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Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, peter Thompson, Pacific fury : how Australia and her allies defeated the Japanese scourge, 2008
Pearl Harbour. Kokoda. The fall of Singapore. Curtin's fight with Churchill. The bombing of Darwin. The Battle of Midway. POWs. Kamikaze. Hiroshima. These words alone are enough to convey the terror, courage and drama of the Pacific War, when the balance of power stood on a knife-edge and when the future of Australia herself was on the brink - threatened by Japanese aggression on one hand and British apathy on the other. Until now the history of the Pacific War has largely been written from the American perspective. Now, for the first time, Peter Thompson places Australian voices and action at the heart of a struggle that took an unimaginable number of lives and only ended with the unleashing of the most powerful weapon the world had ever seen. Pearl Harbor; The fall of Singapore; Curtin's fights with Churchill; The bombing of Darwin; POW camps; The battle of Midway; Kokoda; Buna; Kamikaze pilots; Hiroshima. These words alone are enough to convey the terror, courage and drama of the Pacific War, when the balance of power stood on a knife-edge and when the future of Australia was on the brink - threatened by Japanese aggression on the one hand and British deception on the other. After a conflict that took an unimaginable number of lives and ended with the unleashing of the most powerful weapon the world had ever seen, the Allies emerged victorious. Australia, however, was criticised by Churchill and his generals for showing cowardice in the face of the enemy and for not caring about the fate of other nations. The endorsement of these claims by several military historians today shows that the smear has not gone away. Until nowIndex, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.548.non-fictionPearl Harbour. Kokoda. The fall of Singapore. Curtin's fight with Churchill. The bombing of Darwin. The Battle of Midway. POWs. Kamikaze. Hiroshima. These words alone are enough to convey the terror, courage and drama of the Pacific War, when the balance of power stood on a knife-edge and when the future of Australia herself was on the brink - threatened by Japanese aggression on one hand and British apathy on the other. Until now the history of the Pacific War has largely been written from the American perspective. Now, for the first time, Peter Thompson places Australian voices and action at the heart of a struggle that took an unimaginable number of lives and only ended with the unleashing of the most powerful weapon the world had ever seen. Pearl Harbor; The fall of Singapore; Curtin's fights with Churchill; The bombing of Darwin; POW camps; The battle of Midway; Kokoda; Buna; Kamikaze pilots; Hiroshima. These words alone are enough to convey the terror, courage and drama of the Pacific War, when the balance of power stood on a knife-edge and when the future of Australia was on the brink - threatened by Japanese aggression on the one hand and British deception on the other. After a conflict that took an unimaginable number of lives and ended with the unleashing of the most powerful weapon the world had ever seen, the Allies emerged victorious. Australia, however, was criticised by Churchill and his generals for showing cowardice in the face of the enemy and for not caring about the fate of other nations. The endorsement of these claims by several military historians today shows that the smear has not gone away. Until nowworld war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – pacific, world war 1939 – 1945 – australia -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Wordsworth, Flying colours : the epic story of Douglas Bader, 2001
A biography authorised by Bader and based on his own private papers, flying logs and notes. Written by a close friend, it tells the story of a man who lost both legs in an air crash in 1931 and went on to become a leading pilot in the Battle of Britain, a prisoner of war (who still tried to escape despite artificial legs), businessman, public speaker and worker for the disabled.Index, ill, map, p.303.non-fictionA biography authorised by Bader and based on his own private papers, flying logs and notes. Written by a close friend, it tells the story of a man who lost both legs in an air crash in 1931 and went on to become a leading pilot in the Battle of Britain, a prisoner of war (who still tried to escape despite artificial legs), businessman, public speaker and worker for the disabled. world war 1939 – 1945 – aerial operations - britain, douglas bader - biography -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Fremantle Arts Centre Press, The time of the soldier, 1991
An account of the author's experiences in two World Wars, as a Sergeant Major in a machine gun battalion and as a prisoner of the Japanese in Java, Singapore and Thailand.Ill, p.210.non-fictionAn account of the author's experiences in two World Wars, as a Sergeant Major in a machine gun battalion and as a prisoner of the Japanese in Java, Singapore and Thailand. world war 1939 – 1945 – personal narratives – australia, prisoners of war - australia -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Werner Laurie, The naked island, 1954
