Sonia Grant ‘RUHLEBEN: BAME civilian internees in Germany during WW1’

Classified as British subjects, approximately 300 BAME men in Germany at the outbreak of World War One were rounded up and interned at a makeshift camp—Ruhleben—a racecourse outside Berlin.

Although relatively small in number, their experiences were unique and, for the most part, has remained obscured. A diverse group, some men fared better as internees than others in the camp—coined Little Britain—which had been transformed into a virtual outpost of the British Empire.

Ultimately, however, their collective stories represent triumph over tragedy and the overall narrative is the rescue of a marginalised group of men otherwise lost to history.

Sonia Grant is a writer, publisher and curator of photographic exhibitions.