Showing 139 items
matching australian pow camps
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Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Book, It Wasn't Really Necessary, 2003
... australian pow camps... camps ww2 camps australian pow camps australian internment camps ...Written in memory of the people who suffered everywhere in the world during the Second World War, but especially citizens of the many nations who found themselves, by a quirk of history incarcerated n Australian Prisoner-of-War and internment campsWhite light card cover, with black text. Attached at the back is an Addendum - Index - clear plastic front cover and a black plastic back cover. 609 pages plus addendum.ww2 camps, australian pow camps, australian internment camps -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Folder
... Australian POW camps.... Extracts from various books on POW's and Internment Camps both ...Material photocopied from original books. Extracts from various books on POW's and Internment Camps both in Australia and oversea. "From Hell to Eternity" contains reference to Rod Wells, of TaturaBlack open fronted folio containing photocopied material in plastic sleeves.Contains photocopied extracts from variious books (Behind Barbed Wire; From Hell to Eternity: Toku Tai; 58/59 Batn News.australian internmnet camps, australian pow camps, overseas internment camps, overseas pow camps -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Medal - Identification Disc, SO Tjeng Leng Boen
... Identification disc issued to POW's at Australian... at Australian internment camps during WW2. identification disc pow ...Identification disc issued to POW's at Australian internment camps during WW2.Round bakelite (brown) disc with hole at top centre. One side plain. Reverse side has four lines of identification (see inscriptions). Used as identification of POW. Contained in a "by air mail" envelope. Line 1: I J Line 2: (identification number) 50215 Line 3 and 4: (identification name) SO TJENG LENG BOEN Envelope inscription: Internment camp 4 Rushworth - Tatura Group WW2 Identity disc So Tjeng Leng Boen Date of birth 3-5-1922 No 4 A Camp Taturaidentification disc, pow identification, australian internment camps, ww2 australian camps, so tjeng leng boen, major jim sullivan -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Medal - Identification Disc, SO Tjeng Leng Tjay
... Identification disc issued to POW's at Australian... at Australian internment camps during WW2. identification disc pow ...Identification disc issued to POW's at Australian internment camps during WW2.Round bakelite (brown) disc with hole at top centre. One side plain. Reverse side has four lines of identification (see inscriptions). Used as identification of POW. Contained in a "by air mail" envelope. Line 1: I J Line 2: (identification number) 50520 Line 3 and 4: (identification name) SO TJENG LENG TJAY Envelope inscription: Internment camp 4 Rushworth - Tatura Group WW2 Identity disc So Tjeng Leng Tjay Date of birth 6-9-1930 No 4 A Camp Tatura Major Jim Sullivan- courier '98identification disc, pow identification, australian internment camps, ww2 australian camps, so tjeng leng tjay, major jim sullivan -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Medal - Identification Disc, So Tjeng Leng Hoej
... Identification disc issued to POW's at Australian... at Australian internment camps during WW2. identification disc pow ...Identification disc issued to POW's at Australian internment camps during WW2.Round bakelite (brown) disc with hole at top centre. One side plain. Reverse side has four lines of identification (see inscriptions). Used as identification of POW. Contained in a "by air mail" envelope. Line 1: I J Line 2: (identification number) 50518 Line 3 and 4: (identification name) SO TJENG LENG HOEJ Envelope inscription: Internment camp 4 Rushworth - Tatura Group WW2 Identity disc So Tjeng Leng Hoej Date of birth 4-8-1934 No 4 A Camp Taturaidentification disc, pow identification, australian internment camps, ww2 australian camps, so tjeng leng hoej, major jim sullivan -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Medal - identification Disc, SO Kwee Tien Nio
