In the days leading up to the outbreak of the second world war, writes Simon Parkin, the British police and intelligence services were “deluged with tipoffs about suspicious refugees and foreigners”. A beekeeper was detained when investigators found a diary entry reading “Exchange British queen for Italian queen”. An art historian was reported by a neighbour who had heard some suspicious knocking noises (perhaps a secret coded message?) produced by the bed while he was having sex with his fiancee.
By the time Churchill became prime minister in May 1940, the mood was even more fevered. Imminent invasion seemed highly likely and the country, inflamed by sensationalist newspaper articles, was deeply worried about the “fifth column menace”. The government could therefore claim popular support for its decision to intern all “enemy aliens”. Yet these included thousands of Jews and other opponents of Nazism who now found themselves locked up with German prisoners of war and other committed fascists.
