 | | Allied prisoners of war celebrating their liberation from Changi Jail, Singapore. |
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| Prisoners of war (POWs) held captive by the Japanese during the Second World War endured particularly harsh conditions. | As a result of Japan’s early successes in the war in East Asia, over 140,000 British and Commonwealth troops were taken prisoner. Japanese military philosophy dictated that anyone surrendering was beneath contempt.
Prisoners in the worst camps, such as those along the Thailand-Burma ‘Death Railway’, suffered terribly. IWM’s new Second World War Galleries preserve their stories and ensure the world never forgets what they experienced.
Forced to carry out slave labour on a starvation diet and in a hostile environment, many died from malnutrition or disease. Sadistic punishments were often handed out for the most minor breach of camp rules.
Prisoners were subjected to random beatings and torture by their guards. ‘It became common for our men to be literally driven with wire whips,’ wrote British POWs in a report. Diseases including dysentery, malaria, beriberi, and cholera were rife and often proved fatal.
Most POWs existed on a very poor diet of rice and vegetables, which led to severe malnutrition. Red Cross parcels were deliberately withheld by the Japanese. Prisoners tried to supplement their rations with whatever they could barter or grow themselves.
But the ingenuity and resourcefulness of POWs was not confined to keeping themselves fed.
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 | | | | BEFORE THE WAR | A painter who inspired a nationwide street art movement in Yemen, a singer who found his place in the death metal scene in Syria, and a young woman who forged a path as an artisan in Afghanistan.
Meet three people whose worlds were changed by conflict in Before The War, an audio and comic series with illustrator Pan Cooke. Hear the artists' stories in three special bonus episodes of the IWM Institute's Conflict of Interest podcast. | |
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| In a spirit of resilience, prisoners often tried to make the best of their situation. They staged West End-style plays and concerts to boost morale. Great effort went into designing the theatre programmes and costumes.
British POW Charles Woodhams was a former dancer. He produced shows in the Changi camp in Singapore and the Wampo and Kinsaiyok camps on the ‘Death Railway’. On display in the Second World War Galleries, you’ll find a dress made from a mosquito net that he wore while dancing with an officer on stage.
At their camp in Singapore, British POWs Denis Houghton and Reg Bradley asked a guard to teach them Japanese. They suggested he write ‘workshop’ on a piece of wood, which Denis then nailed to his hut.
Now with ‘permission' to have a workshop, Denis constructed a working flute from scrap metal found in the camp. Materials were also salvaged to make a prosthetic limb for a patient whose leg had to be amputated. Both these remarkable objects can also be seen on display in the Second World War Galleries.
Powerful bonds formed among prisoners. Some shared their scant rations with desperately ill comrades or risked their lives to barter outside the camps. Ingenious prisoner doctors improvised medical equipment and drugs denied to them by the Japanese.
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 | | Flute constructed from scrap metal by POW Denis Houghton, while a captive of the Japanese. |
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| A medical officer in the British Army, Doctor Stanley Pavillard was taken prisoner after the fall of Singapore. He was sent to work on the ‘Death Railway’ and treated prisoners with the meagre drugs and equipment in his medical case. He distilled water to stop the spread of cholera and performed blood transfusions.
In one risky operation, he removed an appendix with a razor blade by torchlight. When Pavillard became sick himself, he continued to visit his patients while being carried on a stretcher.
Despite such efforts, British and Commonwealth prisoners held by the Japanese were seven times more likely to die than those in Europe.
Escape was almost impossible. Most camps were hundreds of miles from Allied-held territory. Prisoners were too under-nourished to be capable of surviving for long and Europeans in Asia could not easily pass unnoticed.
In August 1945, the Japanese were forced to surrender. But with camps scattered throughout East Asia, it was impossible for Allied recovery teams to reach them all immediately.
For many, liberation came too late. Almost a quarter of all Allied prisoners in Japanese hands died during captivity.
During construction of the 'Death Railway', around 12,000 Allied prisoners and 90,000 South East Asian civilian labourers died.
To learn more about the experiences of prisoners held captive by the Japanese during the Second World War, visit the new Second World War Galleries at IWM London.
IWM London is free to all. |
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| | | | SHOP NEW SECOND WORLD WAR PRINTS | IWM London's new Second World War Galleries bring to life a war which affected millions of people from around the world.
Our team have worked to digitise featured original artworks, posters and photography so you can buy prints quickly and easily from the comfort of your home.
All prints and frames are handmade in the UK to the highest standards. | |
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