nazi concentration camps and the Japanese interment camps; those were both done in hate. Pure hate and evil], and again, even though I believe it is totally wrong, I can, in a way, understand that, given that Britain was fighting Germany and these were mostly German citizens and there had to be great fear that they were there to bring the country down [even the children, as it was shown later, many teens worked hard for the Nazi party, all for the glory of the Fuhrer and the Aryan Nation] and war makes people stupid , as history has shown over and over and over again.
Brilliantly written [and narrated by Elliot Fitzpatrick <--I highly recommend listening to this amazing narrator read this book] and sectioned out, this was an amazing read from beginning to end and really, left me wanting just a little bit more.
Thank you to NetGalley, Simon Parkin, and Scribner for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Imagine, being a child and being a part of the Kinder Transport and getting to England, the land that is to save you, and you find yourself, not in someone's home, getting love and comfort, but in a camp - the very thing that you were fleeing [often at the expense of the parent's that sent you to keep you safe] wondering just why you were there. This is what happens to Peter [one of the main characters of the book] along with others who were just fleeing for their lives and had the misfortune to be German [though there is a TWIST at the end, though it doesn't have to do with Peter and I will admit breathing a sigh of relief at that] and this book is about their time on the Isle of Man and what happened to them there and afterwards.
What I found interesting is, after the war was over and the horrors of what happened in Poland and Czechoslovakia and Russia and Germany came out, according to interviews with the detainees at the camp, they were grateful it wasn't them at those camps [like it was for many of their family members and friends] as they had 3 meals a day, access to music and art supplies and companionship, warm clothing, common comforts and even though they absolutely should NOT have been there [and the fact that they were not mistreated will never change my mind on this], they certainly had it better than most people in camps [and that includes the Japanese interment here in the states]. Another thing that was said that surprised me, but makes sense given how well they all were treated [even the ones they thought or KNEW were Nazis], is that none of this was done in hate, it was done in fear [unlike the Nazi concentration camps and the Japanese interment camps; those were both done in hate. Pure hate and evil], and again, even though I believe it is totally wrong, I can, in a way, understand that, given that Britain was fighting Germany and these were mostly German citizens and there had to be great fear that they were there to bring the country down [even the children, as it was shown later, many teens worked hard for the Nazi party, all for the glory of the Fuhrer and the Aryan Nation] and war makes people stupid , as history has shown over and over and over again.
Brilliantly written [and narrated by Elliot Fitzpatrick <--I highly recommend listening to this amazing narrator read this book] and sectioned out, this was an amazing read from beginning to end and really, left me wanting just a little bit more.
Thank you to NetGalley, Simon Parkin, and Scribner for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 2, 2023
I tried, but just couldn't get interested in this book, altho title sounded to interesting. I skimmed some chapters and looked at the many photos. Plan to attempt again and then return to the library.
I'd only known about the Isle of Man featuring a racetrack, so wasn't interested in visiting, but now i've read that there's an exhibition of these famous people described in the book, who were held there as they'd escaped the Nazis.
(Many other ancient ruins and other sites would have also been good to visit.... too bad we missed all that!)
It was interesting as I'd only heard about Guernsey being a camp run by the Nazis.
I'd only known about the Isle of Man featuring a racetrack, so wasn't interested in visiting, but now i've read that there's an exhibition of these famous people described in the book, who were held there as they'd escaped the Nazis.
(Many other ancient ruins and other sites would have also been good to visit.... too bad we missed all that!)
It was interesting as I'd only heard about Guernsey being a camp run by the Nazis.
January 23, 2023
An incredible story substantiated with extensive research which is provided not only in the back matter, but by footnotes within the chapters. I didn't realize how much I missed and appreciate footnotes!! Anyone who studies history, or just likes the personal stories from the past, will find this book provides ample thought for discussion. This creative intelligent group of people were deprived of their families, homes and jobs, but their intelligence and creativity would not be subdued. Racism, antisemitism, and discrimination are central themes, which unfortunately persist today. Do not miss this one.
