Port Erin Women's Detention Camp was a World War II internment camp on the Isle of Man at

Port Erin Port Erin ( gv, Purt Çhiarn, meaning ''lord's port'') is a seaside village in the south-west of the Isle of Man, in the historic parish of Rushen. It was previously a seaside resort before the decline of the tourist trade. Administratively it ...

. It was Europe's only all-female internment camp. Notable internees included

Dora Diamant Dora Diamant (Dwojra Diament, also Dymant) (4 March 1898 – 15 August 1952) is best remembered as the lover of the writer Franz Kafka and the person who kept some of his last writings in her possession until they were confiscated by the Gest ...

the lover of Franz Kafka in the last year of his life, and

Fay Taylour Fay Taylour (5 April 1904 – 2 August 1983), known as Flying Fay, was an Irish motorcyclist in the late 1920s and a champion speedway rider. She switched to racing cars in 1931. She was interned as a fascist during the Second World War. Afte ...

, champion motorcycle, speedway and racing car driver.

Other camps

Other WWII internment camps at on the Isle of Man included the

Hutchinson Internment Camp Hutchinson Internment Camp was a World War II internment camp in Douglas, Isle of Man, particularly noted as "the artists' camp" due to the thriving artistic and intellectual life of its internees. Location and structure The camp consisted of 39 ...

in Douglas, noted as “the artists’ camp”, the

Metropole Internment Camp A metropole (from the Greek ''metropolis'' for "mother city") is the homeland, central territory or the sovereign state , state exercising Power (social and political) , power over a colonial empire. From the 19th century, the English langua ...

also in Douglas, predominantly for Italians,

Sefton Internment Camp Sefton Camp was one of the World War II internment camps in the Isle of Man, where Italian, German and Finnish residents of Britain were held. The camp was located in the Sefton Buildings, built during the 1890s next to the Gaiety Theatre, on t ...

on the promenade in Douglas, the Peel Internment Camp, and

Mooragh Internment Camp Mooragh Camp was a World War II internment camp in Ramsey, Isle of Man, in operation from May 1940 until September 1945. It was the first such camp on the island since World War I. The opening of the camp Following an announcement of the planne ...

in Ramsey.

Rushen Camp Rushen ( ; gv, Rosien), formally Kirk Christ Rushen, is one of the seventeen historic parishes of the Isle of Man. It is located in the south of the island (part of the traditional ''South Side'' division) in the sheading of the same name. A ...

was later established for couples, but run by civilian owners who remained in the camp, instead of the military.

Notable internees

Hedy Bienenfeld Hedwig "Hedy" Bienenfeld, also known after marriage as Hedy Wertheimer (17 October 1907 – 24 September 1976) was an Austrian Olympic swimmer. She won a bronze medal in the 200m breaststroke at the 1927 European Aquatics Championships. She comp ...

(1907–1976), Austrian-American Olympic swimmer

References

{{coord missing, Isle of Man Internment camps in the Isle of Man Women in World War II History of women in the United Kingdom