Tatura Internee &

POW Camps
After growing up in a town
rich with World War 2
history and information, I
am confused as to why, we
were not taught more
during my schooling years
about vital history that was
at our doorstep. As a result
I lacked knowledge on my
hometown of Tatura and all
that was involved with the
Internee and Prisoner of
War Camps in Tatura and
surrounding areas.
In this essay, I hope to shed
some light on the conduct
within these camps and
hopefully share some
information regarding
these compounds with

other members of society

through he eyes of
Leonhard Adam a Jewish
internee from Camp 1.
Leonard Adam grew up in
Berlin. As an adult he
became a very
knowledgeable man who
studied law, ethnography
and Sinology. After
studying at the University
of Berlin he became a
Doctor of Law and
Philosophy1
Greg Dening, 'Adam, Leonhard
(18911960)', Australian Dictionary
of Biography, National Centre of
Biography, Australian National
University,
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/a
dam-leonhard-9962/text17651,
1

Adam also became a

distinct judge in
Charlottenburg,
authoritarian of law in
primitive societies, editor
of the Journal of
Comparative Law,
contributor to a textbook of
ethnology and a respected
field anthropologist 2.
Adam lectured in
comparative law and
anthropology at the
University of Berlin,
London and Oxford, was a
distinguished musicologist,
taught Mandarin Chinese
and Chinese culture. He
also taught courses of Asian
Art and wrote a seminal
book on Primitive Art,
published by Penguin in
19403.
published first in hardcopy 1993,
accessed online 28 September 2015.
2 Greg Dening, 'Adam, Leonhard (1891
1960)', Australian Dictionary of
Biography, National Centre of
Biography, Australian National
University,
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/adam
-leonhard-9962/text17651, published
first in hardcopy 1993, accessed online
28 September 2015.
3 Marie Clare Adam, (1996), Leonhard
Adam, A Close Up. Hamakor Press Ltd,
Jerusalem.

In the 1930s Adolf Hitler

and the German Nazi Party
had been pursuing a policy
of expanding its territories
in order to give their
people more living room4.
In September 1939 Hitler
invaded Poland.
The rise of the Nazis in
Germany put an end to
Leonhard Adams brilliant
career and he was forced to
immigrate to England to
make a living. This
immigration saved his life,
like many other Jewish
scholars, as he was
welcomed in England and
5

Adolf Hitler during his Reign

L, Knee., & A, Knee., (2008). Marched
In. Lurline & Arthur Knee. pp.11
5 (1936). Soviet Government Warns that
Hitler is Planning For Massive War.
Retrieved from:
http://skepticism.org/timeline/augusthistory/8071-soviet-governmentwarns-hitler-planning-massivewar.html
4

began to rebuild his life,

however fate struck again.
Due to Britain declaring
war on Germany on the 3rd
of September 1939,
Leonhard Adam, along with
2200 other German and
Austrian refugees were
arrested and deported to
Australia as a safety
precaution for England6.

abject conditions aboard

the ship, under the control
of the brutal captain and
his vindictive crew.
Robert Kahn a refugee on
board recalls the internees
being robbed of their
valuable possessions when
they were boarding the
Dunera8.
As well as sleeping on the
floors with no such bedding

The refugees boarded the

Dunera and suffered
L, Knee., & A, Knee., (2008). Marched
In. Lurline & Arthur Knee. pp.11
6

Troopship Dunera. Retrieved from:

http://www.far-easternheroes.org.uk/richard_swarbricks_war/
html/singapore.htm

and not to mention, room,

Vittorio Tolaini recalls the
four toilets and washbasins
being of high demand
amongst thousands of

Kahn, Robert L. (1991). Chapters

from my past. Bentleigh East : R.L.
Kahn

prisoners to the point of

blockage and the septic
leaked onto the deck
producing a noxious mess
and smell, with conditions
only decreasing as the
voyage proceeded. As the
soldiers did nothing to
improve the conditions,
Dysentery broke out and
the morale amongst the
refugees reached its lowest
possible state9.
On arrival to Australia, the
ship docked at Fremantle,
where the internees
boarded a tram. The
internees were shocked by
the kindness and
generosity of the Australian
soldiers when they were
offered cigarettes, tea and
cake during their travels10.
Leonhard Adam was
transported to the internee
camps in Tatura.
Tatura was selected as the
location of choice for the
9

Tolaini, Vittorio. ([198-?]). Voyage of

an alien.

camps, because the

Dhurringile Mansion
already housed the single
largest group of internees
11

in Victoria. Tatura already

had a supply infrastructure
set up at the showgrounds
for the camps.
The accommodation at
Dhurringile Mansion did
Bossence, W, H. (1969). Tatura and
The Shire of Rodney. The Hawthorn
Press Pty Ltd, Melbourne. pp.49
11

Gazzi, Marco. Video Interview.

