In August 1914 war broke out across Europe. Within months hundreds of men - 'enemy aliens' - were interned on Torrens Island, in the Port River estuary near Adelaide. Sailors taken off enemy ships, foreign nationals living in South Australia, and even some naturalised British subjects found themselves behind barbed wire.
Wartime censorship meant people outside knew next to nothing about internment or life in the camp. The camp commandant's brutal behaviour was revealed only years later.
Today, the observations of two internees survive in the diaries of professional boxer Frank Bungardy and the compelling photographs of Paul Dubotzki. These extraordinary sources, brought together in Interned, tell the little-known story of South Australia's 'enemy within' - a story as timely now as it has ever been.
Praise for Interned:
'An impressive exploration of an easily neglected dark but intriguing chapter in South Australia's history ... [The authors] have done their subject proud through their scholarly, ground-breaking research and the impressive presentation of illuminating photographs.' - Trevor Grant, Bilbiofile
'A lasting record of one easily neglected aspect of South Australia's experience of the Great War ... A story as timely now as it ever was.' - Nic Klaassen, Flinders Ranges Research
'For all those interested in the history of South Australia or the reaction of human beings to pressure, both internal and external, this book is one that will fascinate and reward from beginning to end.' - Ian Harmstorf, Journal of the Historical Society of South Australia
'Interned: Torrens Island 1914-1915 presents the reader with an otherwise hidden piece of South Australian history. Monteath, Paul and Martin respectfully capture the experiences of the internees through the internees’ own eyes, shading in gaps with historical context to give the reader a rich understanding of the circumstances surrounding Torrens Island.' - Raelke Grimmer, Transnational Literature
Peter Monteath teaches history at Flinders University and writes about modern Australian and European history. He has a particular interest in German history and how over the last two centuries it has intersected with Australia. Wakefield Press published his collection of essays Germans: Travellers, Settlers and Their Descendants in South Australia in 2011.
Mandy Paul is Senior Curator, Exhibitions, Collections and Research at History SA. She has published on aspects of Australian cultural history, South Australian Aboriginal history and the intersection of history and law in native title practice, and is particularly interested in Indigenous history and South Australian social history. Her most recent exhibition is: Interned: Torrens Island, 1914-1915.
Rebecca Martin completed a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in history) and Laws (Hons) with a Diploma of Languages in German at the University of Adelaide in 2013. Rebecca currently works as an educator in the museum sector in Canberra and her interests include social history, military history and international law.
