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

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Internees are those prisoners of war 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 the Second World War internment in Australia was subject to the National Security Regulations. There were many camps Australia-wide where not only aliens were interned but also overseas internees and prisoners of war who were transferred to Australia.

The National Archives holds many records relating specifically to internment and internees, aliens and prisoners of war. These include individual case files and more general titles which may refer to individuals. 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, and may exist in the collections of more than one office of the National Archives.

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

Records held in Canberra relating to Second World War internees, aliens and prisoners of war

Investigation Branch (CA 747)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Correspondence files, D series 1926–45 A369
Copies of war proclamations 1939–40 A393
General correspondence files 1939–42 A11797
Commonwealth Investigation Service (CA 650)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Correspondence files 1916–53 A367
Correspondence files of the CIS 1916–60 A8911
Prisoner of war files 1939–47 A7919
Correspondence files 1941–48 A373
Attorney-General's Department (CA 5)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Correspondence files 1939–49 A472
Military Courts – Prisoner of War trial files 1943–46 A11626
Prime Minister's Department (CA 12)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Correspondence files, secret and confidential series 1926–39 A1606
Correspondence files 1939–47 A1608
Department of Immigration (CA 51)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Correspondence files (restricted immigration) 1939–50 A433
Correspondence files (non-British European migrants) 1939–50 A434
Correspondence files (alien registration) 1946–50 A437
Department of External Affairs [II] (CA 18)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Correspondence files 1927–42 A981
Correspondence files 1942–45 A989
Correspondence files 1945 A1066
Correspondence files 1945–46 A1067
Department of Defence [III] (CA 46)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Correspondence files 1935–58 A816
Report on the Directorate of Prisoners of War and Internees of Army Headquarters, Melbourne 1939–51 A7711
Correspondence files 1940–57 A663
Department of Defence Co-ordination (CA 37)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Correspondence files 1924–40 A664
Defence Division, Department of Treasury [I] (CA 68)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Correspondence files 1942–62 A649
Department of the Treasury [I] (CA 11)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Classified correspondence files 1941–63 A1308
Security Service, Tasmania (CA 748)
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Correspondence files, T series 1943–45 A376
The Rt Hon John Joseph Ambrose Curtin PC
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Correspondence of John Curtin as prime minister 1941–44 M1415
Folders of correspondence on special subjects 1941–44 M1416