Holsworthy (Liverpool), New South Wales (1914–20 and 1939–46)

World War I

The Holsworthy camp at Liverpool in western Sydney was the largest and longest running internment camp. At its peak it housed 6000 men, both internees and prisoners of war. A range of nationalities was represented in the camp: Japanese, Italians, Slavs and Germans as well as naturalised British subjects and Australians of German descent.

The camp grew from a collection of tents to a small town of huts complete with theatres, restaurants and cafes, other small businesses, an orchestra and sporting and educational activities. Physical conditions in the camp were difficult. Living conditions were overcrowded and sanitary facilities were basic. There were also reports of corrupt or brutal guards working in the camp.

Holsworthy camp remained open until the last internees and prisoners of war were repatriated in 1920.

Part of the compound and recreational grounds at the Holsworthy camp, c. 1918
NAA: A1336, 7597

World War II

From 1939 the rifle range was converted to a prisoner of war camp. It was used to accommodate internees temporarily while they were waiting for tribunal hearings in Sydney. The mostly male internees were not generally employed because of the temporary nature of their stays at Holsworthy. They cultivated gardens, played cricket and football, attended lectures and had access to daily newspapers. In August 1942, Holsworthy camp held 124 internees of various nationalities and included some women. It closed in 1946.

Chinese and Javanese internees working among tomato plants on the farm of the Liverpool POW and internment camp, 1944
AWM: 064363

Records

The National Archives holds records about the Holsworthy camp. A selection of these is listed below.

Collection references

1917 reports by the Swiss Consul and the United States Ambassador on conditions at Liverpool camp are found in this Governor-General's file.	1917	A11803, 1917/89/311
This 1918 Governor-General's file concerns complaints made about the treatment of the wives and children of internees when they visited the camp on Christmas Day.	1918	A11803, 1918/89/87
Information about the closure of the Liverpool and other camps can be found in this Governor-General's file.	1920–1921	A11804, 1921/487
This 1918 Governor-General's file includes correspondence about the criminal compound at Liverpool and visits by internees' fiancées.	1918	A11803, 1918/89/280
A petition from naturalised internees to the Governor-General is the subject of this 1917 file.	1917	A11803, 1917/89/642
This 1942 Department of the Army file includes inspection and visitors reports as well as plans for new detention cells at Liverpool.	1942	MP742/1, 255/10/5
Standing orders for the Liverpool camp are found in this Military Intelligence file from 1915.	1915	MP16/1, 1915/3/1422

'Aliens and others': World War ll internment project

The National Archives of Australia is a partner in an Australian Research Council project titled ‘Aliens and others: representing citizenship and internment in Australia during World War II', headed by Dr Ilma O'Brien of the Victoria University of Technology.

As part of the project, Dr O'Brien is interested in collecting personal memories of World War II internment in Australia. If you have personal or family memories, photographs or documents about internment you would like to share, further information about the project can be obtained from Dr O'Brien at ilma.obrien@vu.edu.au.