... -and-the-dandenong-ranges Book The naked island Ill, p.266. World war 1939 ...Story of the Malayan Campaign of 1942 and subsequent captivity in the hands of the Japanese from a private soldier's point of view.Ill, p.266.non-fictionStory of the Malayan Campaign of 1942 and subsequent captivity in the hands of the Japanese from a private soldier's point of view. world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners - japanese, prisoners of war - australia -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Hugh V Clarke, A life for every sleeper : a pictorial record of the Burma - Thailand railway, 1988
... of the Burma - Thailand railway Ill, p.115. World war 1939 – 1945 ...This book is based on documents, photographs and maps preserved in the records of the Australian war memorial, and on the experiences of the author.Ill, p.115.non-fictionThis book is based on documents, photographs and maps preserved in the records of the Australian war memorial, and on the experiences of the author.world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – japanese, burma thailand railway -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, McMillan, British civilians and the Japanese war in Malaya and Singapore, 1941-1945, 1987
... .156. World war 1939 – 1945 - Prisons and prisoners – Japanese ...An account of British civilians interned in Malaya and Singapore 1942-1945.Index, bibliography, ill, maps, p.156.non-fictionAn account of British civilians interned in Malaya and Singapore 1942-1945.world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – japanese, civilian internment - malaya and singapore -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Tasman Archives, Betrayal in high places, 1996
... . World war 1939-1945 - War crime - Japan World war 1939 – 1945 ...Alleges an extensive cover-up of Japanese war crimes.Index, ill, p.263.non-fictionAlleges an extensive cover-up of Japanese war crimes.world war 1939-1945 - war crime - japan, world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – japanese -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Monsoon, You'll die in Singapore: True account of one of the most amazing POW escapes in WWII, 2005
... of the most amazing POW escapes in WWII Ill, maps, p.223. World war ...With sixteen other POWs, author Charles McCormac broke out from his POW camp in Japanese-occupied Singapore and began a two-thousand-mile escape from Singapore, through the jungles of Indonesia to Australia. The POWs' escape took a staggering five months and only two out of the original seventeen men survived. This is McCormac's compelling true account of one of the most horrifying and amazing escapes in World War Two. It is a story of courage, endurance and compassion, and makes for a very gripping read.Ill, maps, p.223.non-fictionWith sixteen other POWs, author Charles McCormac broke out from his POW camp in Japanese-occupied Singapore and began a two-thousand-mile escape from Singapore, through the jungles of Indonesia to Australia. The POWs' escape took a staggering five months and only two out of the original seventeen men survived. This is McCormac's compelling true account of one of the most horrifying and amazing escapes in World War Two. It is a story of courage, endurance and compassion, and makes for a very gripping read.world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – japanese, prisoner of war escapes - singapore -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Allen & Unwin, The Burma-Thailand railway : memory and history, 1993
... and history Index, notes, ill, tales, p.175. World war 1939 – 1945 ...The reminiscences of Australian POW's and Japanese historians at a meeting 50 years after the war ended on the Burma Thailand railway.Index, notes, ill, tales, p.175.non-fictionThe reminiscences of Australian POW's and Japanese historians at a meeting 50 years after the war ended on the Burma Thailand railway.world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – japanese, burma - thailand railway -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Pan Macmillan, One fourteenth of an elephant : a memoir of life and death on the Burma-Thailand railway, 2003
... war 1939 – 1945 - Prisons and prisoners – Japanese Burma ...Four and a half days after being transported out of Singapore in a steel goods train in October 1942, prisoner of war Denys Peek found himself in Siam, and a part of the labor force destined for the project that was later to be known as the Thai-Burma Death Railway.Maps, p.520.non-fictionFour and a half days after being transported out of Singapore in a steel goods train in October 1942, prisoner of war Denys Peek found himself in Siam, and a part of the labor force destined for the project that was later to be known as the Thai-Burma Death Railway.world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – japanese, burma - thailand railway -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Sage Large Print, Stoker, 1995
