They Had Fled to Britain for Safety - Then Britain Sent Them to Australia as Prisoners

They Had Fled to Britain for Safety - Then Britain Sent Them to Australia as Prisoners

In my last Second World War post, we looked at Britain's decision to send prisoners of war and civilian internees overseas during the summer of 1940. With fears of a German invasion growing, the government wanted to reduce the number of people it considered a possible security risk.

We also discovered the terrible fate of the Arandora Star, which was torpedoed on the 2nd of July 1940 while carrying internees towards Canada.

But the overseas transfers continued, and just eight days later, another ship left Britain carrying thousands of men.

On the 10th of July 1940, HMT Dunera departed Liverpool bound for Australia. On board were 2,542 detainees, including German and Italian prisoners of war, civilian internees and even some survivors of the Arandora Star disaster.

But most of the passengers were not actually supporters of Germany's wartime government. Many were Jewish refugees who had escaped persecution in Germany and Austria, hoping to find safety in Britain.

But because of their nationality, they had been classified as enemy aliens and detained.

The conditions on board the Dunera were appalling. The ship was badly overcrowded, and it had inadequate washing and toilet facilities. The men were allowed very little time in the fresh air, and their treatment by some of the British guards was harsh.

Personal belongings, valuables and important documents were confiscated. Many of their items stolen or thrown overboard. Internees later described beatings, humiliation and verbal abuse.

For 57 days, the men had to live in these conditions, travelling thousands of miles across dangerous seas. The ship also faced the threat of German submarines.

The Dunera reached Melbourne on the 3rd of September 1940, where some of the detainees disembarked. The remaining passengers continued to Sydney, arriving on the 6th of September.

From there, many were taken by train to an internment camp at Hay, in New South Wales. Others were eventually held in camps in Australia.

Among those detained were musicians, scientists, artists, teachers and other highly educated men who had already lost so much when they fled their homes in Europe.

Within weeks of the ship leaving Britain, the government had begun changing its approach to civilian internment. By October 1940, it was already expressing its regret over the detention of most of the men sent on the Dunera.

I find it impossible to imagine what these poir refugees must have been feeling. They had managed remarkably to escape persecution. They had reached a country that they hoped would protect them, and then found themselves sent halfway around the world under armed guard.

Their experiences in the Australian camps are another huge part of this history, and that is where I want to take our story next.

☕ Have a cuppa and let's discover history together.

Image info:

HMT Dunera, 1940. Australian War Memorial, Naval Historical Collection, 303219. Public domain.