Australia’s WW2 P.O.W Bush Camps

Australia’s WW2 P.O.W Bush Camps - MARRINUP No.16

Рет қаралды 5,756

Күн бұрын

Located 100km south of Perth, Western Australia in the Marrinup State Forrest, remains of a World War 2 prisoner of war camp (P.O.W) can be found. Seemingly unusual at first considering Australia’s geographical position compared to the frontlines of the war, the government set up this camp (and many others across the country) to relieve labour shortages during the conflict.
German and Italian prisoners were shipped here from India and Libya and were used for logging and farming purposes. By all accounts, they were treated quite well, but I can’t imagine how hard it would have been to be imprisoned so far from home - especially in such an alien setting as the Australian bush.
Not only do we explore the ruins of Marrinup No.16, but we also check out the Marrinup campsite which was the location of a logging town from the 1880s to the 1930s, only to be abandoned and then ultimately wiped out by a bushfire in 1961.
Website: www.brendansodyssey.com
Email: brendansodyssey@gmail.com
Images from research not found on the internet can be found here:
www.brendansodyssey.com/youtu...
My Sources:
inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.a...
dwellingup.destinationmurray....
www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-0...
italianprisonersofwar.com/202...
italianprisonersofwar.files.w...
www.birtwistlewiki.com.au/wik...)
www.whereis.com/wa/marrinup-6213
northamarmycamp.org.au/storyli...

Пікірлер: 32

@OlBloke Ай бұрын

Legend has it that there was a German Luftwaffe POW who escaped from the Marrinup POW camp and he vanished for two weeks or longer. He was eventually found and was recaptured in, of all possible places, a brothel in Kalgoorlie, I've always wondered how he travelled that far. Nice vid, thanks.

@narnorfyabizness5470 Ай бұрын

There was sailors from the Kormeran there who did escape and had been found in Perth.

@ThreenaddiesRexMegistus Ай бұрын

If it’s anything like the setup in NZ, the Italian POW’s were generally well liked by the local population and many settled after the war and married locals. Most Italian’s had no incentive to fight for a regime that treated them no better than serfs. They’d merely be exchanging one tyrant for another. I was born in a house built by Italians in Napier, NZ. They introduced things like stucco plaster and the legacy of art-deco was still very much alive. They usually to a very high standard, with the usual flair for design. As with Australia, they made great citizens and contributed much to society. These excellent videos are giving me some great locations to ride out to. 👍🏻 Pretty hard to imagine anything to be gained by escape in the world’s biggest island.

@tellmel1010 Ай бұрын

fritz is a g for taking these pics

@GarrisonFall Ай бұрын

Hi Brendan. My grandfather was an officer in the Australian Army unit that 'guarded' the POWs at Marrinyup. (He was too old for overseas service in WW2.) As well as his military/administrative duties, he taught English to the German POWs. One of the POWs kept in touch with my grandfather after the war, and I eventually travelled to Germany to meet him. He said being taken prisoner in North Africa by Australians had saved his life. Initally, the Australian bush was like a frightening wilderness to the young German soldier who grew up in a city. He had good memories, though, of his incarceration, where my grandfather became a 'father figure' to him and some of the other young men in the camp. Thanks for making this video about this little known slice of WA history. I'd visited the location years ago, before the 'tourist enhancements' had been created. I hadn't seen any of the other information about it that you presented. The main story I remembered my grandfather telling me was that the local farmers had to be reminded (often) that 'their' POWs were not to be given rifles to go out rabbit hunting! As you indicated, the camp was for 'low-risk' prisoners :)

@nahtanha Ай бұрын

My maternal grandmother used to sometimes tell a story about her attempt to cook pasta for the Italian POW's held on her father's farm - the buildings they were housed in got demolished by us in the early 90s and my parents didn't even take a single photo :/ Had no idea anything from then had been preserved, will have to go see it

@gamblore5148 Ай бұрын

Always enjoy checking this place out and showing others mid mountain bike ride!