The story of an Australian soldier who survived Auschwitz-Birkenau.p.220.non-fictionThe story of an Australian soldier who survived Auschwitz-Birkenau.world war 1939 – 1945 – personal narratives – australia, prisoners of war - australia -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Department of Veterans' Affair, Stolen Years : Australian Prisoners of War, 2002
... , p.157. World war 1939 – 1945 - Prisons and prisoners ...Created by the Australian War Memorial, this book is an online companion to a travelling exhibition that explores the lives of those who were held captive by the Japanese. It describes what happened during the time these individuals spend months and years behind barbed wire, hungry, bored, cold, and sick. The book tells the story of how many survived and why they deserve our respect and understanding.Ill, p.157.non-fictionCreated by the Australian War Memorial, this book is an online companion to a travelling exhibition that explores the lives of those who were held captive by the Japanese. It describes what happened during the time these individuals spend months and years behind barbed wire, hungry, bored, cold, and sick. The book tells the story of how many survived and why they deserve our respect and understanding. world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – australia, prisoners of war - australia - pictorial works -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Allen & Unwin, Four thousand bowls of rice : a prisoner of war comes home, 1993
... of war comes home Index, bibliography, notes, ill, p.179. World ...Over 60,000 Australians and Americans captured by the Japanese during World War II toiled and died to build the Bridge over the River Kwai. Respected military historian Linda Goetz Holmes tells the story of one man's survival in Japanese labor camps during WWII. Amazing photographs, taken secretly by other prisoners, chronicle this dark history of Allied troops in the Pacific theatre of war.Index, bibliography, notes, ill, p.179.non-fictionOver 60,000 Australians and Americans captured by the Japanese during World War II toiled and died to build the Bridge over the River Kwai. Respected military historian Linda Goetz Holmes tells the story of one man's survival in Japanese labor camps during WWII. Amazing photographs, taken secretly by other prisoners, chronicle this dark history of Allied troops in the Pacific theatre of war.world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – australia, burma thailand railway -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Macmillan, P.O.W. : Australian prisoners of war in Hitler's Reich, 2011
... -and-the-dandenong-ranges Book P.O.W. : Australian prisoners of war ...Australians from every field of conflict in World War II found themselves as prisoners in Hitler's notorious Stalags, or prisoner of war camps. Most were forced to labour in factories, down mines or on the land - often in conditions of enormous privation and hardship. All suffered from shortages, overcrowding and the mental strain of imprisonment. Peter Monteath's fascinating narrative history is exhaustively researched, and compelling in its detailed evocation.Index, bibliography, notes, ill, p.523.non-fictionAustralians from every field of conflict in World War II found themselves as prisoners in Hitler's notorious Stalags, or prisoner of war camps. Most were forced to labour in factories, down mines or on the land - often in conditions of enormous privation and hardship. All suffered from shortages, overcrowding and the mental strain of imprisonment. Peter Monteath's fascinating narrative history is exhaustively researched, and compelling in its detailed evocation.world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – germany, prisoners of war - australia -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Readers Book Club et al, The one that got away, 1958
... prisoners of war - Germany - Escapes In World War II James Leasor ...In World War II James Leasor was commissioned into the Royal Berkshire Regiment and posted to the 1st Lincolns in Burma and India, where he served for three and a half years. His experiences inspired him to write such books as Boarding Party (filmed as The Sea Wolves). He later became a feature writer and foreign correspondent at the Daily Express. Here he wrote The One that Got Away.p.255.non-fictionIn World War II James Leasor was commissioned into the Royal Berkshire Regiment and posted to the 1st Lincolns in Burma and India, where he served for three and a half years. His experiences inspired him to write such books as Boarding Party (filmed as The Sea Wolves). He later became a feature writer and foreign correspondent at the Daily Express. Here he wrote The One that Got Away. franz von werra, prisoners of war - germany - escapes -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Penguin, We were there : Australian soldiers of World War II tell their stories, 1988
Aborigines and army service - Australian women's Army - Burma-Thailand railway - Prisoners of war (POW's).Index, ill, p.470.non-fictionAborigines and army service - Australian women's Army - Burma-Thailand railway - Prisoners of war (POW's).world war 1939 – 1945 – personal narratives – australia, world war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – australia -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Time-Life Books in association with John Ferguson, Prisoners of war, 1988
