Defence Regulation 18B

Defence Regulation 18B was the most famous of the Defence Regulations used by the British Government during World War II. It allowed for the internment of people suspected of being Nazi sympathisers.

18B in force

The initial arrests were few and confined to those believed to be hard-core Nazis: by September 14, there were only 14 people interned. Several of these were German or Austrian by birth but naturalized British subjects. The total would have been higher had not William Joyce been tipped off by an MI5 officer (probably Charles Maxwell-Knight) of his impending internment, allowing him to flee to Germany. A group of Labour and Liberal MPs attempted to annul Code B in Parliament on October 31, 1939 but were persuaded to withdraw their motion in favour of consultation which produced a slightly amended wording.

Related Topics:
September 14 - William Joyce - MI5 - Labour - Liberal - October 31 - 1939

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