@tnexm660 14 күн бұрын

Nice one Brendon - keep posting

@willmg07 Ай бұрын

Italian POW were located at the Northam Army Camp during WWII and there is a small plaque near the parade ground they made.

@gemfyre855 2 ай бұрын

I might have to check this out, not least because there is a trail of geocaches here. :D There are also some old POW camp buildings in Harvey near the tourist centre.

@Yoshimitsu420 Ай бұрын

Thats Stirling cottage it used to be an army barracks/internment camp and the dings never left after getting locked up there

@narnorfyabizness5470 Ай бұрын

I was there a couple of months ago. It's disgusting how vandals have damaged parts of the camp and people have taken parts of it home. It's worse that it's not maintained all that well.

@wint44 13 күн бұрын

Brendan, there was a lot of italians and germans living in Aust who were put in camps for no good reason. As it turned out it was not a bad idea as it protected them from the aussies. thanks

@fozzibbear Ай бұрын

Thankyou for posting this

@matteooz2735 Ай бұрын

Good work Brendo! Great content mate

@toffeesock Ай бұрын

Incredible! Thanks for sharing this find!

@SaugotChowdhury 9 ай бұрын

Awesome content, did not know that Australia had pow camps 😮

@brycejames8770 Ай бұрын

There was a large POWcamp in the Riverland of South Australia.

@VoyagingBushman Ай бұрын

Hey Brendan, dont forget the Harvey camp either :) i never really thought about the history when i was boarding at the original harvey agricultural college. Ill have to scan and email a booklet i have to you Also Brendan

@davidbarnsley8486 Ай бұрын

Being a sandgroper most of my 60 years and going to school here I have never known that we had pow camps in wait awhile I know all the names of the places but I assumed they were all just old timber camps I was also a long term swinging pig resident I did leave 30 years ago in September so not a recent resident Great video Brendon I will be watching more from you for sure 👍👍

@trevorlewis847 12 күн бұрын

Our farmhouse built by Italian pows 42/43 beautiful huge house sunken levels huge walled verandah,"manmaning"wheat siding back in the day between Koorda,Wongan Hills and Dowerin,central wheatbelt,quite a few pows worked the farms,my old man 9 or 10 at the time used to tell us stories going rabbit shooting with pows😂

@haemstah Ай бұрын

Do you know about the old 50's? training camps huts in the Avon Valley bush N.E.? Theres three/four of them. Rows of bunk beds in one or two.

@brendansodyssey Ай бұрын

I'm not aware of those, no. Can you provide more information?

@l1a146 Ай бұрын

@@brendansodyssey I do know of the old Spring hill Ww2 Army centre just out of Northam. Its towards Spencers brook, so not to be confused with the Newer one on GE highway. The soldiers used to come and go via the old station that was at Spring Hill on the train line to York. Although theres not much there now. Theres also remnants of old concrete Tanks out there, reputedly to store fuel, oil and the like during Ww2. Perhaps thats where these other places might be.

@ceeemm1901 17 күн бұрын

The only reason to inter Italian prisoners so far away in WA was because there was a garlic shortage in Perth.

@luv2dou2 Ай бұрын

I might have to go check out the POW camp again I went a few years ago but couldn't find anything

@brycejames8770 Ай бұрын

Good content, could pan a bit slower. Keep it up.

@1chrisandangie Ай бұрын

Not a fish pond a fire place. Fire in the middle and sit on the wall.

@erniepolis4935 9 күн бұрын

Nice video but accreditation for using pictures from my book would of been nice

@brendansodyssey 9 күн бұрын

Ooh, sorry about that. This video was early days and I was still wrapping my head around that sort of thing. In newer videos, I list the source in the corner as I show it. There's an editor built into KZfaq. I will see if I can add something like that to this video. Fantastic book, by the way. It was super useful for my research.