What is it about?
The internment of “enemy subjects” in response to the outbreak of war in Europe in August 1914 reflected global security concerns. South Africa, then a newly constituted Dominion of the British Empire, followed London’s lead and interned some 2500 German and Austro-Hungarian nationals. Based on the examination of official and private records, this article analyses the story of a German, migrant couple: Karl and Marie Hens. It explores their life in South Africa hustling to make a living and then, after August 1914, first to escape and then survive war-time internment.
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Why is it important?
Civilians often bear the brunt of the impact of warfare. They suffer the physical destruction of their bodies and homes, and the disruption of their social and economic lives. This paper reveals the difficult relationships between German civilians - in South Africa during the First World War - and the community and between the internees themselves and the relief agencies. They suffered the impact of severe personal restriction and growing impoverishment to the politics of release in 1919.
Perspectives
I enjoyed writing this article. It presents a very different picture of South Africa's First World War and one that had to be told.
Prof Ian van der Waag
Rabdan Academy
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: “A man who wants constant watching”: Karl Hens (1872-1948) and the politics of wartime internment in South Africa, 1914–1918, Immigrants & Minorities, April 2024, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/02619288.2024.2339816.
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