Retrieved from Marched In.
10

not meet the International

Convention Relative to the
Treatment of Prisoners of
War standards12.
13

internees. The huts were

made of timber frames,
each to contain twenty-four
men in one long
unportioned room. Walls
were of corrugated iron
and chicken wire lined the
eaves as ventilation. The
rooves consisted of
galvanised iron or
corrugated asbestos
sheeting. Eventually the

Dhurringile Mansion

A location four kilometres

from the Mansion was
nominated for the
campgrounds as it was dry,
stony and poor quality land
for farming. The camps also
had an abundant supply of
water, with access to the
Waranga Basin, located two
kilometres away.
Life within the Internee
Camps was decent. Camp 1,
which was for single men
from Germany and Italy,
was designed to hold 1000
L, Knee., & A, Knee., (2008). Marched
In. Lurline & Arthur Knee. pp.18
12

Dhurringile Mansion. (1940s).

Retrieved from:
http://www.walkingmelbourne.com/fo
rum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=6444
13

14

Positioning of camps

corrugated iron walls were

lined internally and the
chicken wire was replaced
with hopper windows15.
Furthermore, Camp 1 soon
received additional
inclusions created by the
internees consisting of: a
tennis court, ornamental
ponds, gardens with stone
edging, a tiered platform
14

Locaility Map. Tatura Museum.

L, Knee., & A, Knee., (2008). Marched
In. Lurline & Arthur Knee. pp. 20
15

for the sounds shell, for

choirs and the camp
orchestra, a patio at caf
Wellblech, concrete slab
walls of the skittle alley and
lines of eucalyptus trees16.

mattress filled with

straw17.
Food supply was quite an
operation with 12,000
mouths to feed across all of

Model of internee quarters from Camp 3

Each internee was given a

bed made from galvanised
wire mesh attached to a 4
inch by 2 inch hardwood
frame. Each person also
received 2 single blankets,
1 pillow and pillowslip, 2
bed sheets and 1 hessian

the camps; however, food

supply was of liberal
amounts and met the needs
and special preferences of
all nationalists within the
compounds.
Marco Gazzi recalls
arriving at Tatura starving

16

L, Knee., & A, Knee., (2008). Marched

In. Lurline & Arthur Knee.

Lothar Streker. Provision list. Tatura

Museum.
17

Camp 1, sketch by Internee Duffner

for food, only to be

presented with two days
worth of rations in one
meal18.

being red, orange and

green. The names, which
featured on the red list,
were considered security
risks and arrested when
war was declared by
Germany. These security
risks were then
transported to the Tatura
Internee camps. Camp 1
received 600 German and
Austrian males who were
interned from Persia in
194519.

Interior of a cabin at Camp 1

Camp 1 consisted of Italian

and German Nationals who
were originally interned at
Dhurringile Mansion. The
prisoners were originally
living in the capital cities of
Sydney and Melbourne
before becoming internees
during the war. The
prisoners were selected as
a result of a list system that
was created to recognise
security risks within
society. The lists were
compiled in colours, those

Men from Camp 1 creating comforts from items

found within the compound

With the escalation of

World War 2, in June 1940,
the British Government
L, Knee., & A, Knee., (2008).
Marched In. Lurline & Arthur Knee.
19

18

Gazzi, Marco. Video Interview.

Retrieved from Marched In.

requested her
Commonwealth countries,
each to take and house up
to 50,000 prisoners.
Additional camps were
therefore required. These
camps were logically
situated near Camp 1 in
Tatura. Camp 2 was built
one kilometre from Camp
1. Camp 3 and 4 were built
near Rushworth and
housed families and
Japanese families. Each of
these camps housed 1000
prisoners. Camp 13 was the
biggest and was designed
to accommodate 4,000
prisoners of war20.