Thank you to the publisher, Scribner, and Netgalley for the ARC.
Thank you to the publisher, Scribner, and Netgalley for the ARC.
December 27, 2024
This is an amazing and interesting read all about a wartime scandal that affected thousands of refugees at the start of World War II. Sixteen year old Peter Fleischmann, an orphan, is lucky enough to escape Germany as part of the first group of children on the kindertransport, a program set up to help evacuate Jewish children out of Germany in 1938. Finally safe in Britain Peter, along with the other children, wait patiently for a new family to live with. When Peter is finally found a home, it’s with his uncle who lives in the north of England, but Peter’s life with his uncle isn’t easy, and not long after the war begins he finds himself arrested and sent to a camp along with hundreds of other German refugees living in Britain.
This incredible book tells the real life story of what happened to many thousands of men and women at the start of World War II. The book begins with a brief mention of something happening at a camp, before explaining a back story to an important event that led to Kristallnacht and then the subsequent setting up of the kindertransport to help evacuate Jewish children from Germany. The book is so interesting from the start, focusing on a few specific people and following what they do and what happens to them. The main person we follow is Peter, whose life both in Germany and then in Britain is far from an easy one, but I loved reading what happened to this aspiring artist and how his life until his arrest helped shape his resilience to what subsequently happens to him.
I love learning about history, especially that of World War II, but until I read this book I never knew what had happened to tens of thousands of foreign people living here at the outbreak of the war. At first you see how all German and Austrians had to go to a court to see if they were a national risk, with many being given a refugee status at the time, but later there is a dark decision made by the British government to intern all German, Austrians and Italians regardless of whether they were a threat or not as well as deporting many of them too. Many of the people interned were Jewish refugees fleeing Germany, like Peter, and this book does a good job of showing the true reality and horror of what so many went through, particularly the horrible conditions they initially endured after first being arrested.
Even though this book is a non-fiction, it’s written in such a great way that you can imagine the scenes playing out like a movie in your mind. What’s interesting about this book isn’t just the scandalous way many were treated but what happened at the specific internment camp known as Hutchinson which much of this book focuses on. I love what happened there and how amazing it was that a community of so many creative and like-minded people and especially artists came together to create the place that they did. Even though there are harrowing moments throughout the stories of the people interned, there are also some amazing and uplifting moments to read about too.
There’s so much in this book that if I mention more this review will be much too long, but I will say that this is such a brilliant read, so well written, in a way that is easy to understand and so well researched too. You learn so much about what happend to quite a few different people as well as what happened to people in general and there are details of particular incidents too including a terrible accident on a ship close to the Isle of Man, and you also learn the truth about this terrible internment which the British government did back then and which shamefully they have never apologised for.
The book has two sections of glossy pages with photographs and some art that was done by some of the artists in the camp at the time. There is also a roll call of everyone who was at Hutchinson at the time which was interesting to look at as there really was a rich mix of very different men there at the time. There are a couple of uses of the s swear word in the text as well as mentions of deaths and some terrible disasters that happened and some horrific conditions some had to endure too.
Overall this has been such an amazing read for me and so informative too. This book tells the story of something terrible that happened to so many in Britain during the Second World War, at a time when Britain prides itself on being so good in the history books. The individual stories of several of the men are especially interesting to me, if a little sad considering what happened to some of them. Peter’s own story is especially interesting though, and I like what he ends up doing at the end of the war too, and I also found the story of what happens with Warschauer interesting too. I would really recommend this book to everyone to read! It’s so interesting and tells you the truth about a very dark part of Britain’s past which should not be forgotten and although the subject matter is quite dark, it is written in a way that is easy to understand and makes you feel so much for the poor people who ended up interned. Overall such an amazing and thoroughly engrossing read and a favourite book that I really recommend!
-Thanks to the publisher for a free copy.