... Identification disc issued to POW's at Australian... at Australian internment camps during WW2. identification disc pow ...Identification disc issued to POW's at Australian internment camps during WW2.Round bakelite (brown) disc with hole at top centre. One side plain. Reverse side has four lines of identification (see inscriptions). Used as identification of POW. Contained in a "by air mail" envelope. Line 1: I J F Line 2: (identification number) 50517 Line 3 and 4: (identification name) SO KWEE TIEN NIO Envelope inscription: Internment camp 4 Rushworth - Tatura Group WW2 Identity disc So Kwee Tien Nio Date of birth 15-12-1899 No 4 A Camp Taturaidentification disc, pow identification, australian internment camps, ww2 australian camps, so kwee tien nio, major jim sullivan -
Orbost & District Historical Society
coin, Arendsen & Sons, WW11
For security reasons, tokens were used in Australian WW11 Internment Camps. They were introduced in 19433 to replace the paper canteen coupons. This token was used at the internment camp at Bete Bolong just outside Orbost during WW11. This camp was established in 1943 and was there until 1946. The internees had been transferred from the camp at Murchison East to provide farm labour. The coin was given to Lindsay Thomson when he was a student.This token was used at the Bete Bolong POW camp from 1943-1945. This camp housed Italian POWs, some of whom remained/returned after the war to settle in Orbost.An internment camp coin. This is a one penny coin token with a hole in the centre. It is made of brass.ONE PENNY INTERNMENT CAMPStoken ww11 bete-bolong internment-camp -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph, Herald, L-R: Kevin Arrowsmith, Bobby Arrowsmith and Unknown enjoy their first taste of ice cream since being freed from POW camp, c.1946
Returned Anzacs and Prisoners of War including Arrowsmith brothers Kevin and Bobby from Eltham, Vic. holding newspapers tucked under their left arm and unknown man with a cigarette in his left hand. They are enjoying a tub of Peter's ice cream with small wooden scoops. Press photograph taken by The Herald. Stamped on reverse in blue ink: “Copyright Not for Reproduction Herald Feature Service Melbourne, Australia.”bobby arrowsmith, joan castledine collection, kevin arrowsmith, peter's ice cream, prisoner of war, anzacs, ww2 -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph, Peter Pidgeon, Grave of Violet Feldbauer (nee Teagle), Eltham Cemetery, Victoria, 5 April 2021
FELDBAUER / TEAGLE Theodore Albert ‘Curly’ Feldbauer was born 15 October 1909 at Melbourne, the son of Theodore Henry (a naturalised German) and Jessie Margarette Feldbauer. The family moved several times during his childhood but before he was 20 he was living and working in the Eltham district. He became a well-known local sportsman. He played cricket for the Montmorency Imperials in 1929 and 1930 in the Eltham Cricket Association and excelled as a footballer and football coach. There are press references at the time to minor misdemeanours and accidents: evidently he was up for a brawl or two, but he was also able to do a recitation at a social night to launch the Eltham Girls Club in 1932. He married a local girl, Violet Amelda Teagle, in 1933, the 12th of 13 Teagle offspring who lived in Frank Street. Curly and Violet’s first child, June, was born the following year. By 1935 Curly was honorary secretary of the Research Cricket Club. He continued playing cricket regularly, mainly for Research, through till the 1940 season, after the war had begun. The girls started at Research State School in 1939 and 1940, respectively. They lived near Violet’s parents in Frank Street. Curly and Violet’s daughter, Valerie Waller recalls: “We lived near my Teagle grandparents, who had a cow. Dad took over the milking. He would rest his head against the cow and sing to her. When he left to join the army, it took weeks before she would settle down to allow anyone else to milk her.” Curly’s service record is not yet accessible from the National Archives of Australia. Valerie Waller gives us some insight into that period between Curly joining and ultimately embarking for Singapore: “Before he sailed to Singapore, Mum would travel by train, to Seymour, to spend a few hours with him. He sent her postcards and called her his “dear love”. His idea was that the sooner everyone eligible joined up, the sooner the war would be over. He had a great love for Australia.” “While he was a prisoner, Mum received a few postcards from him, not in his neat handwriting, but in block letter printing, to tell her he had received no mail or parcels from her. He must have felt we’d forgotten him, because, of course, Mum had sent lots of parcels and letters, and