page_title: Second Australian Imperial Force in the United Kingdom
section_title: Prisoner of war repatriation
hierarchical_section_title: Second Australian Imperial Force in the United Kingdom / Prisoner of war repatriation
caption_attribution_description: English: Eastbourne Club For Australian Repatriated Prisoners- the Opening of Gowrie House, Eastbourne, Sussex, England, UK, 1945 A general view of one of the lounges at Gowrie House, Eastbourne. Australian repatriated prisoners, Red Cross staff and civilians relax and read the newspaper. The original caption states that the lounge is "furnished with comfortably upholstered chairs, a thick pile carpet and attractive curtains".
context_page_description: Elements of the Second Australian Imperial Force were located in the United Kingdom throughout World War II. For most of the war these comprised only a small number of liaison officers. However, between June and December 1940 around 8,000 Australian soldiers organised into two infantry brigades and supporting units were stationed in the country. Several small engineer units were also sent to the UK, and up to 600 forestry troops were active there between July 1940 and mid-1943. A prisoner of war repatriation unit arrived in the UK in August 1944, and over 5,600 released AIF prisoners eventually passed through the country. Following the war small numbers of Australian soldiers formed part of a military cricket team which toured England, and the Army contributed most members of the Australian contingent to the June 1946 victory parade in London.
  Although the UK had accommodated the main rear base for the First Australian Imperial Force during most of World War I, the deployment during 1940 was the only time significant numbers of Australian combat soldiers were stationed in the country during World War II.
context_section_description: Between 1940 and 1942, 7,115 members of the AIF were taken prisoner by Axis forces in North Africa, Greece and Crete. The great majority of these men remained prisoners of war in Germany until the end of the war, and the conditions in which they were held deteriorated considerably over 1944 and early 1945. In January 1945, approximately 5,300 Australian soldiers remained in German custody.
  The first former POWs to arrive in the UK were escapees from Axis custody. In November 1942 several such men were attached to the Forestry Group to recuperate. When the Forestry Group was preparing to leave the UK, volunteers were called for to establish a POW reception team. Three officers and twelve enlisted men remained in the UK for this purpose.
  In October 1943, 28 Australian soldiers were repatriated from German captivity via the UK as part of a POW exchange. The men disembarked in Scotland on 28 October, where they were greeted by two members of the Australian Army Staff in London and Australian Red Cross representatives. The British Army was responsible for assisting these repatriated Australian POWs in the days immediately after they arrived in the UK. The soldiers then received support from the Australian High Commission until they departed for Australia.
  As the war in Europe neared its conclusion, the Allies began preparations to repatriate prisoners of war held in German custody. A multi-national Prisoner of War Executive (PWX) was established within the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force to co-ordinate these efforts, and contact officers were selected to take charge of POWs after they were liberated. Following a request from the British War Office, Australia posted 18 military personnel to Europe to assist with POW repatriation. Of these, 13 were AIF members and the remainder RAAF airmen. The senior liaison officer, Lieutenant-Colonel J. S. Smith, and an RAAF officer were assigned to the PWX. All of the other personnel were posted to units in the field.
  Facilities were also established in the UK to accommodate and support released POWs until they could be repatriated to Australia. The 1st AIF Reception Group (United Kingdom) was established in Australia under the command of Brigadier Eugene Gorman during June 1944. It arrived in the UK in August. The Reception Group was located at the resort town of Eastbourne on the coast of Sussex, which had comfortable accommodation and good recreation facilities. A transit camp and four reception camps for AIF personnel were established in the town. Several specialist services were attached to the 1st AIF Reception Group; these included a dental unit, a pay office, a provost platoon and a postal unit. Detachments from the Australian Canteen Services and the Australian Red Cross were also attached. Official war artist Stella Bowen was assigned to one of the reception camps to record the former POWs' experiences. The RAN and RAAF established similar facilities for their personnel; the RAAF's was located at Brighton.
  Due to the poor health of most POWs, Allied policy was to rapidly transport liberated POWs to the UK, usually by air. Few prisoners were freed until April 1945, however. By this time, the 1st AIF Reception Group had handled 209 Australians released during two POW exchanges, as well as small numbers of soldiers who arrived via Italy, Switzerland and the Soviet Union. From 4 April, the AIF Reception Group generally received 30 released POWs per day. This rose to about 100 per day from 20 April, and then gradually increased. After the German surrender on 8 May large numbers of released POWs arrived. The AIF Reception Group handled over 1,000 during the week ending 15 May. The number of released POWs arriving in the UK decreased over the remainder of May, and the last arrived in June. Overall, the AIF Reception Group handled 5,668 released POWs.
  Upon arrival in the UK, the released AIF prisoners of war were either sent to a hospital if they required medical attention or proceeded directly to the AIF Transit Camp at Eastbourne. Hospitalised soldiers were also posted t
caption: Repatriated POWs, Australian Red Cross staff and civilians relaxing at Gowrie House in Eastbourne
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