Internees are enemy aliens who are obliged to reside within prescribed 'camps' during time of war, generally unable to leave until the termination of the conflict. During World War I internment in Australia was regulated by the War Precautions Act 1914 and its regulations.
Some 6890 people were interned in Australia during the War. They were mainly of German or Austro-Hungarian background, and included some who were naturalised British citizens (including second or third generation Australians, some with siblings serving in the forces), crew of enemy nationality taken from ships in Australian ports, as well as Government officials and Lutheran missionaries from New Guinea. A small number of members of the International Workers of the World organisation (IWW) were also interned. After the War many internees were voluntarily repatriated to Europe, with some subsequently returning to Australia.
Many internees were allowed on 'parole' rather than being detained in a camp, and were required to report regularly to local police.
Wartime internment was a significant matter in South Australia because of the relatively high number of migrants of German origin residing in the state. Internees were held at a camp established on Torrens Island.
The office in Adelaide holds a wide range of records dealing with internment during World War I. They include:
These files, which document the investigation and surveillance that preceded internment, often extend into the 1930s.
 | Investigation case files – [examples]: | 1910–87 | D1915 | ||
 | F Braselman, ex-internee repatriated permission to re-enter from South America | 1915–22 | D1915, SA704 | ||
| EM Haroldson, ex-internee permission to enter | 1915–23 | D1915, SA964 | ||
| Dr EF Setzke, repatriated SS Willochra 1919 re personal property left at Broken Hill | 1921–23 | D1915, SA638 | ||
| 'Prisoner of War on Parole' book | 1916 | AP70/2 | ||
| Investigation case files | 1917–69 | D1918 | ||
| Deported Aliens: lists by name and ship | 1914–46 | D1918, S149 | ||
| Correspondence files (aliens) | 1917–25 | D1921 | ||
| Invisible ink writing | 1918 | D1921, 1918/16 | ||
| Correspondence requiring censorship | 1918–19 | D1921, 1918/41 | ||
| Lutheran pastors, missionaries | 1918–25 | D1921, 1918/46 | ||
| Disloyal Germans and others in SA | 1918–19 | D1921, 1918/52 | ||
| Nominal index cards to investigation case files | 1920–60 | D1902 | ||
| Index cards to Investigation Branch files | 1921–59 | D2018 | ||
| Security classified files | 1905–42 | D845 | ||
| Internment and treatment of enemy subjects | 1914 | D845, 1914/55 | ||
| Nominal rolls of internees – Torrens Island camp | 1914–19 | D2286 | ||
| Index cards to prisoners of war (internees) | 1914–19 | D2375 | ||
| Photo album of internees (with index) * | 1914–18 | D3597 | ||
| Correspondence files | 1871–1962 | D596 | ||
| Payments to internees | 1915 | D596, 1915/3721 | ||
| Public Trustee re JWA Jung enemy shareholder | 1916–18 | D596, 1916/5722 | ||
| Germans entering Australia | 1920 | D596, 1920/5249 | ||
* This series is available on microfiche in all reading rooms
As internees were sometimes moved between camps located in different States you may find it necessary to consult records held in more than one office of the Archives.
You can obtain more information about the record series listed above (and the items within the series) fromRecordSearch, the Archives database. Follow the links in the series lists to go directly to information on that series. You can also use RecordSearch to find out about the agencies that created the records and to locate more records on your subject. You might also explore PhotoSearch to find out if there are photos pertaining to your subject.
RecordSearch and PhotoSearch are available online or in all Archives reading rooms. Reference staff are available in the reading rooms to help you, or email ref@naa.gov.au .
For more information on records dealing with World War I internment see
Comments or other feedback can be sent to archives@naa.gov.au
updated August 2000