This is a double page of two topics: Statistics and Treatment of the POWs
STATISTICS
More than 30,000 Australians became prisoners of war (POWs) between 1940 and 1945. Of these, 22,000 were prisoners of the Japanese. Below are the numbers of Australian POWs that were held in particular countries:
14,972 in Singapore
2.736 in Java
1,137 in Timor
1,075 in Ambon
1,049 in New Britain
TREATMENT OF SOLDIERS
Life in Captivity
By mid-1942, the Japanese controlled a large and expendable labour force. Throughout Asia, captured allied troops worked on railways, aerodromes and other construction projects, in factories, mines, shipyards and docks. For three and a half years, the Australian prisoners of war battled disease, starvation, exhaustion and ill-treatment from their captors. Despite the valiant efforts of 106 Australian medical officers, nearly 8,000 Australians died as prisoners, in desperate and degrading conditions. These 8,000 represented one quarter of all Australian deaths during the war.
A typical day’s rations in most camps included ½ to 1 cup of white rice, and some watery vegetable soup. Meat was eaten once or twice a month. Without basic protein and vitamins, most prisoners of war died of starvation, and the resulting low immunity ensured that they could not fight off the myriad of diseases that dogged them through captivity. POW medical officers battled a range of medical conditions like malaria and dengue fever (diseases transmitted by mosquitoes), dysentery (an infection of the digestive system causing severe diarrhoea), pellagra and beriberi (vitamin deficiency diseases), tropical ulcers, and outbreaks of the most deadly and contagious disease – cholera (a bacterial disease causing severe diarrhoea and dehydration). If cholera came to a camp, up to 60-80% of the camp could be dead within days.
POWs always tried to improve their conditions wherever they could. Alcohol stills were built to manufacture disinfectant, carpenters made artificial limbs from wood and scrap metal for the many amputees from tropical ulcers, and chemists experimented with the medicinal qualities of the plants around them. In many places, black markets were set up with local communities to trade for food and medical supplies. Where possible, vegetable gardens were planted and chickens and ducks bred for eggs and meat. Any animals that were unfortunate enough to stray into the path of prisoners were soon meals. Rats, monkeys, cats and snakes were a few of the animals that Australian soldiers ate for the first time.
After the First World War, a group of nations passed a resolution called the ‘Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War’ in Geneva on 27 July, 1929. This convention set out broad rules regarding the treatment of POWs and it was aimed at protecting vulnerable and defenceless individuals. After the Second World War, the Third Edition of the Geneva Convention,1949 replaced the 1929 Convention. The new version included the following principles:
Prisoners of war must be:
treated humanely with respect for their persons and their honour
enabled to inform their next of kin and the International Red Cross of their capture
allowed to correspond regularly with relatives and to receive relief parcels
allowed to keep their clothes, feeding utensils and personal effects
supplied with adequate food and clothing
provided with quarters not inferior to those of their captor's troops
given the medical care their state of health demands
paid for any work they do
repatriated if certified seriously ill or wounded, (but they must not resume active military duties afterwards)
quickly released and repatriated when hostilities cease
Prisoners of war must not be:
compelled to give any information other than their name, age, rank and service number
deprived of money or valuables without a receipt (and these must be returned at the time of release)
given individual privileges other than for reasons of health, sex, age, military rank or professional qualifications
held in close confinement except for breaches of the law, although their liberty can be restricted for security reasons
compelled to do military-related work, nor work which is dangerous, unhealthy or degrading