Rush for Dinner Served from the P.o.W. Kitchen
Date made: January 1919
Artist: Kenner, George
Description: This painting is the work of George Kenner, a German living in Britain who was interned on the Isle of Man during the First World War.
It shows a scene at Knockaloe Camp, where Kenner was held. It is dinner time and internees rush back and forth to the kitchens carrying hot food. In the distance the Manx hills are visible. In the foreground there is a scene of chaos and the ground between the huts is churned into mud. The barbed wire fence is visible.
Background:
During the First World War (1914-1918) the Isle of Man was used as an internment base for civilian ‘enemy aliens’. They were held in two camps, a requisitioned holiday camp in Douglas and a purpose built camp located at Knockaloe near Peel on the west coast of the Island. These held at their peaks over 4,000 and 23,000 men in some cases for nearly five years between opening in 1914 and final closure in 1919. Over 30,000 men passed through Knockaloe between 1914 and 1917, more than the population of Douglas.
Measurements: overall: 45.5 cm x 60.8 cm;artwork: 36.5 cm x 55.6 cm
Materials: watercolour on paper
Object name: watercolour painting
Collection: Art Collection
ID number: 2006-0063
Subject tags : #WW1INTERNMENTMUSEUMCOLLECTIONS
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