World War I internee, alien and POW records held in Canberra

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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 National 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 National Archives.

This page identifies World War I internee, alien and prisoner of war records 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 World War I internees, aliens and prisoners of war held in Canberra

Governor-General's Office (CA 1)
Title or description of record 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)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Correspondence files 1904–27 A456

Prime Minister's Department (CA 12)
Title or description of record 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)
Title or description of record 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)
Title or description of record 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)
Title or description of record 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)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Correspondence files of the Commonwealth Investigation Service 1916–60 A8911