Civil Aliens Corps

Under the directorship of Manpower and Allied Works Council, the Civil Aliens Corps (CAC)* was established c. April 1943 and was disbanded in May 1945. The purpose of its operations was:  ‘Members of the Civil Aliens Corps were required to work on projects of a non-combatant nature managed by the Allied Works Councils.  These included projects such as road construction or the forestry industries’.  (NAA: B884)

Before the Dunera Italians were engaged to work with the Civil Aliens Corps with Victorian Forestry Commission, Australian resident Italians between the ages of 18 and 60 were already working on established projects. These projects were deemed works of national importance: salt harvesting, fire wood procurement, road building, forestry work, a hydro power scheme.

The first group of Dunera Italians to work with the Civil Aliens Corps were released from Tatura Camp 2A on the 16th May 1944.

AWM52 1/7/16 Victoria Line of Communication Area War Diary January - June 1944

The last three names on the second document were Italians interned in and around Malaya/Singapore: Cerrini-Feroni Roberto (Jahore), Cevenini Guido (Singapore) and Manfredi Michael (Malaya). This group of Italian internees arrived in Australia from Singapore onboard the Queen Mary on the 25th September 1940.

*On some men's record card, CAV is notated = Civil Aliens Corps Victoria.

Gino Guarnieri talked about life in a Civil Aliens Corps Camp on Reel 5 of his Oral History at the Imperial War Museum.