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The internment camps in Australia during the WWII

As Italy joined the side of Germany during 10 June 1940, many countries started to impose Italian descents as a threat to their nation. Subsequently, from 1940, Italian descents living in Australia lost their privilege as a free person to the rising fear among the Australian government and community.[1] The restrictions became strict later in the year and housed 20% of Australian-Italians into internment camps in Australia, as well as with other “enemy aliens” residents in Australia.[2] In total the interment camps consisted of “enemy aliens”, foreign internees, German Prisoners of War (POW), Italian POW, politically affiliated foreign enemy nationals,[3] and 300 Aboriginal residents of Cape York mission (a mission ran by a German pastor).[4] The camps in Australia held 30 different nationals with Italians, Germans, and Japanese being the majority. Overall majority of detainees were men with a small population of women and children.[5]

During World War II, there were internment camps scattered all over Australia which detained around 15,000 internees and at least 25,000 Prisoners of War. In total, across the country, there were 18 main internment camps while each state also held “enemy aliens”, Prisoners of War, and internees in smaller temporary camps. These camps were hotspots of culture, ethnicity, and social status which the White Australia Policy did not foresee. Through this, the internment camps grew in size to where the Italian detainees built a community within the camps, urbanizing them with tennis courts and small replica of the Colosseum, and garden.[6]

Italian POW camps in Australia

Subheading: Cowra Camp, New South Wales

From 1941 to 1942, the Cowra Camp was built to house the captured POWs. In this camp, there used to be compounds A, B, C, and D which two were for temporary detainees and two others for permanent. Since 1943 to the end of World War II, there were estimated 14,000 Italian POW who were sent by the British.[7] They were detained in “compounds A and C with approximately 1000 in each.” In addition to the Italian POW, there were Indonesians and Japanese who were detained in the compounds. It still exists in a rundown feature of ingrown trees with a remainder of “stone rubble, salvaged bricks and concrete blocks.”[8]

Subheading: Loveday Camp, South Australia

The Loveday Camp was located near Barmera and consisted of six compounds to accommodate Italian, German, and Japanese internees who primarily worked as paid labors to harvest woods and work on railway roads. There were at one point 3951 internees housed in this camp. While there were POWs from the Netherlands East Indies, the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, Britain and the Middle East, there were no records of Italian POW. There are records of some 134 internees and 1 POW deaths due to illnesses.[9]

Subheading: Harvey No 11 Camp, Western Australia

This camp held Italian “enemy aliens” from September 1940 to April 1942. It was built mainly to detain “enemy aliens” with a couple of POWs imprisoned. Many of the Italian “enemy aliens” were later transferred to Loveday, South Australia which was a bigger facility.[10]  

Subheading: Tatura No. 1 and No. 2 Camps, Victoria

The Camp 1 and 2 in Tatura operated from 1940 to 1947 which were located near each other. The Camp 1 held German and Italian internees which ran as a small town with tennis courts, gardens, and some small businesses. The Camp 2 held groups temporarily at a time such as German Jewish internees, Italian and German POWs. It had basic needs but was not as developed and comfortable as the Camp 1.[11]

Inside the Internment Camps

Many of the captured Italian POW were treated and respected fairly across Australia by the locals and Australian guards. There were no significant events that marked as a “horrific tale” since the Australian internment camps followed the 1929 Geneva Convention properly.[12] However, inside the camps, there were divides between the prisoners according to their ideological stance. The separation of Italian Fascists and anti-Fascists (the Royalists) groups shaped the structure of the camp through the atmosphere created by them, which led to the changes in POW policy of Australia.[13] Even though the Australian intelligence agencies was in charge of controlling Fascist v. anti-Fascist conflicts within the camp, the sudden increase of Fascist POWs in 1941 made it harder. In addition, there were some discriminations faced by the Italian POW from the Australian soldiers because of the stereotype made about their lack of performance in battle compared to the Japanese and Germans. Also, there were some differences in the treatments of Italian internees and POW such as the policy on labor. As such, internees had to be paid for their labor work, while the POW were forced into labor.[14]

The influence of the Italian POW in Australian farms

When the 350,000 Italians POW were caught in North of Africa, they were sent directly to Australia which around 1,500 prisoners and more were sent to farms in Queensland.[15] The Italian POW greatly impacted the labor market of the 1940s Australia when there was a shortage in labor. The Australian government issued a plan to place the Italian POW into local farms without being guarded. But there were some oppositions against this, prior to the execution, by the Australian Worker’s Union and some Australian Labor Party officials. Even though the language barrier played a significant role in this labor policy, the Australian farmers found Italian POW to be hard workers who were a great help to the local community.[16] Many of the Italian POW created strong relationships with the farming community, allowing them to be trusted to work on farms far away from their camps.[17] All of the Italian POW did not return to Italy until 1947 because of the lack in transportation.[18] Because of the strong relationships built through the farm labor program, some returned to Australia to resettle after the war ended. While a couple of the Italian POW married Australians whom they met during their time in forced labor.[19]

Bibliography

Blair, Anna. “Examining Internment through Architecture.” Melbourne School of Design. University of Melbourne, 2015. https://msd.unimelb.edu.au/atrium/examining-internment-through-architecture.