the Japanese hadn’t handed them on.” Theo was one of over 2,000 Allied prisoners of war held in the Sandakan POW camp in north Borneo, having been transferred there from Singapore as part of B Force. The 1,494 POWs that made up B Force were transported from Changi [Singapore] on 7 July 1942 on board the tramp ship Ubi Maru, arriving in Sandakan Harbour on 18 July 1942. Sergeant Feldbauer, aged 35, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 27 March 1945 at Sandakan Number 1 Camp. The Japanese recorded his death from Malaria. He has no known grave, but it is believed to be at Sandakan Number 2 Camp. His death was not reported in Australia until some months later. Valerie noted: “I will never forget the sound my mother made when she received the telegram saying Dad had died months earlier, ostensibly from Malaria, but he died during the march. The sound still haunts me.” Violet’s husband Theo is recognised on the Eltham Roll of Honour, which was commissioned by the Eltham War Memorial Trust to be hung in the Baby Health Centre opened in 1952; the first of three buildings, the others being the Eltham Kindergarten and Children’s Library, that were established as the Eltham War Memorial a living memorial, with a specific focus for the welfare of children of the district. Violet and Theo’s son Albert, being the youngest child of the children of soldier fathers attending a school in the district, was given the honour of turning the first sod for the Eltham War Memorial Building, 15 July 1950. In Loving Memory of Violet Feldbauer Died 7. 11 .1982 aged 88 Loved wife of Theo (Curly) Died P.O.W. Borneo 1945 Re-united Alongside Violet lay her parents, John Thomas and Margaret TeagleBorn Digitaleltham cemetery, gravestones, charles louis layfield, edwina may layfield (nee teagle), john thomas teagle, margaret teagle, theodore feldbauer, violet feldbauer (nee teagle), annie lillian devine, frederick raymond devine, eltham war memorial, honour board, roll of honour -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Document (Item) - Article, The Eltham Roll of Honour: Second World War, 9 Aug 2020
Information regarding the circumstances of the eleven men of the Shire of Eltham who died serving their country in the Second World War and for whom the Eltham War Memorial was dedicated. Their names are listed on the Eltham Roll of Honour in order of rank. The image portrayed shows the eleven men (left to right, top to bottom) by date of fatality: CASTLEDINE, George Ernest, Spr., VX10044 (KIA 18 Apr 1941, Greece) GAHAN, Studley Manston, Capt., VX48379 (KIA 17 May 1941, Tobruk, Libya) RUTTER, David, Flying Off., 833 (400833) (KIA 9 Dec 1941, Bir El Gubbi, Libya) CLERKE, Alfred Charles, Cpl., VX23112 (KIA 2 Feb 1942, Laha, Ambon Island) DUNLOP, Cuthbert Douglas, Sgt., VX15252 (KIA 22 Nov 1942, Gona, New Guinea) INGRAM, Lester Neil, Flt. Sgt., 410236 (DOD 22 Apr 1943, Longworth, England) McLEAN, Stanley, Flt. Sgt., 419844 (KIA 7 Oct 1944, Emmerich, Germany) FELDBAUER, Theodore, Sgt., VX51733 (DOD 27 Mar 1945, Borneo) RUTTER, Donald Hemphill, Flt. Lt., 410262 (KIA 5 Apr 1945, Varrelbusch, Germany) FIELD, Kevin Francis, Pte., VX144763 (KIA 28 Jun 1945, Bougainville, PNG) BUTHERWAY, Jack Herbert, Pte, VX37645 (DOD 8 Jul 1945, Borneo)eltham war memorial, roll of honour, second world war, eltham, eltham roll of honour, shire of eltham, 2/4 field workshop, 22 independent brigade group ordnance workshop, a.i.f., australian army ordnance corps, australian corps of electrical and mechanical engineers, changi, falkiner street, florence mary butherway, jack herbert butherway, prisoner of war (pow), ranau number 1 jungle camp, sandakan death march, singapore, thomas james butherway, vx37645, 2/2 field company, 6th division, abington, annie castledine, arthur frederick castledine, george ernest castledine, greece, jean simonson, lower plenty, old eltham road, royal australian engineers, vx10044 sapper g. e. castledine, 2/23 bn, derril, gahan house, main road, rats of tobruk, studley manston gahan, tobruk, vx48379, 3 squadron r.a.a.f., aboukir, alamein memorial, beulah alice (simpson) rutter, bir el gubbi, broken hill aero club, david rutter, egypt, hubert rutter, libya, yarra braes, 2/21 bn, 23rd australian infrantry brigade, 8th division, alfred charles clerke, ambon island, battle of ambon, bidgeland park estate, inga caroline (nicholls) clerke, inga mary nicholls, laha airfield, nora ann clerke, rose matilda clerke, vx23112, william