During this month, each weekday I'm posting a photograph showing Cornwall's First World War.
Here's an image from August 1914, the month Britain declared war on Germany.
With deeply unlucky timing,
just as war came two German liners sailing for America put in at Falmouth. The Hamburg America vessel Prince Adalbert
(Captain Schonfeldt) arrived on 4 August, closely followed by Kronprinzessin
Cecilie. Their crews and several hundred
passengers classed as aliens were transferred to Custom House Quay by the tug Victor and detained, some in
stinking quayside fish-houses.
Both
vessels were seized;
the aliens, harmless and by no means all Germans (some were Americans),
were temporarily moved to workhouses at Falmouth, Helston, Madron,
Redruth, St
Columb Major and Truro. Later, most were permanently interned east of
the Tamar.
In
the image, a line of aliens have been marched up Redruth’s West End
hill, escorted by policemen. They're on their way to detention at
Barncoose workhouse. Local children join in the procession.
My new book, 'Cornwall In The First World War', is published by Truran. With 112 pages and 100
images, you'll find it in bookshops across the Duchy. It's also available through Amazon: http://amzn.to/19JbtZm
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