Gordon, Pauline. “Australian Internment Camps of World War II.” State Library Of Queensland. The State of Queensland (State Library of Queensland), August 12, 2020. https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/australian-internment-camps-world-war-ii.

Grossetti , Adam. “How My Family's Lives Were Changed by Australia's Wartime Internment Camps.” ABC News. ABC News, November 27, 2016. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-28/enemy-aliens-australias-wartime-internment-camps/8053112.

“Cowra Prisoner of War Camp Site.” Cowra Prisoner of War Camp Site | Heritage NSW. Heritage NSW, 1997. https://apps.environment.nsw.gov.au/dpcheritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=5045173.

“Internment Camps in Australia during World War I.” Anzac Portal. Australian Government, January 7, 2021. https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/politics/internment-camps#1.

McFarlane, Ian. “ITALIAN PRISONERS OF WAR.” The Companion to Tasmanian History. Centre for Tasmanian Historical Studies, 2006. https://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/I/Italian%20prisoners%20of%20war.htm.

McIntyre, Alan J. “Alan Fitzgerald ‘The Italian Farming Soldiers: Prisoners of War in Australia 1941-1947’ (Book Review).” The Australian Journal of Agricultural Economics. Sydney: Australian Agricultural Economics Society, 1981.

Mikaberidze, Alexander. Behind Barbed Wire: An Encyclopedia of Concentration and Prisoner-of-War Camps. ABC-CLIO, 2018.

Moore, Bob, and Kent Fedorowich. “‘Farming Down Under’: Italian POWs in Australia, 1941–3.” Essay. In The British Empire and Italian Prisoners of War, 72–91. Basingstoke, , London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.

National Archives of Australia. World War II Internee, Alien and POW Records Held in Adelaide. PDF file. https://www.naa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-05/fs-107-world-war-ii-internee-alien-and-pow-records-held-in-adelaide.pdf.

Watt, Philippa, and Elizabeth Brooks. Italian Prisoners of War in Gippsland. PDF file. 1991. http://coasit.com.au/IHS/journals/Individual%20Journal%20Extracts/Italian%20POWs%20Gippsland%20from%20IHS%20Journal0012.pdf.

National Archives of Australia. Tatura – Rushworth, Victoria (1940–47). PDF file. 2014. http://www.australian-stamp-covers.info/Tatura%20Internment%20Group%20Information%20National%20Archives.pdf.

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[1]Gordon, Pauline. “Australian Internment Camps of World War II.” State Library Of Queensland. The State of Queensland (State Library of Queensland), August 12, 2020. https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/australian-internment-camps-world-war-ii.

[2] Grossetti , Adam. “How My Family's Lives Were Changed by Australia's Wartime Internment Camps.” ABC News. ABC News, November 27, 2016. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-28/enemy-aliens-australias-wartime-internment-camps/8053112.

[3] Blair, Anna. “Examining Internment through Architecture.” Melbourne School of Design. University of Melbourne, 2015. https://msd.unimelb.edu.au/atrium/examining-internment-through-architecture.

[4] Grossetti , Adam. “How My Family's Lives Were Changed by Australia's Wartime Internment Camps.” ABC News. ABC News, November 27, 2016. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-28/enemy-aliens-australias-wartime-internment-camps/8053112.

[5] Grossetti , Adam. “How My Family's Lives Were Changed by Australia's Wartime Internment Camps.” ABC News. ABC News, November 27, 2016. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-28/enemy-aliens-australias-wartime-internment-camps/8053112.

[6] Blair, Anna. “Examining Internment through Architecture.” Melbourne School of Design. University of Melbourne, 2015. https://msd.unimelb.edu.au/atrium/examining-internment-through-architecture.

[7]Mikaberidze, Alexander. Behind Barbed Wire: An Encyclopedia of Concentration and Prisoner-of-War Camps. ABC-CLIO, 2018.

[8] “Cowra Prisoner of War Camp Site.” Cowra Prisoner of War Camp Site | Heritage NSW. Heritage NSW, 1997. https://apps.environment.nsw.gov.au/dpcheritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=5045173.

[9] “World War II Internee, Alien and POW Records Held in Adelaide.” National Archives of Australia. Australian Government. Accessed December 17, 2021. https://www.naa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-05/fs-107-world-war-ii-internee-alien-and-pow-records-held-in-adelaide.pdf.