charles clerke, 2/14 bn, 2/16 bn, 21st brigade, 7th division, cuthbert douglas dunlop, gona, gona war cemetery, henry street, janet dunlop, kokoda track, new guinea, palestine, papua new guinea, port moresby (bomana) war cemetery, reuben cuthbert dunlop, syria, vx15252, 10 operational training unit, 410236, ada (key) ingram, berkshire, bomber command, england, group no. 91, john ingram, lester neil ingram, longworth, n.1374, r.a.a.f., r.a.f., r.a.f. abington, research (vic.), whitley v bomber, 419844, 514 bomber squadron, emmerich, germany, gordon stanley mclean, ji-g2, kleve, lancaster lm735, lucy mclean, mount pleasant road, r.a.f. waterbeach, reichswald forest war cemetery, stanley mclean, 2/10 ordnance workshops, albert feldbauer, eltham cricket association, eltham girls club, frank street, henry feldbauer, jessie margarette feldbauer, june feldbauer, ken ingram, margaret (feldbauer) ingram, montmorency imperials, research cricket club, research state school, sandakan number 1 camp, sandakan number 2 camp, theodore albert feldbauer, valerie (feldbauer) waller, violet amelda (teagle) feldbauer, vx51733, 247 ‘china-british’ squadron, caithness, cloppenburg, donlad hemphill rutter, essen, gloucester, hanover war cemetery, hanover-limmer british military cemetery, holten-lochem, oldenburg, r.a.f. castletown, r.a.f. station lealing, stoppenburg, typhoon ib jp443, typhoon ib sw526, 15th australian infantry brigade, 1940 cup, 3rd division, 57th/60th bn, best and fairest, bougainville island, buin road, mary field, mayona road, mivo river, mobiai river, montmorency, vx144763, william field -
Waverley RSL Sub Branch
Key
During World War II, following the Fall of Singapore in February 1942, the Japanese military detained about 3,000 civilians in Changi Prison, which was built to house only 600 prisoners. The Japanese used the British Army's Selarang Barracks, near the prison, as a prisoner of war camp, holding some 50,000 Allied—predominantly British and Australian—soldiers.[1] Although POWs were rarely, if ever, held in the civilian prison, the name Changi became synonymous in the UK, Australia, and elsewhere with the POW camp. About 850 POWs died during their internment in Changi during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore,[2] a relatively low rate compared to the overall death rate of 27% for POWs in Japanese camps.[3] However, many more prisoners died after being transferred from Changi to various labour camps outside Singapore, including the Burma Railway and the Sandakan airfield.this item is of historical significance because it is supposedly one of the few surving keys to Changi Jail and donated by Mr.Robertson . Changi is significant as it was a major prison camp during WWII Changi Jail Key. Blackened metal key, Wooden tag attached with Japanese print on it. Kanji Characters read Middle Gatechangi, fall of singapore, key, p.o.w. -
Bendigo Military Museum
Photograph - PHOTOGRAPHS WW2, Possibly 1945
Photos labelled Jack are John Alfred TAYLOR NX102933 21st Guard Battalion. .28) This is Roy TAYLOR NX 94268 21st Field Regiment. Roy is on the left of photos. These men were brothers.Collection of photos, black / white & sepia. Some in Australia re Light Horse pre war. Most are presumably taken in New Britain up to & at wars end in 1945. One photo is in New Guinea. Many have been written on the back in pen. Photos are various sizes. Average noted. .16) Men & Bren gun carriers .17) Men & bulldozer .18) 7 men with machine gun .19) Native boats .20) Soldier & natives with canoe .21) Soldier & natives with canoe .22) 2 soldiers with POW .23) Soldier with plane wreckage .24) 3 soldiers with natives .25) 8 soldiers in group .26) Soldier sitting in plane wreck .27) Soldier in native canoe .28) Artillery unit in position firing, 4 men Handwritten on the back in pen: .1) “Jack Taylor” .2) “Jap Prisoners” .3) “After surrender, jap prisoners on New Britain” .4) “Camp on New Britain” .5) “Jap prisoners of war” .6) Jacks collection of photos New Britain .7) Jack New Britain 1945 .8) Jap Working Party New Britain .9) Camp probably New Britain .10) Wrecked jap planes on New Britain .11) Jack & mates with Jap Sword (Jack centre) .12) More japs .13) Jack & group, probably some of 21st Guard Battalion .14) 21st Light Horse Regt in Camp Wagga? .15) Two Light Horsemen, Jacks matesphotographs, japs, new britain, native -
Bendigo Military Museum
Book - BOOK, POW'S, P.O.W. Australian Prisoners of War in Hitler's Reich, 2011
