New on dunera.de October 25, 2025

Fearing an attack by the Nazi regime, a fifth column of Hitler supporters, and in connection with irrational xenophobia fueled by ultra-conservatives, including British Nazis, tens of thousands of foreigners—mostly Jews and political refugees from Germany and Austria—were imprisoned in camps from mid-1940 onwards. Around 10,000 refugees were deported overseas.
Decisions about who was a refugee, suspected Nazi, or actual Nazi were often made according to conservative ideological standards. These false classifications created the conditions for the internment of communists, social democrats, and other leftists out of political hatred, as well as Jews out of anti-Semitic motives.

Deported regardless of youth or age

During the deportation of around 10,000 people, including 2,542 men on the completely overcrowded HMT Dunera and 272 German refugees and Italians on the Queen Mary, no consideration was given to the age of the potential “criminals.” Gerhard Besch was arrested four days after his 16th birthday and deported to Australia 12 days later. He was the youngest Dunera Boy to be deported and one of 45 in his age group and another 280 young people born in 1922 and 1923. These three age groups accounted for around 13 percent of the prisoners on the transport to Australia.

Conversely, there was no hesitation in deporting old men overseas. Of the internees on the Dunera and the Queen Mary, 15 men and one woman were born before 1880, meaning they were over 60 years old. The oldest internee of both “travel groups,” Josef Rein (Queen Mary), was 78 years old at the time of his deportation!

Heinrich Sachs (left) was persecuted by the Nazis as a Social Democrat and Jew, and deported to Australia by the British government. Right: A young Dunera Boy Stern (first name unknown), 1943.
Works by Robert Hofmann. Courtesy of the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales.

New articles report on the youngest and oldest internees deported to Australia. Three detailed biographies and several shorter ones have been summarized in two articles:

The youngest Dunera Boys