Second World War internee, alien and POW records held in Sydney

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During the Second World War thousands of men and women were interned in 'camps' around Australia, some for the duration of the entire war. These people consisted of 'enemy aliens' (especially Germans and Italians), naturalised and Australian born persons of enemy alien descent, enemy aliens arrested overseas and transferred to Australia, and prisoners of war transferred to Australia. Some Australians were also interned because of their political activities.

Tracing individual internees or prisoners of war

The camps in New South Wales were at Liverpool, Orange, Cowra and Hay. It was not uncommon for internees to be moved from one camp to another and to camps in other states. This can make it difficult to identify information on an individual because records may be held in more than one office of the National Archives.

The National Archives office in Sydney holds a large collection of records of people who were interned in New South Wales during the war. Reference staff will assist you in using the control records listed below to identify the dossier on a particular internee.

Holdings on individual prisoners of war are not extensive, and those record items held relate only to the prisoner's internment in a New South Wales camp.

Records held in Sydney relating to individual internees

Commonwealth Security Service, NSW (CA 946) 1 Jan 1941 – 15 Dec 1945
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Nominal index cards (by citizenship) to service records on internees 1942–1945 C125
Nationality index cards to service records on internees 1942–1945 C126
Location index cards to service records on internees 1942–1945 C127
Key to service records 1939–1945 C124
Commonwealth Security Service, NSW (CA 946) (to 1945)
Commonwealth Investigation Branch, NSW (CA 904) (1946)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Service records concerning internees 1942–1945 C123
Transcripts of internees' appeals before the Aliens Control Tribunals and Advisory Committees 1939–1945 C329
Investigation files (persons and organisations) 1942–1946 C320
Commonwealth Investigation Branch, NSW (CA 904) (1919–1946)
Commonwealth Investigation Service, NSW (CA 912) (from 1946)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Criminal investigation files 1914–1962 SP1714/1
Correspondence re naturalisation and internees 1914–1946 ST1233/1
Service records of Italian prisoners of war in Cowra and Liverpool camps repatriated on vessels Chitral and Katoomba 1946–1947 C131
Headquarters, Eastern Command [I], Australian Military Forces (CA 1876) (to 1942)
Headquarters, NSW, Lines of Communication Area, Australian Military Forces (CA 1877) (from 1942)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Personal files of prisoners of war 1939–1946 SP196/2
General correspondence, 'S' (secret) series 1922–1951 SP1048/7

General records on internment

There are many series which contain records relating to internees and internment generally during the Second World War. These general records can be a useful source of information about individual persons. Included in the records are nominal rolls of internees, memoranda noting internees released on particular dates, and notes regarding internees' personal correspondence.

General records relating to internment held in Sydney

Headquarters, Eastern Command [I], Australian Military Forces (CA 1876) (1939–1942)
Headquarters, NSW, Lines of Communication Area, Australian Military Forces (CA 1877) (1942–1946)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
General correspondence files 1871–1965 SP1008/1
Correspondence 1912–1964 SP459/1
General correspondence, 'S' (secret) series 1922–1951 SP1048/7
Subject files to POW and internees 1939–1946 SP196/1
Commonwealth Security Service, NSW (CA 946)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Various exhibits re: internment of Italians 1939–1941 ST2476/20
Security Service weekly reports 1941–1945 C128
General correspondence files 1942–1945 C417
Transcripts of the Australia First inquiry 1944–1945 C418
Directorate of Manpower, Central Office (CA 533)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
General correspondence 1942–1945 SP191/1

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