Australians from every branch of our armed forces in WWII found themselves captives in Hitler's notorious prisoner of war camps.Cover - soft cardboard,black, cream & white print on front, spine & back. Background photo in black, white & red of soldiers in uniform sitting & standing. 523 pages, cut plain white paper. Illustrated with black & white photos & maps.books-military-history, pow's, reich -
Bendigo Military Museum
Document - DECLARATION, GERMAN WW2, 30.10.1942
William GOODMAN, POW German Prison Camp Lazarette, Lamsdorf. Chief Doctor authorizes discharge home to Australia on 30.10.1942. Ref Reg No's 3568 for his service history, 3569, 3570, 3571, 3572, 3573. German notification discharge due to ill health from POW Camp on 30.10.1942.document, declaration, pow -
Bendigo Military Museum
Postcard - CARDS, POW, c.1939 - 1945
The cards relate to Cyril John Johnson VX36298 died as a POW. Refer 3144 for his service history..1) Imperial Japanese Army POW card to Next of Kin. Plain cardboard. Address side has From/Sender Park-Camp at Moulmein, Burma. .2) Imperial Japanese Army POW card to Next of Kin. Plain cardboard. Address side has From/Sender Park-Camp at Moulmein, Burma. .3) Imperial Japanese Army POW card to Next of Kin. Plain cardboard. States he is interned in POW Camp Moulmein, Burma. .1) - .3) Red stamped Japanese characters & stamped passed by censor. .1) Handwritten address side: To Mrs J Johnson Laanecourie Victoria Australia Signed: C J Johnson Handwritten bottom address side: 2nd Card .2) Handwritten address side: To Mrs J Johnson Laanecourie Victoria Australia Signed: Cyril John Johnson POW No 2954 .3) Handwritten address side: To Mrs J Johnson Laanecourie via Maldonpost cards, japanese -
Bendigo Military Museum
Certificate - NAVY CERTIFICATE, FRAMED, Post 1944
Alan Keith GEIER No 24896 enlisted in the RAN on 24.6.41 aged 19 years. He was posted to HMAS Perth on 11.12.1942. The Perth was sunk in the Sundra Strait on 1.3.42. Alan as one of the survivors was taken POW. An initial Red Cross report stated he was a POW in a Java Camp. Alan died as a result of Cardiac Beri Beri on 30.1.1944. He was buried in Siam. The PERTH was sunk by a Japanese torpedo in the Battle of the Sundra Strait. Approximately half the crew lost their lives and about 2/3rds of the survivors returned home after captivity. Refer Cat No 599P for his photo.Commemorative Scroll, framed re A.K Geier. There is a small B & W photo of Geier in the right hand corner of the frame. The scroll has a large coat of arms at top of sheet with commemorative description under. The frame is a simple gold painted wooden frame."Wireman A. K. Geier, Royal Australian Navy"certificates, ran, hmas perth, scrolls -
Bendigo Military Museum
Book, Simon and Schulster (publisher), Stoker, 1995
the story of an Australian Soldier who survived Auschwitz - Birkenau." Author Donald Watt Soft cover mid green colour Photo of the POW camp and photo of Donald Watt Large print editionbook, military -
Bendigo Military Museum
Accessory - ENVELOPE JAPANESE, 1942-45
John Phillip MURPHY No VX17294 enlisted in the 2nd AIF on 15.5.1940 age 30 years 5 months. Posted to the 2/29th Bn 29.11.1940, embarked for Singapore 30.7.1941 disembarking 15.8.1941. Promoted to L/Cpl 2.1.1942, listed as missing 16.2.1942 then POW. A telegram in his records dated 4.8.1945 to his wife Mrs A Murphy of Kirkwood St Eaglehawk states “Alive at Changi Camp”. He disembarked Australia on 8.10.1945 and discharged from the Army on 6.12.1945. Refer also Cat No 1110.Envelope, “Prisoner of War Post” yellowed, red print, stamped “Passed by Censor” re J.P.Murphy.Typed “VX17294 L/Cpl J P Murphy 2/29 Battalion AIF Australian Prisoner of War Malaya”. In pencil “Changi”.envelopes japanese, pow, murphy -
Bendigo Military Museum
Letter - POW LETTER, 17.7.1944
Stalag 344 was a German POW camp near Lambsdorf in Silesia. Douglas GRANT VX8604 enlisted in the 2nd AIF on 23.11.1939 age 33 years 7 months. Posted to the 2/8th Bn on 5.12.1939, embarked for the Middle East on 14.4.1940, disembarked 18.5.1940, embarked for Greece 31.3.1941, reported missing Crete date unknown, officially reported POW 27.10.1941 Stalag V11A. He was also in Stalag 8B before Stalag 344. He arrived in the U.K on 8.5.1945, embarked for Australia 30.5.1945 arriving 7.7.1945. He was hospitalised with Depression and Anxiety State and classed Medically unfit and was discharged from the Army on 13.5.1946. Refer also Cat No 1092P.German post card letter with heading at the top: Kriegsgelangenenpost. The letter folds in 3, the front printed with space for address to, the rear same for the sender. Inside are ruled lines for a letter. A letter in pencil dated Mar 10th and signed by Doug. A small section of the start is missing. A sticker in red states: Opened by Censor.documents - letters, military history - army, pow, grant -
