Changi Prison and the Burma Railway

This is one of the hardest posts I have ever done. Even though I have had this information bookmarked for over a year, actually bringing myself to fully research it and do a post has been a struggle. The reason, my Uncle Ben died in Changi Prison of Beri-Beri on the 8th Nov 1942. I wont be posting pics on this post as most of them depict Soldiers in apalling conditions, malnourished and showing obvious signs of abuse.

Throughout their suffering though, the Spirit of the Aussie Soldiers shone through. Their legendary bravery along with that hint of larrikinism never left them despite the deprivations they suffered. I will attempt to show you both sides of their experiences as POW's of the Japanese.

The Australians surrendered along with the Allied forces on Feb 15^th 1942. Amongst approximately 50,000 soldiers that surrendered, around 13,000 were Australian. For 2 days they marched the 29kms to the Changi Peninsula where the Selerang Barracks, formerly a British Military Base became their home for the next 3 ½ years.

Singapore (Changi and Singapore Island) Changi was the main prisoner-of-war camp in Singapore. Some 14,972 Australians captured at the fall of Singapore were imprisoned there(as drafts were sent away, the numbers at Changi declined, then after the completion of the Burma-Thailand Railway, numbers rose again). Lieutenant Colonel F. G. “Black Jack” Galleghan of the 2/30th Battalion was commander of the AIF in Changi. Many work forces were assembled in Changi before being sent to the Burma-Thailand Railway and other work camps. It was also used as a staging camp for those captured elsewhere. Prisoners were used on heavy labouring works in and around Singapore. Tasks included road-building, freight-moving, mine removal and work in chemical factories. These troops suffered from diseases such as beriberi, malaria, and dysentery. Prisoners of war were sent to the following camps around Singapore: Great World, Adam Park No. 1, Bukit Timah No 5, Thomson Road No. 3, Lornie Road, Serangoon Road, Adam Park No. 4, Woodlands, Pasir Pajang, River Valley Road, Havelock Road, and Blakang Mati; and in Malaya to Johore Bahru, Mersing, and Endau. Link

Some truly extraordinary stories of loyalty and courage emerged from Changi Prison after the prisoners were released in 1945. Amongst them was this one...

The clearest indication of the Japanese contempt for their prisoners came in September 1942. During the previous month General Percival and most of the other senior British and Australian officers had been taken away to Japan, and Colonel Holmes and Colonel Galleghan were left in command of the 20,000 or so prisoners who now remained at Changi. At the same time Major General Fukuye and a large administrative staff arrived to establish a proper prisoner-of-war camp regime. Hardly had Fukuye arrived when four escaped prisoners were brought in. Two of these had got away from Bukit Timah in May, and had rowed 200 miles In a small boat before re-arrest. The Japanese, who refused to recognize the right of any prisoner-of-war to attempt to escape, announced on 30th August that all prisoners were to be given the opportunity to sign the following statement: 'I the undersigned, hereby solemnly Swear on my honour that I will not, under any circumstances, attempt to escape.' Colonel Holmes pointed out that prisoners-of-war were not allowed to give their parole, and he and his fellow officers refused to sign. You can read the rest of this story here.

But, as much as these incidents would have broken the spirits of the bravest of men, it only stregthened the Aussies resolve to make their incarceration as bareable as possible. With that in mind, they set out to organise lectures, by those educated in certain areas, aimed at furthering the education of others. The Officers recognised from the outset that an idle mind could not be a good thing in these conditions and sought to continue the discipline and structure that would be necessary to maintain order among the ranks. From this, the 'University' was established.

No account of the Changi prison camp would be complete without some reference to the ‘University’. Despite the apathy which was all too apparent among many of the men, the RAEC staff were soon appealing for potential lecturers and instructors, and a wealth of talent was unearthed, ranging from officers who possessed some sort of professional qualifications to almost the entire staff of Raffles College, Singapore, who had been mobilized as volunteers and now found themselves behind the wire. Inevitably educational materials were scarce, but several libraries were found more or less intact, and chairs, tables and even blackboards were discovered. From March to August 1942 the educational programme expanded until several thousand men were taking part. Lectures were given on every conceivable topic and class tuition was provided in a series of faculties, including General Education, Business Training, Languages, Engineering, Science, Agriculture, Law and Medicine. Southern Area College (in Kitchener Barracks) provided tuition approaching university level, while 18th Division College provided instruction up to matriculation standard. Unfortunately, hardly had the educational work got fully under way than the teaching staffs began to be depleted by the departure of working parties and by November the 'university' had contracted into an Education Centre, which provided a library and a limited range of classes and lectures. Link

Also, as a way of keeping the Soldiers spirits alive, a Concert Party was organised for their entertainment. Here is one of their stories....

Entertainment too had its place in the life of Changi. The Australians in Selarang raised a Concert Party of almost professional standard, and it became such a booster of morale that for a long time its members were kept back whenever the Japanese called for more workers. One of its comedians, Harry Smith, had a catch phrase, 'You'll never get off the Island' which became almost the watchword of the prisoners throughout the captivity. While the Australians concentrated on variety shows, the British using the old RA cinema, known as the 'Playhouse', put on straight plays in the main, achieving likewise a very high quality. Link

The stories at the bottom of this linked page are truly extraordinary. In almost a 'Hogans Heroes' fashion, these POW's were able to either scrounge or buy on a black market, all the materials they would need to continue these concert parties including instruments and costumes.

And of course, not to be forgotten, was Changis own cartoonist George Sprod...

George Sprod was 20 when he signed up, still under the legal age of 21. He had come to Sydney from Adelaide, but hadn't had much luck finding steady work. The army meant a change of scene and a chance to do something for King and Country. He was assigned to the Artillery and became Gunner Sprod. George didn't have a background in drawing when he became a POW in Changi. But he needed something to fill in the hours and managed to find some paper on which to doodle. He was trying to capture what he saw as 'the lighter side' of Changi. He began publishing a journal of his cartoons called "Smoke-Oh", which was distributed to men in sick bays. Link

To get caught up in the lighter side of life at Changi it is easy to forget the horrible conditions under which these men were forced to labour on the Burma-Thailand Railway. I recall reading an article where they talked about how each man always attempted to come to the aid of a weaker Soldier while working on the Railway. Each day the men would be forced to endure carrying huge wooden poles that were used in the original framework for the bridge. At times, men weakened from the labour and malnutrition would stumble and falter, unable to continue to carry their loads. When their inability to continue was noticed by their captors, one of the stronger men would tell a joke loudly or sing to draw attention from his comrade to himself, knowingly risking a beating to give the needy Soldier a chance to recover and fall back into step.

I also recall a story of a Soldier who happened upon a pineapple one day while travelling to work on the railway. So determined was he to take that pineapple back to the camp to share with his fellow Soldiers that he placed the pineapple between his legs and worked a full day with it there, rubbing the skin of his thighs red raw. Throughout that day he endured the pain. No way was he going to give up the chance to take that pineapple back to the camp as a treat for those he shared a room with.

The Burma Railway was completed on Oct 16th 1943. At the time of it's completion 2646 Aussies died as a result of malnutrition, disease and forced labour.

The unconditional surrender of the Japanese was announced on August 15^th 1945. For the men who remained at Changi their captivity was over. They were returned to their families in the upcoming weeks on hospital and carrier vessels. It was at this time that many families learnt of the fate of loved ones.

These men had survived conditions I pray none of us will ever even comprehend. Not only did they survive but their spirit endured their captivity. This is truly yet another amazing story from the War History Archives.

A_C