... , maps, p.168. Prisoners of war - Australia World war 1939-1945 ...This is a profoundly courageous story of Australians struggling to survive the consequences of a war-ravaged world. It is a singularly outstanding account of men wrenched from battle, but not from the annals of their nation's history.Index, bibliography, ill, maps, p.168.non-fictionThis is a profoundly courageous story of Australians struggling to survive the consequences of a war-ravaged world. It is a singularly outstanding account of men wrenched from battle, but not from the annals of their nation's history.prisoners of war - australia, world war 1939-1945 - prisons and prisoners -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Nelson, The war diaries of Weary Dunlop, 1986
... , maps, p.301. World war 1939-1945 - Prisoners and prisons ...A personal recollection of the experiences of Weary Dunlop during the war and as a prisoner of war.Index, ill, maps, p.301.non-fictionA personal recollection of the experiences of Weary Dunlop during the war and as a prisoner of war.world war 1939-1945 - prisoners and prisons, prisoners of war - australia -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Ken Fin, Prisoners of war: From Gallipoli to Korea
... of Australians taken prisoner in World War I, World War II and the Korean ...In 'Prisoners of War' dozens of interviews with former POWs are used to show the strength and courage of Australians taken prisoner in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. This book was written for those who know little of the experiences of these men and women; their courage, endurance and pain.Index, ill (B/W plates), p.726.non-fictionIn 'Prisoners of War' dozens of interviews with former POWs are used to show the strength and courage of Australians taken prisoner in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. This book was written for those who know little of the experiences of these men and women; their courage, endurance and pain.australia - military history, australia - prisoners of war -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Salvationist Publishing, Campaigning in captivity, 1947
... - history world war 2 - prisoners of war The story of members ...The story of members of the Salvation Army in captivity during World War IIp.102.non-fictionThe story of members of the Salvation Army in captivity during World War IIsalvation army - history, world war 2 - prisoners of war -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Albert Coates et al, The Albert Coates story, 1977
... , ill (b/w), p.185. prisoners of war - australia world war 1939 ...A description of Albert Coates and of his imprisonment as a prisoner of the Japanese in Sumatra, Burma and ThailandIndex, bibliography, ill (b/w), p.185.non-fictionA description of Albert Coates and of his imprisonment as a prisoner of the Japanese in Sumatra, Burma and Thailandprisoners of war - australia, world war 1939-1945 - personal narratives - australia -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Panther, Empire of the sun, 1985
... - fiction World war 1939 – 1945 - Prisons and prisoners - Japanese ...The heartrending story of British boy Jim's four year ordeal in a Japanese prison camp during the second world war. Based on J. G. Ballard's own childhood, this is the extraordinary account of a boy's life in Japanese-occupied wartime Shanghai--a mesmerising, hypnotically compelling novel of war, of starvation and survival, of internment camps and death marches. It blends searing honesty with an almost hallucinatory vision of a world thrown utterly out of joint. Rooted as it is in the author's own disturbing experience of war in our time, it is one of a handful of novels by which the twentieth century will be not only remembered but judged.p.351.fictionThe heartrending story of British boy Jim's four year ordeal in a Japanese prison camp during the second world war. Based on J. G. Ballard's own childhood, this is the extraordinary account of a boy's life in Japanese-occupied wartime Shanghai--a mesmerising, hypnotically compelling novel of war, of starvation and survival, of internment camps and death marches. It blends searing honesty with an almost hallucinatory vision of a world thrown utterly out of joint. Rooted as it is in the author's own disturbing experience of war in our time, it is one of a handful of novels by which the twentieth century will be not only remembered but judged. world war 1939-1945 - fiction, world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners - japanese -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Corgi, Escaper's progress, 1978
