Issue #442 – Wednesday, October 30, 2024
A Pilates History Lesson
Joseph Pilates’ Internment Years
by Jonathan Grubb
Most readers around the world will already be aware that Joseph Pilates was held in an internment camp during World War One (WWI). Joseph spoke about his internment; records confirming that he was interned at Knockaloe Camp in the Isle of Man are held at the Manx National Heritage (the Isle of Man’s main museum). 4½ years elapsed from Joseph’s initial arrest in the late Summer of 1914 until his eventual repatriation to Germany in March 1919. This four-part article will explore details of this time in Joseph’s life.
After the outbreak of WWI, a British Act of Parliament caused Joseph, along with other male German-born or Austro-Hungarian-born civilians who were residing in Britain, to be interned to prevent them from spying for the enemy.
To date, there has been no certainty as to the exact date of Joseph’s arrest, as the relevant Government records were destroyed sometime after the War. However, the following newspaper article could provide the exact date!
Prior to this newspaper article, any newspaper reference to the arrest of German civilians in Blackpool, where Joseph Pilates was arrested, related to named individuals. This article was the first to mention a large group of arrests in Blackpool and therefore does not include names, as there would have been too many to list. From the date of the newspaper, it is clear that these arrests took place on the 8th of September 1914. Following his arrest, Joseph Pilates was taken to Lancaster Internment Camp, a former wagon works (pictured below).
In an interview with Doris Hering in Dance Magazine in February 1956, Joseph stated that he spent about a year at Lancaster: the date of these arrests also fits in with his statement.
Jonathan Grubb was born in England in 1962 and has lived on the Isle of Man since he was two years old. His great grandfather Jakob Grub was interned on the Isle of Man until 28 August 1919 in the same camp as Joseph Pilates.
In his younger days Jonathan was a keen amateur sportsman and particularly excelled at football (soccer), representing the Isle of Man in international games on numerous occasions. An anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained towards the end of his playing days led him to discover Pilates and he has been a passionate practitioner ever since. He has traveled to various countries to attend conferences and courses and been fortunate to be mentored by very experienced local teachers.
Having previously been an advanced instructor for several years in the Wu family style of tai chi chuan, Jonathan is currently studying to become a Pilates teacher with MKPilates and his teaching has been enthusiastically welcomed in classes throughout the island already. More on the story of Knockaloe Internment Camp can be found at knockaloe.imCheckout Jonathon’s Facebook page Joseph’s Legacy – Pilates 100 +!