Camp 2 comprised of 1000

single German and Italian
men. This included those
interned in Britain after
The Battle of Dunkirk in
June 1940. Jewish refugee
boys and men were also
detained in Camp 2 until
they were released to join
the 8th Employment
Company of the Australia
Military Forces.

L, Knee., & A, Knee., (2008).

Marched In. Lurline & Arthur Knee.
pp. 22
20

Camp 3 held German and

Italian families totalling
1000 prisoners. They
arrived on the Queen
Elizabeth ship in 1941. On
boarding the ship, they
were unaware of when the
ship was destined for. In
Camp 3 a school was
established in which all the
children received a good
education. However,
despite there being
difficulties such as lack of
resources and textbooks,
minimal classroom space
and the requirement of

Teaching different aged

students within the same
classroom, the individuals
were able to overcome
these issues to produce a
suitable education.
Subjects that were offered
were: German, English,
French, Latin, Geography,
History, Chemistry, Physics,
Biology, Art and Physical
Education. The students'
Abitur certificate was later
recognised by German
universities and the
University of Melbourne21.
D, Nutting. (2001). Victoria. Tatura
Internment Camp. Retrieved from:
http://www.germanaustralia.com/e/tatura.
htm
21

Camp 4 also housed

families, however these
families were of Japanese
decent. In addition, this
camp also housed children
from mixed racial
marriages such as Islands
in the Pacific, New Guinea,
The Dutch East Indies
know known as Indonesia,
Singapore and Malaya22.

Although the facility was

crowded, the facilities were
much more superior to
those of the Australian
guards and the German
other ranks at Camp 13
who were housed for a
time in tents. As with the
other camps, prisoners
furthered their educations
and had access to other

Japanese internees of Tatura No. 4 camp line up for dental check-ups

Dhurringile Mansion was

converted into a Prisoner
of War Camp holding 150
German officers and 50
Batmen who were captured
in North Africa.

22

facilities within the camp

grounds such as a tennis
court and handball court23.

L, Knee., & A, Knee., (2008).

Marched In. Lurline & Arthur Knee.
pp. 108
23

Camp 4. Tatura Museum.

10

During the time of World

War 2, numerous escapes
took place through tunnels,
which were excavated, in
the ground. Dhurringile
Mansion was constructed
on one of the many sand
hills in the district, which
made digging easy.

Inspecting the tunnel dug by POWs in WW2

However the sand created

problems such as
instability on the walls and
rooves of the tunnel, which
required the prisoners to
use timber from their beds
and the building to support
the tunnels24. The most
successful tunnelling
L, Knee., & A, Knee., (2008). Marched
In. Lurline & Arthur Knee. pp.108
24

attempt was when 17

prisoners escaped from

Inspecting the tunnel at Dhurringile Mansion

Dhurringile in 1945. The

tunnel started under the
floor of the mansion and
went down 14 feet and was
160 yards in length. A
heavy crockery cupboard
that contained almost 800
pieces of crockery
concealed the entrance to
the tunnel. The exit of the
tunnel was concealed with
boards that were joined
together and covered with
soil and grass. The soil
from within the tunnel was
disposed of in one of the
underground water
tanks25.
The men were all soon
recaptured and sent to
Melbourne Gaol where they
25

Bossence, W, H. (1969). Tatura and

The Shire of Rodney. The Hawthorn
Press Pty Ltd, Melbourne.

11

were punished by having to

run around the courtyard
wearing sixty pound packs
on their backs26.
Camp 13 was also a
Prisoner of War camp and
housed 4000 single
German and Italian men in
four compounds, equating
to two for each nationality.

small, low security camp

located in the Strathbogie
Forest, which held
survivors of the Kormoran
a German ship, which was
sunk during World War 2
after it sunk the HMAS
Sydney.

Men collecting wood in Graytown

After the breakout at

Camp 13

Cowra Prisoner of War

camp, 400 Japanese
prisoners were sent to
Camp 13 and machine guns
secured in position by
concrete were employed to
cover the compound.
Lastly, there was Graytown,
which was also a Prisoner
of War camp situated
between Nagambie and
Heathcote. Graytown was a
L, Knee., & A, Knee., (2008). Marched In.
Lurline & Arthur Knee. pp.109
26

Whilst in the camp the men

would cut wood in the
forest to supply the other
camps as well as
Melbourne during the war.