... of war - Germany - Escapes World war 1939 – 1945 - Prisons ...David James was serving in Motor Gun Boats when he was captured in February 1943. Imprisoned initially in Dulag Marlag, he immediately decided to escape. In December 1943 he succeeded in escaping disguised as an officer of the Royal Bulgarian Navy. He was captured while attempting to board a ship at Lubeck.Undeterred, in February 1944 he broke out again, this time dressed as a Swedish sailor. He eventually succeeded in reaching Stockholm after two and a half days in a ship's engine room.maps, p.157.non-fictionDavid James was serving in Motor Gun Boats when he was captured in February 1943. Imprisoned initially in Dulag Marlag, he immediately decided to escape. In December 1943 he succeeded in escaping disguised as an officer of the Royal Bulgarian Navy. He was captured while attempting to board a ship at Lubeck.Undeterred, in February 1944 he broke out again, this time dressed as a Swedish sailor. He eventually succeeded in reaching Stockholm after two and a half days in a ship's engine room. prisoners of war - germany - escapes, world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – germany -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Kangaroo Press, Diggers at Colditz, 1997
... . World war 1939 – 1945 - Prisons and prisoners – Germany World ...On June 23 1943 Lieutenant Jack Champ of the 2nd/6th Australian Infantry Battalion was marched into one of the most famous prisoner-of-war camps in Germany. Known then as Oflag IVC, it is now better know as Colditz. By the end of the war there were nineteen Australians in Colditz, and this is the first book to look at life there specifically from their point of view. It was a very special camp. It was designed to retain under escape-proof conditions, a select group of Allied prisoners who had already escaped from other camps and who had been recaptured whilst still in occupied territory. Having seen action in the Western Desert and in Greece, Jack Champ had been captured by the Germans in 1941. He was, however, a reluctant prisoner and took part in two escapes from different POW camps, one of which was a mass break-out of sixty officers through a tunnel that had taken weeks to make. Although the guards frequently outnumbered prisoners, there were more escapes from Colditz than from any other prison of comparable size during both World Wars. In this vivid book Jack Champ and Colin Burgess explain what it was like to be a prisoner in Nazi Germany. It is a curious blend of brutality and humanity, of routines and dreams, and occasional and dramatic excitement as men tried to turn those dreams into the reality of freedom.Index, ill, maps, p.224.non-fictionOn June 23 1943 Lieutenant Jack Champ of the 2nd/6th Australian Infantry Battalion was marched into one of the most famous prisoner-of-war camps in Germany. Known then as Oflag IVC, it is now better know as Colditz. By the end of the war there were nineteen Australians in Colditz, and this is the first book to look at life there specifically from their point of view. It was a very special camp. It was designed to retain under escape-proof conditions, a select group of Allied prisoners who had already escaped from other camps and who had been recaptured whilst still in occupied territory. Having seen action in the Western Desert and in Greece, Jack Champ had been captured by the Germans in 1941. He was, however, a reluctant prisoner and took part in two escapes from different POW camps, one of which was a mass break-out of sixty officers through a tunnel that had taken weeks to make. Although the guards frequently outnumbered prisoners, there were more escapes from Colditz than from any other prison of comparable size during both World Wars. In this vivid book Jack Champ and Colin Burgess explain what it was like to be a prisoner in Nazi Germany. It is a curious blend of brutality and humanity, of routines and dreams, and occasional and dramatic excitement as men tried to turn those dreams into the reality of freedom.world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – germany, world war 1939-1945 - personal narratives - australia -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Hugh V. Clarke and Colin Burgess, Barbed wire and bamboo : Australian POWs in Europe, North Africa, Singapore, Thailand and Japan, 1993
... .159 World war 1939 – 1945 - Prisons and prisoners - Japanese ...A collection of stories of capture, imprisonment and escape in World War I and II. Covering experiences in Europe and in South East Asia, the book presents contrasting PoW experiences - of daring escapes from Colditz Castle, and of endurance and slow suffering in Japanese camps.Ill, maps, p.159A collection of stories of capture, imprisonment and escape in World War I and II. Covering experiences in Europe and in South East Asia, the book presents contrasting PoW experiences - of daring escapes from Colditz Castle, and of endurance and slow suffering in Japanese camps.world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners - japanese, world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – germany -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, George Allen & Unwin, Twilight liberation : Australian prisoners of war between Hiroshima and home, 1985
