Sophie's posts

“Within Our Gates: A New Perspective on Germans in Glasgow During the First World War”, Ben Braber

“Within Our Gates: A New Perspective on Germans in Glasgow During the First World War” by Ben Braber analyses the treatment of Glasgow’s German community during the period of anti-German violence that occurred throughout Britain.

Braber looks at why the anti-German riots of 1915 did not take place in Glasgow, arguing that we must analyse the events and circumstances locally, rather than make broad assumptions on Britain’s treatment of this issue. He states that the riots did not occur in Glasgow because the desire to “strike out against Germans” was focused on political action and public debate. He also considers that the anti-German issue was overshadowed by other concerns at this time, for instance, the rent strike. Braber believes that the German community that stayed in Glasgow was under immense pressure to denounce Germany and leave their organisations, which overall led to the demise of the German community in Glasgow. He uses attitudes towards Jewish population as a comparison to the British views on the German community during the war. Also throughout the article, he briefly looks at other immigration communities, such as Belgian and Russian immigrants. The author compares the treatment of these immigrant groups with the treatment of German immigrants. Belgian refugees, for example, received a warm welcome, and the “alleged German atrocities” towards Belgium were continuously used as justification for the extreme measures against Germans living in Britain.

The article begins with a discussion of the popular debate around the issue of the deterioration of the German immigrant community, reviewing the arguments of historians such as Saunders and Panayi. Following this, Braber looks at migration as a whole, showing that Germans contributed to British society, working as clerks and waiters, for example. Braber then compares this to Jewish immigrants, highlighting that they often, for instance, worked in retail. The author then goes on to look at the measures that were taken to deal with enemy aliens, such as the Aliens Restrictions Act of 1914, which allowed authorities to restrict their lives and confiscate property, for example. Furthermore, following the sinking of the Lusitania, disturbances took place throughout Britain, including in London and Manchester. Braber lastly looks at the wider context of how the violence against Germans reflected and influenced other responses to war and unrest, arguing that the Glasgow race riots of 1919, for example, resembled the anti-German violence earlier that decade.

Overall, Braber’s article is a useful analysis of Glasgow’s response to the anti-German attitudes that were occurring throughout Britain during the war. The author confidently inserts his own opinion within the context of historical debate, and uses secondary views to strengthen his points. Furthermore, the use of primary sources, such as the Glasgow Herald, aid Braber’s argument by giving first-hand evidence from the period he addresses. Overall, Braber presents a useful and insightful argument.

Jennifer's posts

Caesar C. Aronsfeld, ‘Jewish Enemy Aliens in England During the First World War’

Aronsfeld writes about the treatment and experiences of Jewish people during the first world war. He details that German Jews living in England suffered during the war and were treated poorly. He notes that having a British citizenship did not protect those of alien birth.

The Times newspaper was also printing anti-Semitic propaganda and used the word “Jew” in a derogatory manner. As well as this, they used the words “German” and “Jew” as interchangeable terms. Antisemitic views were spreading through Britain fast.

Aronsfeld Further notes that Jewish M.Ps and people of power were discriminated against. For example, Mr Arthur Strauss, the conservative M.P for North Paddington was asked to resign because he was a native German. It did not matter that he was naturalized, only that he came from Germany. This Highlights that nobody was safe from anti-Semitic views and opinions during the war. if an individual was German or Jewish, they would be discriminated against. He also notes that Edgar Speyer was requested to resign from the chairmanship of the hospital that he worked at because of threats of large withdraws of subscribers if he remained on the board. His wife was also asked to remove their daughters from the school that they attended in London, in fear that English people would take their daughters away and enrol them in different schools.

Additionally, After the sinking of the Lusitania Sir Arthur Pinero, the playwright suggested that the Jewish community band together and express their detestation of Germanys welfare. However, the Jewish community did not think it was necessary to confirm their loyalty to Britain when they had lived there for so long, but a frenzy of public opinion forced them to do so. Aronsfeld highlights that there were consequences for the Jewish community if they did not affirm their loyalty to Britain. If they kept silent it may have led to suspicion of them “sitting on the gate”. Many members of the Jewish community felt humiliated that they were forced to show their loyalty to Britain through writing, as they had been showing their loyalty for many years through their deeds.

Aronsfeld concluded his chapter by noting that the Jewish community had been boycotted and abandoned from their adopted country. A country that they had proven their loyalty to many times had now shunned them because they were by law “aliens”.

Heather's posts

S. Yarrow, ‘The impact of hostility on Germans in Britain’ 1914-1918

‘The impact of hostility on Germans in Britain 1914-18’ by S. Yarrow seeks to evaluate the effect of hostility on the German migrants in Britain in the war years of 1914 to 1918. Yarrow creates an unbiased and intriguing argument that centres on the idea of the German community not being homogenous and that this lack of cohesion meant the anti-German hostility impacted individuals in a complex way.