POWs cutting wood in Graytown

In conclusion, on
commencement of my
investigation into the
Internee and Prisoner of
12

War camps in Tatura and

surrounding areas, I was
trying to uncover the
history and story behind
these establishments. I was
intrigued to know the
conduct within the camps
and the effects which
imprisonment had on these
innocent civilians. From
reading numerous primary
sources, such as letters and
statements from internees
found in the book Marched
In by Lurline and Arthur
Knee, there are not any
accounts of maltreatment
within the camps. The
conduct of the Australian
guards is complimented
within these comments. To
know whether the book
Marched In has only had
positive statements
selected for its publishing I
am unsure of, but through
accessing other primary
and secondary sources of
information, I was unable
to find any recall of poor
treatment and lifestyle
within the camps.
Although, through reading
the secondary source
Italian Australians during
the Second World War:
some perception of

internment, Gitano Rando

raised the issue of
internees being unfairly
treated during the period
of World War 2. Events that
are notable as unfair
treatment would be the
deportation of Germand
and Italian civilians to
Australia to spend years in
an interment camp. Rando
states The entry of Italy
into the second world war
brought considerable
disruption to the over
thirty thousand strong
Italian Australian
community whose
presence was seen by the
Australian authorities as a
serious potential threat to
national security. About
4,700 mainly male Italian
Australians were
incarcerated in internment
camps while women and
children were left to fend
for themselves in a highly
hostile environment27. To
27

Gitano Rando. (2005). Italo-Australians

during the Second World War: some
perceptions of internment. Retrieved from:
http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?a
rticle=1123&context=artspapers&seiredir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fscholar.
google.com.au%2Fscholar%3Fhl%3Den%2
6q%3Dtatura%2Binternee%2Bcamps%26b
tnG%3D%26as_sdt%3D1%252C5%26as_sd
tp%3D#search=%22tatura%20internee%2
0camps%22

13

compliment Randos
perception of the interment
of Italian men, Kathleen
Masuko Murakami who
was born in Singapore, yet
her mother was an
Australian born Japanese
woman was imprisoned
due to her ethnicity28. The
document states she was
cleared of any wrong doing,
however she still spent five
and a half years in the
camp even after giving
birth to her two children,
who also lived within the
camp during the early
stages of their lives. The
reason for her
imprisonment was solely
based on her ethnical
background. In addition to
both of these stories, I will
return to Leonhard Adam
who was a well educated,
knowledgeable man. He
was extremely successful in
the numerous careers,
which he followed, yet due
to him being of Jewish

religion he was imprisoned

as an internee in Tatura for
two years before he was
released on parole to the
National Museum of
Victoria29.

LaTrobe University. Kathleen Masuko

Murakami. Community History. Retrieved
from
https://communityhistoryoz.wordpress.co
m/civiliansimprisoned/kathleen-masukomurakami/

29

28

Kathleen Masuko Murakami POW paperwork

Greg Dening, 'Adam, Leonhard (1891

1960)', Australian Dictionary of Biography,
National Centre of Biography, Australian
National University,
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/adamleonhard-9962/text17651, published first
in hardcopy 1993, accessed online 28
September 2015.

14

In my opinion I agree that

the imprisonment of such
innocent individuals can be
detrimental to peoples
lives, however when the
world goes to War, security
measures must be taken to
protect each country and
despite the ideas of racism,
nationality is a huge factor
during wartime. The people
within the interment camps
in Tatura were treated
fairly and with compassion
after reading several
primary sources and it is
stated the people from the
internment camps said We

were treated with respect,

as fellow human beings.
We will never forget that
(Knee, 2008), which gives
me peace of mind, knowing
these people were
experiencing such hardship
through no fault of their
own, however my home
town of Tatura does not
have skeletons in the closet
regarding treatment of
fellow humans during the
Second World War, whilst
enduring internment.

Internee camp near Murchison.