Red Cliffs Military Museum
Letter
Letter written from (unknown) POW imprisioned by the Japanese on Morotai Island from 1942 - 1945 to (unknown) friend. Descriptive of life and treatment in POW camp. The island was captured by the Japanese in early 1942. Morotai's southern plain was taken by American forces in September 1944 during the Battle of Morotai, and used as a staging point for the Allied invasion of the Philippines in early 1945, and of Borneo in May and June of that year. Japanese soldier Teruo Nakamura was discovered in the Morotai jungle in 1974, as one of the WWII Japanese soldiers who held out subsequent to the Japanese military's surrender.Photocopy of letter, 4 pages, originally written in ink on (unofficial) Australian Red Cross form.Added to head of letter at a later date is inscription ' First letter written home for 3 1/2 years'.Top left hand- FOR SAFETY/ IN YOUR LETTERS DO NOT REFER TO:-/ The name of your ship or other ships in the convoy, or its escorts./The date of sailing, ports of call, or probable destination./ The description of troops, their loca-/tion or any other information/ which, if intercepted, would be of/ value to the enemy. In your Top right hand- Australian Red Cross Society/ (UNOFFICIAL)/ 25-8-45/ (added at later date 'Morotri Island')/ Alex, Have witten this especially/ as i don't wish our women folk to know the tougher side of life./Well Alex for the first/ 2 1/2 years as POWs we lived reasonably/ well, but the last 15 months was like /hell. Heres the worst lot of b-s/ you could find on earth, they worked /us from 7AM till 6 PM, & fed/ us on muck you wouldn't feed to/ Pigs. I'm nothing at all they would 2, pow, morotri island, morotai island, world war, prisoner of war, australian red cross society -
National Vietnam Veterans Museum (NVVM)
Poster - Poster, Information Board, Australian Military Police Vietnam May 1965 - 1972
... photoraph of CPL Archbold with Viet Cong Suspect POW camp Nui Dat ...Thirteen paragraphs describing the role of MPs. Two boxes showing honors and awards.Two colour photos - Gold corps badge .Provost arm band and coloured photoraph of CPL Archbold with Viet Cong Suspect POW camp Nui Dat.1968.Australian Military Police in Vietnam May 1965 -1972.poster, information board, military police, cpl archbold, prisoner of war, nui dat -
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, Monsoon, You'll die in Singapore: True account of one of the most amazing POW escapes in WWII, 2005
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, Penguin, Behind bamboo, 1991
The bestselling memoir of life as an Australian POW on the notorious Thai-Burma railway. Rohan Rivett was a journalist in Singapore when it fell to the Japanese in 1942. He escaped south - across the treacherous Bangka Strait - to Indonesia, but was soon captured and became just one of thousands of POWs struggling for existence in a Japanese camp. The struggle was to last for more than three years. Behind Bamboo is unflinching in its honesty and haunting in its realism. It is a vivid, compelling testament to the Australians' will to survive and their unassailable spirit in the face of the most callous inhumanity.Ill, p.400.non-fiction The bestselling memoir of life as an Australian POW on the notorious Thai-Burma railway. Rohan Rivett was a journalist in Singapore when it fell to the Japanese in 1942. He escaped south - across the treacherous Bangka Strait - to Indonesia, but was soon captured and became just one of thousands of POWs struggling for existence in a Japanese camp. The struggle was to last for more than three years. Behind Bamboo is unflinching in its honesty and haunting in its realism. It is a vivid, compelling testament to the Australians' will to survive and their unassailable spirit in the face of the most callous inhumanity.world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – japanese, burma - thailand railway -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Pan McMillan et al, In the line of fire : real stories of Australians at war, from Gallipoli to Vietnam, 2005
