German Prisoners of War

The Gaythorne Internment and Prisoner of War Camp (Enoggera) was established in 1914, during World War I and it closed in 1915. The camp was reestablished in 1940 with the outbreak of World War II and was enlarged to house 1800 people.

The Herald Sun article on 25 April 2014 titled "The forgotten history of Australia's prisoner of war camps" tells a part of our history that has been largely forgotten.

German, Japanese and Italian prisoners of war were transferred to Queensland following capture overseas. Of all the Australian states, it had the highest percentage of its ethnic population interned during World War II. 43 per cent were held in camps.

 

The first train load of internees left Queensland for camps in central Victoria in February 1942, but there were six camps already set up within the state.

 

In particular, Queensland internees were housed at the Enoggera Military Base; commonly referred to as the Gaythorne internment and prisoner of war camp.

During World War II, the Gaythorne Internment Camp was made up of five compounds. Internees including children, women and the elderly were primarily German, Italian, Japanese and Austrian immigrants.

We know of one man who was born in Germany, who came to Australia and settled in North Queensland. He was "captured" in North Queensland and interned at Gaythorne before being transferred to Tatura in Victoria. After his release in Melbourne he settled in Ipswich where his sister and her family lived.

Are you a descendant of a German ancestor that was detained in an internment camp in Queensland or another part of Australia, who later settled in Ipswich? Share your ancestor's story with us, so that this forgotten part of our history can be told.