Photos

Take #1. Camp Joffre also called Camp Rivesaltes
Just in the friendly South of France, at the very large Rousillon plain you will find outside of Rivesaltes a 600 acres area that for decades (1938-1970) have been used as internment camp for not wanted persons in France. Over the decades they placed people - refugees, adults, children, families from the Spanish civil war here. Under WWII jews and gypsies. Finally by the collapse of their engagement in Algeire 1962, families/collaborators of Algerian orgin (so called Harkis).

This photo shows the latrines to the right and in the back some of the large number of barracks - each holding at the time almost 100 persons, in the best case sleeping on straw matresses at the floor.

As the Republicans loose their fight in Spain thousands and thousands escape over the border to Franch – to be interned in large camps many places in the region. Like on the beaches of Argeles and St. Cyprien, while some 8.000 is interned at Camp Joffre.

No holidays in the camp. Take a look at this extract from a report anno 1941:
“In addition to the poor accommodation, the wretched internees in most of the camps are also poorly fed. The food allowance allocated to them is a daily 10 francs 50. In principle, this is sufficient to provide for a normal diet. The allowance, however, is never completely spent on food because of various reasons, in particular, the current difficulty in procuring food. The amount spent daily by each internee has been evaluated at 3-4 francs. While the normal ration required by a human being lies between 2,000 and 2,400 calories - the essential requirement being 1500 calories - most of the internees consume barely 800 calories. In addition, the cold in their living quarters and their inadequate clothing cause an abnormal calorie loss. An example of a daily ration distributed in a camp best illustrates the gravity of the situation:
180 to 200 grams of bread.
2 to 3 grams of fat
50 grams of rice
twice weekly turnip and swede soup
1/4 of coffee.
This is not a meal but rather the sum total of food distributed for an entire day. The children at RIVESALTES, for instance, receive milk coffee without bread in the morning; from six o’clock in the evening until the following day at noon, they remain without a gram of solid food. In truth, in certain camps the food is distributed less sparingly, but the above example is the most common diet in most of the camps.”
Ref: http://www.anglophone-direct.com

Se also: Take #2. Camp Joffre 1942 and Take #3. Camp Joffre - 1962

The whole photo set >>

PHOTO_VIDEO: Camp Joffre 1939-1970>>