... – 1945 - Prisons and prisoners – Japanese World War 1939-1945 ...Australian prisoners of war in Japan in the aftermath of The Japanese surrenderIll, p.165non-fictionAustralian prisoners of war in Japan in the aftermath of The Japanese surrenderworld war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – japanese, world war 1939-1945 - personal narratives - australia -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, University of Queensland Press, Captives: Australian Army Nurses in Japanese Prison Camps, 1986
... Prison Camps Index, ill, p.162. World war 1939 – 1945 - Prisons ...The story of the experiences of Australian Army nurses as Japanese prisoners of warIndex, ill, p.162.non-fictionThe story of the experiences of Australian Army nurses as Japanese prisoners of warworld war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners - japanese, australian army nursing service -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, P.O.W. : prisoners of war, 1985
... , maps, p.224. World war 1939 – 1945 - Prisons and prisoners ...Within three months of the Japanese entering World War II on December 8, 1941 over 22 000 Australians had become prisoners-of-war. They went into camps in Timor, Ambon, New Britain, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Singapore and Malaya, and a few were scattered to other points in what was briefly part of the Japanese empire. Later most of the prisoners were to be shifted further north into South-east Asia, Formosa, Korea, Manchuria and Japan itself. They were captives within lands and cultures and to experiences alien to those known to all other Australians. At the end of the war in August 1945, 14315 servicemen and thirty service women were alive to put on new, loose-fitting uniforms and go home. One in three of the prisoners had died. That is, nearly half of the deaths suffered by Australians in the war in the Pacific were among men and women who had surrendered. Another 8174 Australians had been captured in the fighting in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa: but of these men only 265 died as a result of wounds, disease or execution.By any quantitative measure the imprisonment of so many Australians is a major event in Australian history. For many soldiers it was living --and dying --in captivity which made World War II different from that of World War I. But the prisoners have received no permanent place in Australian history. Their story is not immediately recalled on celebratory occasions. In a general history of the nation in which a chapter is given to the war the prisoners might be mentioned in a sentence, or part of a sentence. Where the horror, stoicism and gallantry of Gallipoli have become part of a common tradition shared by all Australians, the ex-prisoners are granted just the horror. The public may be sympathetic; but the horror is for the prisoners alone. To make another comparison: in five months of fighting on the Kokoda Trail in 1942 the Australians lost 625 dead, less than the number who died on Ambon. Yet the events on Ambon are unknown to most Australians. There were no reporters or cameramen on Ambon and, for the 309 who defended Ambon's Laha airfield, no survivors. How many of them died in battle or died as prisoners will never be known. But there are more than just practical reasons why the record of the prisoners of war is so slight and uneven in the general knowledge of Australians. They have not tried to find out. No historian has written a book to cover the range of camps and experiences, and only in specialist medical publications has anyone investigated the impact of prison life on subsequent physical and mental health. The complexity of the experience and its impact on particular lives have not been expressed in a way to give them significance for other Australians.Index, bib, ill, maps, p.224.Within three months of the Japanese entering World War II on December 8, 1941 over 22 000 Australians had become prisoners-of-war. They went into camps in Timor, Ambon, New Britain, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Singapore and Malaya, and a few were scattered to other points in what was briefly part of the Japanese empire. Later most of the prisoners were to be shifted further north into South-east Asia, Formosa, Korea, Manchuria and Japan itself. They were captives within lands and cultures and to experiences alien to those known to all other Australians. At the end of the war in August 1945, 14315 servicemen and thirty service women were alive to put on new, loose-fitting uniforms and go home. One in three of the prisoners had died. That is, nearly half of the deaths suffered by Australians in the war in the Pacific were among men and women who had surrendered. Another 8174 Australians had been captured in the fighting in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa: but of these men only 265 died as a result of wounds, disease or execution.By any quantitative measure the imprisonment of so many Australians is a major event in Australian history. For many soldiers it was living --and dying --in captivity which made World War II different from that of World War I. But the prisoners have received no permanent place in Australian history. Their story is not immediately recalled on celebratory occasions. In a general history of the nation