Firstly, arrow notes provides context by referring to hostility faced by migrants and the suffering this caused, especially for  wives of German migrants. The  lack of  husbands, due to internment, meant that wives were left vulnerable to destitution. In turn the British and German government had to take action. The Destitute Aliens Committee was therefore set up in November 1915 to provide funds to the wives of interned soldiers. Along with other associations  such as the CCUAR (Central council of United Aliens Relief), which sought to change the perception of German migrants as the enemy, Yarrow emphasises  the way in which the German community came together to support the most vulnerable during a time of need.

Yarrow goes on to show the actions of naturalised Germans, much of whom were benefactors of prominent German organisations, to articulate the point of complex reactions. Richer naturalised Germans felt it their responsibility to show the common interest of those Germans who were restricted by government initiatives but as well they still had to be loyal to Britain. These individuals, therefore, gave back to the German community as well as Britain. Baron Von Schrooler for example gave a home for the children of enemy aliens, while also giving money to war charities. The loyalty letters, as Yarrow shows, were a way that naturalised Germans showed their loyalty to Britain, as a result of the recent Lusitania attacks. It is suggested that many felt it was their duty to write the letters but it was still a risky move in showing a relationship with enemy aliens. The point Yarrow argues is that the loyalty letters and the actions of naturalised Germans are evidence that the naturalised were trying to preserve the links between themselves and the enemy aliens during hostility.

It was not only the naturalised Germans who organised themselves during hostility. Rudolf Rocket, a German writer and activist, set up a kitchen for German migrants who had lost their jobs. The CCUARS for example branched out into constituent societies. The charity work of the CCUARS in conjunction with the Home Office and police, was as according to Yarrow  coming together to provide a safety net for Germans in a time of need.

Yarrow lastly points to internment camps to finalise this complex reaction. Through the use of contemporary and modern interpretations, such as Sylvia Pankhurst, Yarrow shows that internees suffered great physical and mental side effects in the camps. Yet some suffered in better conditions. The camp divisions which formed along class, religion and professional lines emphasised the differing reactions to hostility, to segregate into communities. Although in all of these sections there was a growing sense of German nationalism. It is rather interesting how even in time of hostility many Germans showed their roots with pride, in a sense it was almost a way of proving them before they were fully destroyed. It can be argued that these camps were a representation of the German community in hostile times, the separation within mimicked that on the outside but yet there was still some sense of community left as everyone would band together to honour their German heritage.

Emily's posts

Stefan Manz “Civillian Internment in Scotland during the First World War”. In ‘Totally un-English’?: Britain’s Internment of ‘Enemy Aliens’ in Two World Wars, edited by R. Dove.

This chapter takes a brief look at the German migrant community in Scotland before the First World War, before looking at how German and Austrian settlers were treated during the war, and looking at conditions in the central Scottish internment camp. Previous studies by John C. Bird and Panikos Panayi show there was anti-German hysteria in the UK around the time of the First World War, as people believed that they were spies. However these studies do not tackle anti-German hysteria in a Scottish context, which this chapter does.

The German community in Scotland was 2,362 in 1911, versus 53, 324 in England and Wales. The chapter mentions types of German professions in Scotland, such as school and university teachers, hairdressers, bakers and miners. There was a high participation in German ethnic activities, but these were dissolved by the outbreak of war in 1914 by introduction of restrictive measures against ‘enemy aliens’ brought in by the UK Government, which Scotland fell under. Before and during the war many Germans in Scotland had their shop windows smashed in anti-German riots, just like in England. Establishments like restaurants were posting notices saying they would not serve Germans or German-born Britons as British customers were unwilling to sit near them.

The Aliens Restriction Act of the 5th of August 1914 gave the British wartime government the power to deal with ‘enemy aliens’ as they saw fit. As a result, the movement of Germans or Austrians living in Britain at the time of war was tightly monitored and controlled. The chapter gives the examples of Friedrich Bernhard Wiegand and Fritz A. Schrieber, who were two migrants living in Scotland at the time. Wiegand was interned as an ‘enemy alien’ in the Knockaloe internment camp on the Isle of Man in 1915, despite having lived in Scotland since 1899, and having a Scottish-born family. Wiegand was able to return to his family in November 1918. Schreiber was not so fortunate in his experience. He resigned from his job as Managing director of Tenents Brewery in Glasgow in 1916. The board told him that there was strong feeling against the re-imposition of a foreign worker in management. Schreiber was then interned, and then repatriated to Germany, where he died shortly after.

The chapter also states that Police Scotland would show up on the doorsteps of ‘enemy aliens’ and take them to a prison cell for a couple of nights, before being handed over to the military to be interned. Once in the internment camps, visits were restricted to Saturdays and were attended by an interpreter, and all ingoing and outgoing mail was censored. The long periods of internment and isolation caused boredom and depression. Work, recreation and education were the only ways to escape boredom. Around the camps German prisoners assisted in the infirmary and the kitchen. Many prisoners engaged in road building and played football.

During the war many German and Austrian settlers in Scotland were displaced. The whole of the Scottish East Coast was declared a prohibited area for ‘enemy aliens’.