Historical information

B-24 Liberator aircraft and their crews were important in the repatriation of thousands of former prisoners of war at the end of the war in the Pacific in 1945.

Significance

In May 2015 the B-24 Liberator Restoration group organised an exhibition to commemorate the role of B-24 Liberators and their crews in the repatriation of former POWs in 1945 at the end of the Second World War. It was believed that no such exhibition had been organised previously and that the memories of surviving veterans might be lost if no effort were made to record them.This collection includes oral testimonies of 9 surviving veterans who were crew or support staff for Liberators involved in these important missions. It also includes a 7 page summary of the historical context, including statistics of POW numbers, information on Government decisions about repatriation arrangements for South East Asia and the South West Pacific areas, as well as an evaluation of the role of B-24 Liberators in repatriating the former POWs.

Physical description

Approx 25 pp printed on A4 paper in plastic sleeve.

Inscriptions & markings

Black-and-white illustration of B-24 Liberator at top of front cover. B-24 Liberator Memorial Australia Inc. Return of the Australian POWs 1945.Tribute to the Liberator Crews who repatriated World War II POW.'They couldn't get home quick enough'