[10] “Internment Camp Memorial Shrine.” Internment Camp Memorial Shrine | Monument Australia. Monument Australia, 2018. https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/conflict/ww2/display/60588-internment-camp-memorial-shrine.

[11] National Archives of Australia. Tatura – Rushworth, Victoria (1940–47). PDF file. 2014. http://www.australian-stamp-covers.info/Tatura%20Internment%20Group%20Information%20National%20Archives.pdf.

[12] Moore, Bob, and Kent Fedorowich. “‘Farming Down Under’: Italian POWs in Australia, 1941–3.” Essay. In The British Empire and Italian Prisoners of War, 72–91. Basingstoke, , London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.

[13] Moore, Bob, and Kent Fedorowich. “‘Farming Down Under’: Italian POWs in Australia, 1941–3.” Essay. In The British Empire and Italian Prisoners of War, 72–91. Basingstoke, , London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.

[14] “Internment Camps in Australia during World War I.” Anzac Portal. Australian Government, January 7, 2021. https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/politics/internment-camps#1.

[15] McIntyre, Alan J. “Alan Fitzgerald ‘The Italian Farming Soldiers: Prisoners of War in Australia 1941-1947’ (Book Review).” The Australian Journal of Agricultural Economics. Sydney: Australian Agricultural Economics Society, 1981.

[16] McIntyre, Alan J. “Alan Fitzgerald ‘The Italian Farming Soldiers: Prisoners of War in Australia 1941-1947’ (Book Review).” The Australian Journal of Agricultural Economics. Sydney: Australian Agricultural Economics Society, 1981.

[17] Watt, Philippa, and Elizabeth Brooks. Italian Prisoners of War in Gippsland. PDF file. 1991. http://coasit.com.au/IHS/journals/Individual%20Journal%20Extracts/Italian%20POWs%20Gippsland%20from%20IHS%20Journal0012.pdf.

[18] McFarlane, Ian. “ITALIAN PRISONERS OF WAR.” The Companion to Tasmanian History. Centre for Tasmanian Historical Studies, 2006. https://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/I/Italian%20prisoners%20of%20war.htm.

[19] McIntyre, Alan J. “Alan Fitzgerald ‘The Italian Farming Soldiers: Prisoners of War in Australia 1941-1947’ (Book Review).” The Australian Journal of Agricultural Economics. Sydney: Australian Agricultural Economics Society, 1981.

Practicing citations

The source is from the New South Wales public library, the Mitchell Library, which obtains collections of the Italian POW identity cards from the 1940s.

It was published by the government associated publication, The Journal of Public Record Office Victoria, in 2020.

It is a credible source because it was published by Palgrave Macmillan which has a long history in article and journal publication of 175 years.

The author who wrote this article was the research professor at the University of Tasmania, Ian McFarlane.

This source is credible because it was published by the Liverpool university press which is one of the oldest publishing England.

Italian POW

The Italian Prisoners of War internment camps

As Italy joined the side of Germany during 10 June 1940, many countries started to impose Italian descents as a threat to their nation. Subsequently, from 1940, Italian descents living in Australia lost their privilege as a free persons to the rising fear among the Australian government and community. There were implemented laws against the Italian descents, the so called "Enemy Aliens", to protect the nation from falling to the enemy (the Nazi and its allies). The enforced laws were a way to regulate the Italians through the registration as local residence, prior approval of moving, and travel restriction within the community. This was a necessarily task, implemented by the Nation Security (Aliens Control) Regulations, for "Enemy Aliens" such as the Italians and Italian descents to follow in order to live in Australia. Later in the year, the restrictions implemented through the use of the National Security Act 1939 increased to house them into interment camps which were located in every state of the country. Some of the interment camps built or existed during this time were:

• Cowra, New South Wales
• Enoggera (Gaythorne), Queensland
• Harvey, Western Australia
• Hay, New South Wales
• Holsworthy (Liverpool), New South Wales
• Loveday, South Australia
• Rottnest Island, Western Australia
• Tatura (Rushworth), Victoria

Italian POW

Answers to Module 7 Questions

• Describe your media
  • It is photography of the Italian Prisoners of War working at the Beattie's farm for their labor work in Australia.
• Is it your own work?
  • No, it is not my work. But it is a free, non-copyrighted source (Public Domain).
• What is the file format?
  • It is a "JPG" format.
• What license have you chosen?
  • Public Domain license
• What category/gallery will you add it to?
  • I will use this in the "influence of the Italian Prisoners of War" category.
• How will you describe the file?
  • It is a file format to save imaged that are compressed into a form that can be transferred.