Trove Tuesday – Life in the WW2 Camps

I’ve been writing this month about my grandfather’s experience of WW2. 

This is the 5th in ‘the series’ about him – Sergeant Keith Leo Grenfell.

I found a couple of general articles in Trove about life in the camps and the requirements of the men. 

Things I wouldn’t normally have thought about, or thought to look for.

One of my previous posts contained a fabulous video clip of the Bonegilla march.

I found an article highlighting the problems encountered during that march with the knitted socks sent to the men by ‘well-intentioned’ knitters.

Another article talks about the huge logistics involved in getting them all home for Christmas in 1940.

…and another, about the need for handkerchiefs pyjamas, sandshoes and musical instruments!

Shows accommodation huts, several men sitting on grass nearby.

The donor's father Douglas West (1896-1980) was a carpenter who worked on the construction of the camp buildings in 1941. The buildings were later used as a hostel for European immigrants.

Douglas West collection of Bonegilla photographs. State Library of Victoria