This incredible book tells the real life story of what happened to many thousands of men and women at the start of World War II. The book begins with a brief mention of something happening at a camp, before explaining a back story to an important event that led to Kristallnacht and then the subsequent setting up of the kindertransport to help evacuate Jewish children from Germany. The book is so interesting from the start, focusing on a few specific people and following what they do and what happens to them. The main person we follow is Peter, whose life both in Germany and then in Britain is far from an easy one, but I loved reading what happened to this aspiring artist and how his life until his arrest helped shape his resilience to what subsequently happens to him.
I love learning about history, especially that of World War II, but until I read this book I never knew what had happened to tens of thousands of foreign people living here at the outbreak of the war. At first you see how all German and Austrians had to go to a court to see if they were a national risk, with many being given a refugee status at the time, but later there is a dark decision made by the British government to intern all German, Austrians and Italians regardless of whether they were a threat or not as well as deporting many of them too. Many of the people interned were Jewish refugees fleeing Germany, like Peter, and this book does a good job of showing the true reality and horror of what so many went through, particularly the horrible conditions they initially endured after first being arrested.
Even though this book is a non-fiction, it’s written in such a great way that you can imagine the scenes playing out like a movie in your mind. What’s interesting about this book isn’t just the scandalous way many were treated but what happened at the specific internment camp known as Hutchinson which much of this book focuses on. I love what happened there and how amazing it was that a community of so many creative and like-minded people and especially artists came together to create the place that they did. Even though there are harrowing moments throughout the stories of the people interned, there are also some amazing and uplifting moments to read about too.
There’s so much in this book that if I mention more this review will be much too long, but I will say that this is such a brilliant read, so well written, in a way that is easy to understand and so well researched too. You learn so much about what happend to quite a few different people as well as what happened to people in general and there are details of particular incidents too including a terrible accident on a ship close to the Isle of Man, and you also learn the truth about this terrible internment which the British government did back then and which shamefully they have never apologised for.
The book has two sections of glossy pages with photographs and some art that was done by some of the artists in the camp at the time. There is also a roll call of everyone who was at Hutchinson at the time which was interesting to look at as there really was a rich mix of very different men there at the time. There are a couple of uses of the s swear word in the text as well as mentions of deaths and some terrible disasters that happened and some horrific conditions some had to endure too.
Overall this has been such an amazing read for me and so informative too. This book tells the story of something terrible that happened to so many in Britain during the Second World War, at a time when Britain prides itself on being so good in the history books. The individual stories of several of the men are especially interesting to me, if a little sad considering what happened to some of them. Peter’s own story is especially interesting though, and I like what he ends up doing at the end of the war too, and I also found the story of what happens with Warschauer interesting too. I would really recommend this book to everyone to read! It’s so interesting and tells you the truth about a very dark part of Britain’s past which should not be forgotten and although the subject matter is quite dark, it is written in a way that is easy to understand and makes you feel so much for the poor people who ended up interned. Overall such an amazing and thoroughly engrossing read and a favourite book that I really recommend!
-Thanks to the publisher for a free copy.
October 10, 2024
33WIN là nhà cái cá cược trực tuyến nổi tiếng trực thuộc công ty truyền thông giải trí nổi tiếng. Chúng tôi cung cấp nền tảng nhà cái văn minh, uy tín với số lượng khuyến mãi hàng đầu.
Thông tin liên lạc:
Địa chỉ: 88 Hẻm 7 Trần Quang Diệu, Phường 14, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh, Việt Nam
Website: https://leehomes.net/
Mail: 33winleehomes@gmail.com
Phone: 03885544233
Tags: #33WIN #33_WIN #33WIN_CASINO #link_33WIN #33winleehomes
Social link:
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Thông tin liên lạc:
Địa chỉ: 88 Hẻm 7 Trần Quang Diệu, Phường 14, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh, Việt Nam
Website: https://leehomes.net/
Mail: 33winleehomes@gmail.com
Phone: 03885544233
Tags: #33WIN #33_WIN #33WIN_CASINO #link_33WIN #33winleehomes
Social link:
https://www.zillow.com/profile/33winl...
https://readthedocs.org/projects/nhac...
https://theresajlv4197.systeme.io/
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October 28, 2022
For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: https://www.ManOfLaBook.com
The Island of Extraordinary Captives: A Painter, a Poet, an Heiress, and a Spy in a World War II British Internment Camp by Simon Parkin tells of the English internment of perceived fifth columnists during World War II. Mr. Parkin is an award winning writer and journalist.
