Our speaker this month was Tim Lynch on 2nd May 2026
Tim started his talk by putting this in context; about how immigrants from Germany as Angles and Saxons started arriving in this country around 410 after the Romans and left c1066. Tim also gave us some European history and how the First Reich, the first German empire, lasted until 1806 when Napoleon took over. He told us how Britain borrowed some of their monarchs from abroad such as George II and George III. Prince Albert was from Saxe-Coburg and he and Queen Victoria had over 40 grandchildren, one of whom was Wilhelm II, Kaiser Bill. His father had fought wars against his neighbours to create a unified Germany in 1871 which was known as the Second Reich. The Kaiser hated the British and was a bully and was the latest in a long line of mad German rulers.
Towards the end of the 19th century, things in Europe were chaotic and many people wanted to leave for America and many came to Britain which resulted in bad feeling being stirred up here against immigrants. It became obvious that Germany was wanting to expand and there was a feeling that Britain needed to build up her military strength. Books were being published about German invasions of Britain, sponsored by the Daily Mail and perpetuated by film; Germany was the enemy.
Tim told us that in 1914 there were around 73,000 Germans living in Britain. They were not necessarily born German but on the outbreak of war they became German and had an obligation to serve in the German army. They had to leave to join their country which resulted in the strange situation of German and British servicemen leaving Bradford on the same train, to fight. The Germans had to leave Britain by August 10th and after this date they were taken into custody. Tim related how the public would believe anything of these people, how they were enemy agents,
ready with weapons to help their country when the day came. Everyone was a suspect and the rumour mills went mad. It resulted in the Government having to step in and quell the rumours.
Spies were real though and we were told the story of Carl Hans Lody who was caught and shot in the Tower of London, one of a total of 41 shot during the war. Tim informed us of the riots and looting of German owned shops in 1914 which spilled over into British owned shops. Anti- German feeling swelled and this resulted in all non British men of military age being rounded up and interned. A lot of these men had settled here and had families but a woman who married a German became German herself – a Hunwife – and without the support of their husbands, some ended up in the workhouse.
Lofthouse Internment Camp was a Privilege Camp, people paid to be interned there rather than other camps; many were employed in jobs that were vital to the war effort, going out during the day and coming back to the camp at night. Tim told us about the different groups in the camp and how good the conditions were. Once the Lusitania was sunk public feeling against the Germans once again was heightened, riots and attacks on people followed and innocent people were often caught up in this. Some internees did not know where they stood and found this difficult to deal with. They had been sentenced to prison without an end in sight and this led to suicides. Sons of men who were interned were called up to fight and there was a spate of name changing.
We were told the stories of different people who had escaped from the camp such as Richard Wiener who had walked out of the camp and made it to Sweden, writing an article that was published in Britain. There were more stories, such as that of Heinz Justus, who escaped
disguised as a woman and after several recaptures was brought back to Lofthouse. The last attempted breakout from Lofthouse was in November 1919. Mass panic at the start of the war had to some extent changed to empathy.
Tim closed his talk by leaving us with an interesting question: Who gets to decide which side you would be on in a conflict?
Lorraine Simpson
