HMS Timbertown - Regarding British sailors interned in The Netherlands during 1914-1918.

HMS Timbertown was the nickname for the World War I internment camp in Groningen, Netherlands, that held approximately 1,500 men from the Royal Naval Division (RND).

Origin and History

Establishment (1914): In October 1914, following the fall of Antwerp, three battalions of the 1st Royal Naval Brigade crossed the border into the neutral Netherlands to avoid capture by German forces. Under international law, neutral countries were required to intern combatant troops for the duration of the war.

The Nickname: The camp was officially called the Interneeringsdepot Groningen (or "The English Camp" by locals). The sailors dubbed it "HMS Timbertown" because the barracks were made of wood and it "housed sailors, not infantrymen".