As much reading as I did about WWII, I somehow missed hearing about English internment camps. While the internment of Japanese Americans in the US gets more attention, England’s role in this xenophobic measure is left mainly untold. This, the author tells us, is because it negates the historical narrative the British want, or wanted, to be told.
To be fair, there were spies among the 73,000 prisoners, but the blanket policy was controversial even then.
Many of the 73,000 Germans and Austrians living in England, found themselves tagged as “enemy aliens” overnight. The government’s answer: a mass internment policy. One would think, that putting persecuted Jews, along with known fascists behind a fence would not be such a good idea, but at the time Churchill authorized the policy.
The Island of Extraordinary Captives Simon Parkin tells of the camps by following Peter Fleischmann, a Jewish aspiring artist, and orphan who got to England through the kindertransport. Through his eyes, we see the Hutchinson camp’s life on the Isle of Man for more than a year. The camp held more than a thousand captives, many of whom were luminaries in their respective fields, and many others were rising stars. Lawyers, writers, musicians, academics, and artists. Luckily for them, Captain Hubert Daniel, the camp’s commandant, was a humane person trying to make the best of a policy which he didn’t agree with.
Putting all those accomplished people in one place, it seemed, sparked their artistic brains and turned their prison into a cultural place of learning. Peter, later known as renowned artist Peter Midgley, learned much of his craft during those months from the famed Dadaist Kurt Schwitters, and made lifelong contacts in the art and academic fields.
The camp worked out for Peter, but many others were terrified of falling into Nazi hands when the invasion, which seemed imminent at the time, happened. Being trolled by Nazi sympathizers and fascists daily. There were even “suicide classes” held in secret – just in case.
This is an inspirational read, and does a fine job exposing Churchill’s government’s knee-jerk actions. Somewhere though, the book loses its narrative, when Peter’s journey is sidelined, and the account takes us in different directions.
The Island of Extraordinary Captives: A Painter, a Poet, an Heiress, and a Spy in a World War II British Internment Camp by Simon Parkin tells of the English internment of perceived fifth columnists during World War II. Mr. Parkin is an award winning writer and journalist.
As much reading as I did about WWII, I somehow missed hearing about English internment camps. While the internment of Japanese Americans in the US gets more attention, England’s role in this xenophobic measure is left mainly untold. This, the author tells us, is because it negates the historical narrative the British want, or wanted, to be told.
To be fair, there were spies among the 73,000 prisoners, but the blanket policy was controversial even then.
Many of the 73,000 Germans and Austrians living in England, found themselves tagged as “enemy aliens” overnight. The government’s answer: a mass internment policy. One would think, that putting persecuted Jews, along with known fascists behind a fence would not be such a good idea, but at the time Churchill authorized the policy.
The Island of Extraordinary Captives Simon Parkin tells of the camps by following Peter Fleischmann, a Jewish aspiring artist, and orphan who got to England through the kindertransport. Through his eyes, we see the Hutchinson camp’s life on the Isle of Man for more than a year. The camp held more than a thousand captives, many of whom were luminaries in their respective fields, and many others were rising stars. Lawyers, writers, musicians, academics, and artists. Luckily for them, Captain Hubert Daniel, the camp’s commandant, was a humane person trying to make the best of a policy which he didn’t agree with.
Putting all those accomplished people in one place, it seemed, sparked their artistic brains and turned their prison into a cultural place of learning. Peter, later known as renowned artist Peter Midgley, learned much of his craft during those months from the famed Dadaist Kurt Schwitters, and made lifelong contacts in the art and academic fields.
The camp worked out for Peter, but many others were terrified of falling into Nazi hands when the invasion, which seemed imminent at the time, happened. Being trolled by Nazi sympathizers and fascists daily. There were even “suicide classes” held in secret – just in case.
