Behind Barbed Wire: Internment in Australia during World War II

Abstract

SYNOPSIS n During World War II in Australia, more than seven thousand residentsnwere interned, and a further seven-and-a-half thousandnpeople were sent from overseas to Australian camps. Censorshipnensured that intemment was always shrouded in secrecy and fear.n n Margaret Bevege describes life in the intemment camps and theneventual retum of most internees, via war work, to the community.nShe also discusses the selection methods used to assess internees:nNazi Party members and criminals were top of the list, followed bynnewly arrived immigrants and active communists. All Japanesenresidents and men of Italian origin from the north-east Queenslandncoast, where invasion threatened, were also considered dangerousnenough to be locked up.n n This comprehensive picture of intemment in Australia not onlynexplores the nationalities chosen, it also covers arresting and holdingnprocedures, security services, the police, the media, and thengeneral public.n n Behind Barbed Wire traces the progress of the war and itsnsignificance for internment. Dramatic defeats such as the fall ofnSingapore and France led to increased intemments, while victories,ncombined with the need for manpower and food production, led tonreleases.n

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