In the line of fire' explores the nature of combat from the perspective of the men doing the actual fighting. From the heights of Gallipoli to the trenches of the Western Front, from the deserts of North Africa to the jungle POW camps of the Thai-Burma Railway, from the savage cold of a Korean winter to the steamy heat of Vietnam this book details what it's really like to be in the line of fire. Also it reveals the experiences of Australian women at war and the combat photographers.Index, bibliography, ill, maps, p.358.non-fictionIn the line of fire' explores the nature of combat from the perspective of the men doing the actual fighting. From the heights of Gallipoli to the trenches of the Western Front, from the deserts of North Africa to the jungle POW camps of the Thai-Burma Railway, from the savage cold of a Korean winter to the steamy heat of Vietnam this book details what it's really like to be in the line of fire. Also it reveals the experiences of Australian women at war and the combat photographers.military participation - australia, sustralia - history - military -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Kangaroo Press, Diggers at Colditz, 1997
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
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 -
Wangaratta RSL Sub Branch
Framed photograph, Cpl Sperry BODSWORTH
Photograph of Private later Corporal Sperry Bodsworth born 27/8/1909. In 1940 aged 30 years he enlisted in the Army and assigned to the 2/21 Battalion. On 13/12/1941 the Battalion was deployed from Darwin to Ambon in the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia, to form part of "Gull Force". The Battle of Ambon occurred between 30 January to 3 February, 1942. In April 1942 Bodsworth was listed as missing and on 1/6/1942 was reported as a Prisoner of War. Bodsworth was awarded a Mention in Despatches.The Battle of Ambon (30 January – 3 February 1942) occurred on the island of Ambon in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), during World War II. Japan invaded and conquered the island in a few days, facing Dutch, American and Australian forces. The chaotic and sometimes bloody fighting was followed by a series of major Japanese war crimes. Allied casualties in the battle were relatively light. However, at intervals for a fortnight after the surrender, Japanese personnel chose more than 300 Australian and Dutch prisoners of war at random and summarily executed them, at or near Laha airfield. In part, this was revenge for the sinking of the Japanese minesweeper, as some surviving crew of the minesweeper took part.. Three-quarters of the Australians captured on Ambon died before the war's end. Of the 582 who remained on Ambon, 405 died. They died of overwork, malnutrition, disease and one of the most brutal regimes among camps in which bashings were routine. Blood Oath, a 1990 Australian feature film is based on the real-life trial of Japanese soldiers for war crimes committed against Allied prisoners of war on the island of Ambon, in the Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia), such as the Laha massacre of 1942.Brown timber frame containing black and white photograph of WW2 Soldier wearing slouch hatww2, gull force, ambon, sperry bodsworth, pow -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Book, Stalag Australia, 1986
... of war. stalag australia german pows camp 13 dhurringile ww2 camp ...Stalag Australia vividly and accurately reconstructs the story of Germans and their experiences as prisoners of war.Black hard cover book, white dust cover with black and red text and a photo of the monument in Murchison POW Camp 13 on the front cover.stalag australia, german pows, camp 13, dhurringile, ww2 camp 13 -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Book, Captured Lives, 2018
... to Australia's security. australian internment camps australian pow's ...Story of the internees and pow's behind the barbed wire veil that was drawn around people deemed threats to Australia's security. Soft covered book. Front cover has 6 photos of internees with their id numbers. In middle is title. Authors name at bottom. Spine is brown coloured with title, author and photo of internee. Back cover has two photos, Group of adults and children and a soldier with gun and five men with hands in air. 266 pagesCaptured Lives Australia's Wartime Internment Campsaustralian internment camps, australian pow's, peter monteath, loveday internment camp