15

Primary sources:

Reference

Liz Arcus. (2013). Division between compounds A and B at Tatura No. 1 Camp.
Retrieved from: http://lizarcus.com/documentary/a-visit-to-the-internmentcamp-where-bens-opa-was-held-for-over-five-years
(1936). Soviet Government Warns that Hitler is Planning For Massive War.
Retrieved from: http://skepticism.org/timeline/august-history/8071-sovietgovernment-warns-hitler-planning-massive-war.html
Kahn, Robert L. (1991). Chapters from my past. Bentleigh East : R.L. Kahn
Tolaini, Vittorio. ([198-?]). Voyage of an alien.
Gazzi, Marco. Video Interview. Retrieved from Marched In.
Troopship Dunera. Retrieved from: http://www.far-easternheroes.org.uk/richard_swarbricks_war/html/singapore.htm
Bossence, W, H. (1969). Tatura and The Shire of Rodney. The Hawthorn Press
Pty Ltd, Melbourne.
Dhurringile Mansion. (1940s). Retrieved from:
http://www.walkingmelbourne.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=6444
J Tait, 1945. Inside one of the accommodation huts in the Tatura No. 1
internment camp. Retrieved from: http://uncommonlives.naa.gov.au/wolfklaphake/enlargement/inside-an-accommodation-hut-of-tatura-internmentcamp.aspx
Duffner. Camp 1 Sketch. Marched In.
Photographer Unknown. (1940s) German internees of No. 1 Camp, Tatura
Internment Group, using the workshop to reuse salvaged material into comforts
for their own benefit. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved from:
http://john.curtin.edu.au/legacyex/aliens.html
D, Nutting. (2001). Victoria. Tatura Internment Camp. Retrieved from:
http://www.germanaustralia.com/e/tatura.htm
(1940s). Interment Camp 3 Map. Tatura Museum.
National Archives of Australia. (2015). Japanese internees of Tatura No. 4 camp
16

line up for dental check-ups. Retrieved from:

http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/snapshots/internmentcamps/WWII/tatura.aspx
Australian War Memorial. (1943). GRAYTOWN, VIC. 1943-12-01. GERMAN
PRISONERS OF WAR UNLOADING LOGS FOR FIREWOOD, WHILE OTHERS CAN
BE SEEN STACKING IT IN TIDY HEAPS AT THE 13TH AUSTRALIAN PRISONER
OF WAR GROUP. Retrieved from:
http://livinginballan.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/graytown-and-pow-camp.html
Australian War Memorial. (1943). GRAYTOWN, VIC. 1943-12-01. GERMAN
PRISONERS OF WAR FELLING A LARGE TREE FOR FIREWOOD FOR THE 13TH
AUSTRALIAN PRISONER OF WAR GROUP. Retrieved from:
http://livinginballan.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/graytown-and-pow-camp.html
National Archives of Australia. (1939-1945). Prisoner of War/Internee;
Murakami, Masuko Kathleen; Year of birth - 1914; Nationality Japanese.
Retrieved from
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/Ite
mDetail.aspx?Barcode=9890993&isAv=N
Ross Duncan. Geoff Carol, an overseer at Dhurringile Prison in 1989, peers down
the tunnel dug by German prisoners in World War II. Herald Sun. Retrieved from:
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/anzac-centenary/the-forgotten-history-ofaustralias-prisoner-of-war-camps/story-fnmeodwa-1226895841822
Knee, L & A. (2008). Marched In. Major Ruthven inspecting the tunnel,
Dhurringile.
Ashleigh Williamson. (2012). This prisoner of war camp near Murchison was
built to hold 4000 German and Italian POWs during World War II. It was well
inland, away from ports to discourage escape attempts. Internment camp
tourism plan. Retrieved from http://www.mmg.com.au/localnews/shepparton/internment-camp-tourism-plan-1.9074

Secondary sources:
Greg Dening, 'Adam, Leonhard (18911960)', Australian Dictionary of
Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University,
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/adam-leonhard-9962/text17651, published
first in hardcopy 1993, accessed online 28 September 2015.
Marie Clare Adam, (1996), Leonhard Adam, A Close Up. Hamakor Press Ltd,
Jerusalem.
L, Knee., & A, Knee., (2008). Marched In. Lurline & Arthur Knee.
17

Lothar Streker. Model of Interior Internee Quarters. Tatura Museum.

Gitano Rando. (2005). Italo-Australians during the Second World War: some
perceptions of internment. Retrieved from:
http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1123&context=artspapers&se
iredir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fscholar.google.com.au%2Fscholar%3Fhl%3
Den%26q%3Dtatura%2Binternee%2Bcamps%26btnG%3D%26as_sdt%3D1%2
52C5%26as_sdtp%3D#search=%22tatura%20internee%20camps%22
LaTrobe University. Kathleen Masuko Murakami. Community History. Retrieved
from
https://communityhistoryoz.wordpress.com/civiliansimprisoned/kathleenmasuko-murakami/

18