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World War I internee, alien and POW records held in Canberra – Fact sheet 58

Introduction

Internees are prisoners of war (POWs) or enemy aliens who are obliged to reside within prescribed 'camps', generally unable to leave until the termination of the related conflict or war.

During World War I internment in Australia was regulated by the War Precautions Act 1914 and its regulations. The main internment camp was at Liverpool, New South Wales. Most of the internees were Germans living in Australia who were subsequently deported.

The Archives holds many records specifically relating to internment and internees. However, references to individuals often occur in files with general titles. Also, it was not uncommon for internees to be moved from one camp to another, even to another state. Thus records that relate to individual internees may be difficult to identify, though they may exist in the collection of more than one office of the Archives.

This fact sheet identifies records of World War I internees, aliens and prisoners of war held in Canberra. Records in other offices can be identified by using the Archives' publication Finding Families: The Guide to the National Archives of Australia for Genealogists, or the Archives RecordSearch database.

Records relating to WW I internees, aliens and prisoners of war held in Canberra

Governor-General's Office (CA 1)

	Series title	Date range	Series number
	Correspondence relating to the war of 1914–18 ('war files')	1914–19	A11803
	General correspondence (excluding 'war files')	1914–20	A11804

Attorney-General's Department, Central Office (CA 5)

	Series title	Date range	Series number
	Correspondence files	1904–27	A456

Prime Minister's Department (CA 12)

Series title	Date range	Series number
Correspondence files	1904–20	A2
Correspondence files	1921–23	A457
Correspondence files	1923–34	A458

Investigation Branch, Central Office (CA 747)

	Series title	Date range	Series number
	Enquiries by German Red Cross about Germans in Australia	1920	A390
	Personal and subject files	1919–46	A402

2 Military District, New South Wales (CA 6335)

	Series title	Date range	Series number
	Album of identification photographs of enemy aliens (civilian and POW) interned at Liverpool Camp NSW, during World War I (A microfiche copy of this album is held by all offices of the Archives. The album held as D3597 is almost identical to – and more complete than – the similar albums controlled as K565, P1 and SP421/4.)	1914–21	D3597

Clearing Office (Enemy Debts) and Public Trustee (CA 557)

Series title	Date range	Series number
Returns of property under the Trading with the Enemy Act and record of property held (all States)	1916–20	CP176/13
Vesting Orders	1919–29	CP176/16
Register of applications made by ex-enemy nationals for release of their property from the Public Trustee's control	1923–25	CP176/18

Special Intelligence Bureau (CA 746) (to 1919), Investigation Branch (CA 747) (1919 to 1946), Commonwealth Investigation Service (CA 650) (from 1946)

	Series title	Date range	Series number
	Correspondence files of the Commonwealth Investigation Service	1916–60	A8911

For more information

For further information about the Archives' holdings relating to internee, alien and prisoner of war records consult the following:

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