The lost voices of WWI: German internment in Australia
During the First World War, Australia interned around 7000 people in camps throughout the country 鈥� of these, 4,500 were 鈥渆nemy aliens鈥� and British nationals of German heritage. While some had arrived from overseas, most were born in Australia; almost all were civilians who had committed no crime.
According to Department of Germanic Studies Chair , detainees were allowed to have visits from family, and correspondence was allowed in and out but was heavily censored and had to be written in English.
鈥淎nything found written in another language was confiscated,鈥� she says.
鈥淒espite this, many prisoners did keep diaries and letters in German, they produced newspapers, and a lively parallel society grew up in the camps, with shops, cafes and theatres.鈥�
Each of Dr Moir鈥檚 students had the opportunity to select the text that interested them, from military reports, letters complaining about life in Australia and the misconduct of British guards, personal diaries, poems, and journal articles from camp magazines.
For Giulia Ara, an Italian international student studying German translation, the project was a unique opportunity to move beyond her textbooks and gain valuable real-world translating experience.
鈥淚t was a breath of fresh air to be able to work on materials with yet no translated correspondence in English. It made me acknowledge the crucial role of the translator and allowed me to work outside that often appears in translation theory textbooks,鈥� she says.
From carefully handling hundred-years-old handwritten papers to seeing the final digitalised documents exhibited at the State Library, Giulia says translating the stories of German internees was a deeply touching experience.
Each story became a tiny, satisfying discovery that revealed how German culture, language, and world history work together.
One poem was particularly special to her.
鈥淭he anonymous poem听Was sie sagen听(What they say) stood out from all the papers I translated as it wasn鈥檛 a conventional poem. Instead, it carried a political message, simplifying the complex relationships between Germany, England, France and Russia, the main actors of World War One, into a witty conversation between the countries.
鈥淓ven in poetry, the internees鈥� language was simple and approachable to any reader, with no wish to be pretentious. Words were sagaciously chosen and used by the internees as the most powerful weapon they had to leave a mark and prevent the stories of that aching part of the German population from being wiped away by the merciless passage of time.鈥�
After the war, the camps were gradually closed and the Germans - including those who had never set foot in Germany - were 鈥榬epatriated鈥�.
The letters eventually became one of six collections with UNESCO Memory of the World status held by the State Library.
It has been an important project for Dr Moir.
鈥淚t is very rewarding to see the contribution our students鈥� work has made. By cooperating with the State Library, bringing these new records into the public domain will expand our collective knowledge about Australia鈥檚 First World War experiences.鈥�
The letters and their translations will be presented in the exhibition听听at the State Library of New South Wales until March 2019.