This is an inspirational read, and does a fine job exposing Churchill’s government’s knee-jerk actions. Somewhere though, the book loses its narrative, when Peter’s journey is sidelined, and the account takes us in different directions.
April 18, 2023
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.5 of 5
Being from the U.S., I was moderately aware of POW and Internment camps here in the States. I honestly hadn't given much thought to such camps in England during WWII, but of course there were. This book examines one such camp, meant to detain Germans and German sympathizers during the war. Unfortunately, camps such as this - which are often quickly assembled - suffer from some political turmoil and lack of proper oversight and in too many cases Jews who fled Germany (for obvious reasons) were detained in British internment camps because, on paper, they were German Nationals and therefore potentially sympathizers. In worst case scenarios, they could potentially be sent back to Germany.
Just as the United States held those of Japanese descent (and Germans) in camps without regard to their actual leanings, the British over-compensated here, rounding up everyone and then addressed specific cases. The Island of Extraordinary Captives by Simon Parkin examines a few specific internees.
Even the artists (I use the term broadly) interned were numerous enough that it might be nearly impossible to really examine each of them and Parkin focuses on just a few, with Peter Fleischmann being the prime focus. Fleishmann was an orphaned teenager when he escaped Germany and was perhaps one of the most un-lucky young men on the planet as was threatened by the Germans and imprisoned by the British, Yet despite everything that befell him, he had he survivor's instinct and the determination to follow through on his artistic desires despite everything.
The book is definitely informative, but it does suffer from being a bit wandering in the narrative. I was never quite sure if this was intended to be a history book of the event, or more of a look at some of the individuals. It could be a combination of these, of course, but frankly, because it doesn't really seem to know the narrative tends to fall a bit flat.
I really wanted to like this more than I did. I find that non-fiction tends to be of more interest to me as I get older, and anything that discusses art and artists will always appeal to me, but this failed to find a way to really capture and hold my interest.
Looking for a good book? From an historical point of view, The Island of Extraordinary Captives by Simon Parkin offers some good insight, but the narrative is disjointed and rambling and not a particularly engaging read.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Being from the U.S., I was moderately aware of POW and Internment camps here in the States. I honestly hadn't given much thought to such camps in England during WWII, but of course there were. This book examines one such camp, meant to detain Germans and German sympathizers during the war. Unfortunately, camps such as this - which are often quickly assembled - suffer from some political turmoil and lack of proper oversight and in too many cases Jews who fled Germany (for obvious reasons) were detained in British internment camps because, on paper, they were German Nationals and therefore potentially sympathizers. In worst case scenarios, they could potentially be sent back to Germany.
Just as the United States held those of Japanese descent (and Germans) in camps without regard to their actual leanings, the British over-compensated here, rounding up everyone and then addressed specific cases. The Island of Extraordinary Captives by Simon Parkin examines a few specific internees.
Even the artists (I use the term broadly) interned were numerous enough that it might be nearly impossible to really examine each of them and Parkin focuses on just a few, with Peter Fleischmann being the prime focus. Fleishmann was an orphaned teenager when he escaped Germany and was perhaps one of the most un-lucky young men on the planet as was threatened by the Germans and imprisoned by the British, Yet despite everything that befell him, he had he survivor's instinct and the determination to follow through on his artistic desires despite everything.
The book is definitely informative, but it does suffer from being a bit wandering in the narrative. I was never quite sure if this was intended to be a history book of the event, or more of a look at some of the individuals. It could be a combination of these, of course, but frankly, because it doesn't really seem to know the narrative tends to fall a bit flat.
I really wanted to like this more than I did. I find that non-fiction tends to be of more interest to me as I get older, and anything that discusses art and artists will always appeal to me, but this failed to find a way to really capture and hold my interest.
Looking for a good book? From an historical point of view, The Island of Extraordinary Captives by Simon Parkin offers some good insight, but the narrative is disjointed and rambling and not a particularly engaging read.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews