| Short Description | T1 Burnie was the first PoW Control Centre on Tasmania’s northwest coast, operating under Brighton Military Camp, which handled intake records, medical screening, and clothing before prisoners were sent north. Headquartered in Burnie itself, the centre ran with a small army detachment. It placed Italian PoWs on local farms and also put them to work on civic infrastructure and timber cutting, reflecting the region’s mix of agriculture and early industry. After Italy’s 1943 armistice, these prisoners lived under low-security conditions — in huts on farms or communal quarters near worksites, mixing freely with locals rather than being fenced in. |
