This is really quite interesting - I didn't realise the Japanese POWs worked outside their camps at all. As opposed to the Italians, who were put out on farms all over the place. The Italians really came to light for me when they were written about in a history of Briagolong Red Cross. One of our WWII veterans, who has since passed on, didn't even realise there were Italian POWs (the "enemy") in his home town while he was away fighting them in the desert, and when he returned no-one thought to tell him. When he made this discovery in the early 1990s it was quite traumatic for him and he questioned quite a lot of people to confirm it, as he really hadn't realised it had happened. I know they were also at Yarram, where some of the POWs returned after the war, and around Maffra they were on the farms and administered from an office in Maffra. One interesting thing was that Land Army girls and Italian POWs were not allowed to be placed on the same farms at the same time. The Italian POWs only got to meet and see each other by going to church on Sundays. Many strong bonds were formed between the POWs and their families. Does anyone know where else they were concentrated in Gippsland??? Linda At 12:02 PM 19/06/00 +1000, you wrote: >G'day, there used to be a Japanese POW camp just over the >border from Bendoc towards Bombala. They helped to establish >the pine plantations there. That's about all l know but try asking one >of the Forest Officers with the NRE at Bendoc or Cann River. > >Cheers > >Joel > > >==== AUS-VIC-GIPPSLAND Mailing List ==== >In general, the more information you post about a family, the more information you will get back - you need at least to say where in Gippsland the family came from, and give an idea of dates. > >