in which a chapter is given to the war the prisoners might be mentioned in a sentence, or part of a sentence. Where the horror, stoicism and gallantry of Gallipoli have become part of a common tradition shared by all Australians, the ex-prisoners are granted just the horror. The public may be sympathetic; but the horror is for the prisoners alone. To make another comparison: in five months of fighting on the Kokoda Trail in 1942 the Australians lost 625 dead, less than the number who died on Ambon. Yet the events on Ambon are unknown to most Australians. There were no reporters or cameramen on Ambon and, for the 309 who defended Ambon's Laha airfield, no survivors. How many of them died in battle or died as prisoners will never be known. But there are more than just practical reasons why the record of the prisoners of war is so slight and uneven in the general knowledge of Australians. They have not tried to find out. No historian has written a book to cover the range of camps and experiences, and only in specialist medical publications has anyone investigated the impact of prison life on subsequent physical and mental health. The complexity of the experience and its impact on particular lives have not been expressed in a way to give them significance for other Australians.world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – japanese, world war 1939-1945 - personal narrativies - australia -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Hesperian Press, Borneo surgeon : a reluctant hero : the life and times of Dr. James Patrick Taylor, OBE, MB, CH.M, 1995
... World war 1939 – 1945 - Prisons and prisoners - Japanese World ...Peter Firkins has produced a heroic figure comparable in courage and selflessness to that of the legendary 'Weary' Dunlop, and whose story should be known by all Australians in the same way. What a wonderful epitaph to a man born into a humble Yass family at the end of the nineteenth century who, by his own determination and intellect, won a scholarship for his secondary education at St Patrick's College, Goulburn and an Exhibition to study medicine at Sydney University. Almost by pure chance he pursued his medical career in an outpost of the British Empire then known as British North Borneo to become Principal Medical Officer at the time of the Japanese occupation during World War II. The Japanese allowed the civilian medical staff to remain at their posts with the status of 'simple confinement' while at the same time the bewildered local people looked to someone for leadership in their new and unaccustomed circumstances.Aided by his wonderful wife Celia he was imperceptibly drawn into the key role of organising the underground movement among loyal native and giving support to the Australian Prisoners of War transferred to Borneo from Singapore. In 1943 he was exposed to the Japanese, arrested and terribly tortured. Donated by Major General M.P.J. O'Brien, July 2018. Signed by authorIll, p.151non-fictionPeter Firkins has produced a heroic figure comparable in courage and selflessness to that of the legendary 'Weary' Dunlop, and whose story should be known by all Australians in the same way. What a wonderful epitaph to a man born into a humble Yass family at the end of the nineteenth century who, by his own determination and intellect, won a scholarship for his secondary education at St Patrick's College, Goulburn and an Exhibition to study medicine at Sydney University. Almost by pure chance he pursued his medical career in an outpost of the British Empire then known as British North Borneo to become Principal Medical Officer at the time of the Japanese occupation during World War II. The Japanese allowed the civilian medical staff to remain at their posts with the status of 'simple confinement' while at the same time the bewildered local people looked to someone for leadership in their new and unaccustomed circumstances.Aided by his wonderful wife Celia he was imperceptibly drawn into the key role of organising the underground movement among loyal native and giving support to the Australian Prisoners of War transferred to Borneo from Singapore. In 1943 he was exposed to the Japanese, arrested and terribly tortured. Donated by Major General M.P.J. O'Brien, July 2018. Signed by authorworld war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners - japanese, world war 1939 – 1945 – personal narratives – australia -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Australian War Memorial, The Japanese thrust, 1957
Story of the 8th Division in the campaigns in Malaya, Singapore, Rabaul, Ambon and Timor where most of the Division was captured by the Japanese in 1942. Also the story of the Australian Prisoners of the Japanese, including Changi and the Burma-Thailand Railway.Index, ill, maps, p.715.non-fictionStory of the 8th Division in the campaigns in Malaya, Singapore, Rabaul, Ambon and Timor where most of the Division was captured by the Japanese in 1942. Also the story of the Australian Prisoners of the Japanese, including Changi and the Burma-Thailand Railway.world war 1939-1945 - australian involvement, world war 1939-1945 - campaigns - south west pacific