Tatura Prisoner of War Camp

1320 Stewart Road,Tatura, GREATER SHEPPARTON CITY

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Vic. War Heritage Inventory

Statement of Significance

• Additional Place Information

  • Historical Australian Themes

    Tatura Prisoner of War Camp - Historical Australian Themes

    Providing administrative structures and authorities - defence

    Usage/Former Usage

    Tatura Prisoner of War Camp - Usage/Former Usage

    Not extant

    Veterans Description for Public

    Tatura Prisoner of War Camp - Veterans Description for Public

    The Tatura Prisoner of War Camp is typical of the prisoner of war camps established in Victoria during the Second World War, which consisted of 'P1' type accommodation blocks. It was established in land owned by John B. Noonan. The Camp known as "Camp 1" is located on the eastern side of Waranga Reservoir, 20 kms south of Tatura. It was Australia's first purpose built internment camp for housing enemy aliens and or prisoners of war. Camp 1 was established in 1940 and was closed in 1947. The camp housed male civilian internees, first of German origin and later of Italian origin who had been resident in Australia. The camp retains most of its features including huts, ablution blocks, kitchens, tennis courts, gardens, ponds, skittle alley, cafe hall, sewerage works and security fencing easily recognised.

    Camp 1 became the Chief Army Administration Camp. The camp eventually housed the hospital and dental headquarters for all camps of the Tatura group. The first internees to come to the camp were 63 Germans who walked to the camp on 25th January 1940 from Dhurringile, which had served as internment accommodation first.

    The internees were housed in army huts. At the beginning, there were 14 huts, with 16 men to each hut, in Camp 1 Compound A. Later 8 further huts were erected and 2 bath-tubs put in for 250 men. The huts were unlined. One room was converted into an orderly room and canteen, another into temporary camp hospital also mess halls, open shower rooms, open wash house and latrine. By 1943 conditions improved, the latrines and ablutions connected to a sewerage plant and sanitation provided.

    Compounds A and B were separated by barbed wire. Compound B was established in the eastern side when 640 local German internees were brought to Camp 1 from every part of Australia. Camp 1 was unofficially called the "Nazi Camp" and authorities who were convinced of the "dangerousness" of an internee sent them to Tatura. When Italy joined Germany in the war against Britain in June 1940, 22 Australian Italian internees were also brought to Camp 1.

    The Camp Commandant was in charge of the overall operation of the camp with delegated duties to army personnel. The guards at Camp 1 were generally returned First World War servicemen who had re-enlisted. The internee compounds were democratically run. Internees were responsible for their compound and managed their own administration. The compound administration furthermore included Secretariat, Arrangements Service, Orderlies, Post, Gardens, Hygiene, Canteen, Finance and Selling, Kitchen, Messes, Welfare, Hospital, Sport, Culture, Music, Library, Workshops, Exhibition, Cinema and School Halls.

    The Cafe Wellblech was one of the strangest episodes in the camp's history. Originally it had been an army hut, used for storage. The Germans obtained permission to convert it to a cafe, built a four feet high stonework promenade around the front entrance, openingit early in 1942. Large tubs containing foliage and plants were placed on the promenade and tables and chairs. On summer nights an area was reserved for the orchestra. Waiters, smartly dressed, served black coffee and German cakes. Inside, the panelled walls of the cafe bore scenes of the Rhine valley and Berlin. Behind the counter shelves were heavily stocked with preserved foods and delicacies. In front of the counter were tables and chairs to accommodate some 30 diners.

    In 1944, the Australian authorities sounded the alarm for the camp's first escape, with other escapes following. The Welblech Cafe was not suggested to be the headquarters for the escape society, but there was evidence to indicate it was a clearing-house for illegally gained currency notes. The chief function of the escape society was to accumulate currency notes for careful distribution to genuine potential escapees. The Welblech Cafe was raided twice, but only at the second raid a member of the search party pulled a large almost loose nail partly from the flooring. The search party saw a small, square foot section apparently of solid concrete bordering the open fire-place slowly swing downwards, as though on a hinge. In the six-inch deep cavity revealed were a number of small compartments, empty. On further examination it was revealed that this small cellar, below floor level was completely enclosed by the chimneys foundation.

    The internees were occupied with various tasks, including gardening, providing services such as cleaning clothes and washing, with firewood cutting and gathering, road making at the camp, drainage work or general maintenance at the camp. The internees were paid for the work they completed. Probably one of the main problems in the camp was boredom. To distract the internees, two tennis courts, a skittle alley, a small pavilion with a flat roof for sunbaking andtwo hobby workshops were eventually built. Leisure activities at the camp included exhibitions, library, regular picture shows and sporting festival. The German internees at camp even published a little pro-Nazi fortnightly newspaper called Brennessel (stinging nettle), begun in 1941.

    The camp was wound up after the Second World War. In August 1946 there were orders issued to concentrate all internees held at Camp 1 into one compound and transfer the Officers to another Camp. The final closure seems to have occurred between 1946 and 1947. By May 1947, the garrison at No. 1 camp was reduced to two men. At the end of the year twelve of the huts were sold to district returned soldiers. Other huts were purchased by firms and businesses or were acquired by the Forestry Commission.

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