From early
November, a South African Roman Catholic priest, Father Schmidt, arrives voluntarily at the camp and decides to remain with
the internees for the duration of the war.
Thursday 5th
Deadline for the German ultimatum comes and goes.
Friday 6th
Mass arrests of British civilians
in Germany begins. By late afternoon, hundreds have already arrived at Ruhleben. Eleven stables in the
course, each containing 27 horse boxes, are officially designated as "Barracks", and prisoners are housed within them.
Those that cannot find room in the boxes are placed into the haylofts, and the Tea House also becomes designated as a Barrack.
The race course's grandstand also temporarily houses some prisoners.
Monday 9th
First Barracks Captains meeting held.
Friday 13th
Creation of civilian police force within Ruhleben.
J. H. Platford opens a library in Barrack 1, with 83 books available to
borrow, supplied by the United States ambassador.
Shoemaker opens for business in Barrack 4.
Sunday 15th
Two open air Protestant church services are held in the grandstand, packed
to capacity.
Monday 16th
Final of the first football competition is held in the camp at 1.45pm,
between Oldham (Public Schools XI) and Tottenham (Scratch XI). A notice asks supporters to "PLEASE (in your own interest) keep
failry quiet."
Tuesday 17th
All newspapers are banned from the camp.
Wednesday 18th
First Barracks receive heating. It takes a week for the rest to be completed.
Thursday 19th
The prisoners are ordered by the Germans to undergo daily marches around
the race track for exercise.
Friday 20th
Snow in the camp.
Saturday 21st
First inmate dies in the camp, a donkeyman from the S. S. Sapper.
Sunday 22nd
Hard frost in the camp with a "biting east wind".
Two open air Protestant church services are held in the grandstand.
Monday 23rd
Berlin Cocoa men make a delivery to the camp.
Tuesday 24th
Funeral of the S. S. Sapper crewman who died on the previous Saturday.
Wednesday 25th
The playing of football in the camp is forbidden.
Friday 27th
The playing of all ball games in the camp is forbidden.
The "Skilly Riot" happens, when many merchant seamen spontaneously refuse
to eat the gruel with which they are being chronically underfed. It is soon broken up, but the net result is that the contractor
supplying the food is removed a few months later.
Saturday 28th
Arrival of 240 new prisoners.
Sunday 29th
The Reverend H. M. Williams, the Anglican chaplain in Berlin, comes to
the camp to carry out a service. (He will return once a fortnight for most of the duration of the camp.)
Monday 30th
The construction of two new barracks buildings gets underway.
