Files in this series, from Army Headquarters, Eastern Command / NSW Lines of Communication Area, Australian Military Forces, relate to the administration of Prisoners of War and Internees and the camps which housed them during World War II. 

Shortly before transfer of the files to Archives, the Army central registry arranged them into 30 subject areas, some subjects containing several part files.
 
Included in the files are accounts of the outbreak of Japanese prisoners of war from the Cowra Camp and the subsequent trials, repatriation of prisoners of war and internees, information about the employment of Italian POWs, personnel files of camp garrisons, and records of the War Dogs Reception and Training Centre at Plumpton. 

On the checklist, Item 28, Cowra Garrison Personnel files, has previously been converted to SP196/6. Item 31, 'Hay Garrison Personnel [M-Z]', has been combined with Item 29, 'Hay Garrison Personnel A-L'. Items 32 and 33 of the checklist, 'War Establishments', are Item 14 PART 2 and PART 3, as confirmed by the item list on the cardboard bundle cover  which accompanied the files at transfer.