Murchison POW Camp

Murchison POW Camp AWM Photo 028528

1949 aerial photograph Heritage Council of Victoria

Brief History

This camp was constructed as the Murchison Prisoner of War Camp (Camp 13), with four compounds, each able to hold 1,000 men each, and it opened in June 1941. Initially it housed Italian and German prisoners captured in North Africa, with some German sailors. It was staffed by the 23rd Australian Garrison Battalion, and in late 1941 the unit was renamed 13th Australian Prisoner of War Camp. By January 1942 all officers had been moved to other camps, and in late 1942 Japanese POWs began to arrive.

From late 1942 Italian prisoners were released to work in agricltural industries, supervised by small detached groups of guards outposted to areas where the POWs were working. In July 1944 the unit's name was changed to Murchison Prisoner of War Group with operations taking place until well after the end of the war.

Unit Personnel

• Joseph L Coyle 4 Oct 1945 - 6 Aug 1946

Notes

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 2 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 2.214 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018