Murchison Prisoner of War Camp 13
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Camp name
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Murchison Prisoner of War Camp 13
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Country
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Australia
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Short description
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Murchison POW Camp is the primary POW facility located in Victoria during the Second World War. The camp was established in 1941 and held some 2,000 Italian, 1,300 German and 185 Japanese prisoners captured during the conflict.
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Extended description
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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. (https://www.birtwistlewiki.com.au/wiki/Murchison_POW_Camp)
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Locality name
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Murchison
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City, town or suburb
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Murchison, VIC
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Operation start date
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1941
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Operation end date
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1947
Murchison_POW_Camp_1.jpg