Internment was the placing of foreigners – mainly German, Austrian and Japanese people – in camps that in many ways resembled prisons. Internees were placed under military guard, and were not allowed to travel around freely or contact other people.

The British government interned foreign nationals during World War Two because it felt they might represent a threat to national security, as spies for "the enemy."

On the outbreak of war, the government had been faced with the question of what to do with non-British residents dubbed "enemy aliens," especially having regard to the fact that so many Germans and Austrians in the UK were Jewish refugees from Nazism.

A similar thing had happened during the First World War, when German and Austrian nationals were interned. It is certainly true that enemy activity was taking place, that spies and enemy agents were operating in Britain, however many people felt that the locking up of foreigners was an unnecessary step to take in a country supposedly fighting to free Europe from the grip of Nazism.

Internment camps were set up on the Isle of Man. This island was used as a base for Alien Civilian Internment camps in both WWI (1914-18) and again in WWII (1939-45).

In WWII existing property, mostly requisitioned bed and breakfast houses or hotels, were cordoned off and used as a series of "camp's". Different camps catered for different nationalities: women and children were housed around Port Erin and Port St Mary in the south of the Island which had controlled access from the rest of the Island; UK Fascists and Italians were interned at Peel; and a section of central Douglas promenade was cordoned off for use as a series of male camps.

In both wars these camps were under British Government control.

British women married to foreigners lost their own nationality. This because women were regarded as their husband’s property.

"In Britain you have to realize every German is an Agent. All of them have both the duty and the means to communicate information to Berlin."

"Arrests should be carried out as a rule in the early morning," stated Home Office guidelines, announcing the decision to intern "enemy" alien women. The only women to be spared were those who were invalid, infirm or in advanced pregnancy, or mothers with children who were dangerously ill.....the police were to search the women’s homes and tell M15 of "any information suggesting the existence of plans for assisting the enemy."