NO. 11 DETENTION BARRACKS
FREMANTLE PRISON, WA
LATER LOCATED AT MELVILLE ARMY CAMP

visits since 18 January 2002

LOCATION - 20 kms west of Perth WA, in Fremantle city center located in the prison. Later in June 1946 moved to Point Walter, Melville, then known as the Melville Army Camp

DATES
September 1939-June 1946 (Fremantle)

June 1946-March 1947 (Melville)

CAPACITY - 50 prisoners of all types including POWs (German, Italian and Japanese), Internees, Australian, British, Dutch, US and other Allied personnel.

No OF COMPOUNDS - 25 cells

COMMANDANT - Maj D F Wilson

GUARDS - No 11 Detention Barrack Guards (43 all ranks)

BARRACK FUNCTIONS - Imprison and hold any personnel found guilty or awaiting trial of serious military or civil crimes committed whilst a serving member of any allied force, or an internee or a POW.

13 Italian POWs were at various times committed to lengthy terms of imprisonment at the Detention Barracks. Also all Japanese POWs landed at Fremantle were held at the barracks until transport to the eastern states could be arranged. The agreement for the Commonwealth of Australia to utilize a state government prison for federal purposes was agreed to by both governments in 1922 should the need arise in the future.

CURRENT STATUS - Fremantle Prison now a tourist site and the area set aside as No 11 detention Barracks has been identified and will be informed to the visiting public.

Melville Army Camp area has long disappeared and the area is now a park for public recreation.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I'd like to thank Ernie Polis for his kind assistance with information for this and many other pages about POW and Internment camps in Western Australia.

Heaps of WW2 books available at Amazon.com

"Australia @ War"

This page first produced 18 January 2002

This page last updated 11 April 2004