‘A whisperer for all Italians’

Abstract

While considerable research has been undertaken on internment experiences during the World War II in Australia, little has focused on the thousands of ‘enemy aliens’, especially Italian-born women and Australian-born women of Italian descent, whose family members were interned. This article explores the ways in which the lives of three Queensland Italian women were impacted by the National Security (Aliens Control) Regulations 1939 (Cth). One of these three women was ultimately interned as a result of being perceived as a threat to national security. The experiences of each, documented in official records, highlight concerns about their treatment under the Regulations. How did the Regulations restrict the civil rights of Italian women and how did they respond? Examination of these three women’s particular circumstances shows that they each suffered hardship and isolation when loved ones were interned, yet two actively sought to improve their situation by appealing to the authorities. Their stories reflect the ‘war hysteria’ and suspicion, as well as isolation, discrimination and victimisation, that form a largely unacknowledged history of the wartime experience of ‘enemy alien’ women.