[German-Australian Literature]. SCHRÖDER, Ludwig (editor)

Der Kamp-Spiegel. Wochenschrift für die Kriegsgefangenen in Australien [(literally) The Camp Mirror. A Weekly for Prisoners of War in Australia. The complete two-year run of this journal (from 9 April 1916 to 7 April 1918) bound in two volumes]

Liverpool, mimeographed (first year), and printed by 'Kampspiegel-Druckerei, G.C.C.' [German Concentration Camp] (second year), 1916 to 1918.

Two volumes, large quarto (first year), and small quarto (second year). FIRST YEAR: 52 weekly issues (from 9 April 1916 to 8 April 1917), generally 12 pages per issue (the covers in Numbers 1-19 are included in the pagination) with numerous illustrations after hand-drawn sketches and cartoons (including a full-page plan of the camp in Number 30), plus a plate in Number 45 (an illustration of the camp). Numbers 29, 38, 41 and 42 contain an extra leaf of advertisements (that in Number 41 is chipped around all edges); Number 31 is a special Gymnastics Festival issue (16 pages); Number 37 is a special edition for Christmas 1916 (20 pages); other special issues are Number 42 (for the Kaiser's birthday) and Number 52 (Easter); Numbers 48 and 49 are bound in the wrong order. The covers in a number of instances are printed on coloured card. SECOND YEAR: 52 weekly issues (from 17 April 1917 to 7 April 1918), 12 pages plus the pictorial wrappers per issue (except for the Christmas issue, 1917, which has two extra leaves of advertisements, and Number 52, the index to the second year [drop title, 8 pages]), with several illustrations (some from photographs) plus an additional plate between Numbers 29 and 30 ('Der Neubau des Deutschen Theaters'), and a folding plan of the camp in Number 33; an extra plate in Number 15, called for in the index, is not present. The wrappers for most of the first forty numbers are printed on salmon-coloured paper. Some miscellaneous information for the record: the very first number has the variant title 'Der Kamp Spiegel. Wochenschrift der Deutschen Kriegsgefangenen'; from the beginning of the second year the initial 'Der' is dropped from the title.

Matching contemporary half brown stippled cloth and marbled papered boards, retaining the original pictorial wrappers (with many in the first year coloured by hand); covers lightly worn; edges trimmed, with a minimal amount of text cropped in several issues in the first volume; acidic paper uniformly browned; red ink underlining to one passage (complaining of censorship); the folding plan has an old tape repair to the hinge; a few trifling marks and edge tears; in excellent condition.

The German Concentration Camp at Holdsworthy (now Holsworthy) near Liverpool on the outskirts of Sydney, was the largest of a number of internment camps built to house 'enemy aliens' from Germany and Austria-Hungary, as well as a large number of naturalised migrants and Australian citizens whose origin or ancestry aroused suspicion of disloyalty. With the decision to close other regional camps and to centralise internment at Holdsworthy, and with the addition of several hundred prisoners of war, numbers at the camp swelled to over 6000. The first year of this weekly newsletter was produced by mimeograph and, while restricted to an English typewriter without German diacritics for the text, the editor exploited the flexibility of this process to experiment with a variety of hand-designed mastheads, illustrations and pictorial wrappers. With the first issue of the second year, 'Kamp-Spiegel' transitioned to a smaller format, and was printed letterpress in a more suitable German blackletter font. From 28 April 1918, the journal became a monthly publication under the title 'Kampspiegel Monatshefte. Illustrierte Zeitschrift für die Kriegsgefangenen in Australien', which ran for nine issues, ending with the Christmas issue of 1918. The weekly journal bears witness to the internees' determination to make the most of what freedom they had, with extensive reports on the musical, theatrical, literary and sporting activities of the camp. Other regular features include updates on the war, humorous pieces, and (in the first year) cartoons. In spite of the restraints imposed by the censor, the journal also lent itself to weightier matters. Of particular interest are a number of lengthy serialised contributions, 'Tagebuchblätter vom Weltkriege' [Leaves from a Diary of the World War], giving detailed first-hand accounts of such events as the fall of Germany's concession at Kiautschou Bay and the voyages of the German raider SMS 'Emden', culminating in her engagement with HMAS 'Sydney' at the battle off the Cocos Islands. Some of the crew of the 'Emden' were interned at Holdsworthy. This run of the journal appears to have been collected by Günter Merten, an internee mentioned regularly in the music and theatre pages (each reference is highlighted in thick pencil); his ink signature appears at the foot of the first page of Number 18. Not in Dornbusch; not in Fielding and O'Neill ... and manifestly rare.

Item #99778

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