Information sheets
Australian prisoners of war: First World War
This sheet provides information for those who are seeking information about individuals who were imprisoned by the Germans and Turks during the First World War.
Overview
Key resources in the Memorial
Location of prisoner-of-war camps
The prisoner-of-war experience
Key resources in the Memorial
- Prisoner-of-war statements, 1914-18 War (Official record series AWM30) can be searched on RecordSearch using names of individuals or units. Example: Search using J E Thomas 15th Battalion as keywords and enter AWM30 into the Reference number field.
- Nominal roll of prisoners of war in Turkey (Official record series AWM30 B18.1). Lists officers and other ranks, showing unit, date and place of capture, etc.
- Australian Red Cross Society files (Private record series
1DRL/0428) are divided into two sections - Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau
and the Prisoner-of-war Department. A prisoner of war was likely to have
files in both sections.
- Digitised images of Missing and Wounded Enquiry Bureau files
are available online.
They may contain some or all of the following:
- The Red Cross Bureau's Searcher's report.
- Eyewitness accounts by men who knew the soldier concerned or statements by men who served in the same unit or the same action as that soldier. These statements may include such information as the circumstances of the death or wounding, or a physical description of the soldier and the place of burial. (NB The truth and accuracy of this information was dependent on the memory and reliability of the soldier giving the statement).
- Letters sent to the Bureau by relatives or friends.
- The Bureau's replies to enquiries.
- Correspondence between the Bureau and the wounded or missing man.
- Prisoner-of-war Department files consist of records
of assistance given to individual AIF personnel held in Germany and
Turkey. They may contain:
- Names of camps in which the individual was imprisoned.
- Records of parcels sent.
- Postcard acknowledgements of parcels received.
- Correspondence between the Department and the prisoner and/or family.
- Digitised images of Missing and Wounded Enquiry Bureau files
are available online.
They may contain some or all of the following:
The files are arranged alphabetically by name, and printed indexes are available in the Research Centre Reading Room.
Location of prisoner-of-war camps
John Coates, An atlas of Australia 's wars ( Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 2001), map 150.
Germany
[Mrs] Pope-Hennessy, Map of the main prison camps in Germany and Austria (London: Imperial War Museum, 1989). Originally issued c.1920.
Turkey
Fred & Elizabeth Brenchley, Stoker's submarine (Pymble, NSW: HarperCollins, 2001). Map opposite p. 48.
The prisoner-of-war experience
Use the Memorial's website to identify relevant material.
- Collections database
Search by names of individuals or camps to find photographs and private records such as personal diaries and memoirs. A general search such as prisoners Germany (in the "all words" field) with First World War from the Conflict pull-down menu can also be useful. - Official records (RecordSearch)
Joint database for official records held in the Memorial and in the National Archives of Australia. The National Archives also holds files relating to prisoners of war. Search by the names of individuals or camps. - Books database
May identify published personal accounts of captivity, escape maps and government publications. - Online encyclopedia.
Ephemera
The Research Centre holds collections of ephemera, some of which relate to First World War prisoners of war, e.g., prisoner-of-war concerts (Souvenir collection). Finding aids to these collections are being added to the Memorial's website. Please contact the Research Centre staff if you are unable to locate what you require.
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