Educational Value Statement: War prisoners and internees

'War prisoners and internees' is a collection of photographs, paintings and drawings that captures the diverse experiences of prisoners of war and internees from Australia and other countries during the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. Locations include the Middle East, Germany and Korea and Australia. It contains images of captured soldiers, scenes from prisoner-of-war and internment camps, and freed Australian prisoners returning home after war. It is a poignant record of human suffering, courage and survival.

• The picture trail shows graphic images of prisoners and internees from opposing sides, including nurses and civilians, living and working in camps during the two world wars and the Korean War. The photographs suggest that conditions experienced by German and Australian officers in prison camps during the First World War were basic but bearable. This contrasts sharply with images of the lives of prisoners captured by the Japanese during the Second World War.
• Several paintings and photographs in the trail show that international conventions concerning the treatment of prisoners were not always followed. All Australian prisoners of war (POWs) experienced hardship, but most did not endure the treatment suffered by captured soldiers, nurses and civilians in South-East Asia. The illustrations in the trail that were made by prisoners had to be hidden from guards, as their discovery would have meant execution for the artists.
• The trail shows the ingenuity and creativity displayed by Australian soldiers in their struggles to survive in Asian camps and eloquently capture the prisoners' capacity to deal with adversity. There are images of life-saving medical tools, utensils, shoes and artificial limbs skilfully crafted from scavenged objects. Items from cultural and sporting events organised by prisoners show their determined and sometimes elaborate efforts to relieve their boredom and lift their spirits.
• Several images in the trail reflect a spirit of mateship, compassion and endurance, personified by the legendary POW doctor Edward 'Weary' Dunlop. This spirit contributed to the relatively high Australian survival rates among Allied prisoners. Dunlop and others made heroic contributions to prisoners' wellbeing. Operating in primitive conditions and without medical supplies, they worked tirelessly and skilfully to help the sick and ease the suffering of the dying.
• Australian camps shown in the trail contained both POWs and internees. Prisoners were enemy combatants who had surrendered or been captured near the Australian coast or overseas. Internees were 'enemy alien' residents and refugees or people thought suspicious. Although the images in the trail of these camps may appear lighthearted, internees suffered considerably - breadwinners and entire families including children were detained purely on the basis of nationality or even ancestry.
• The consequences of escaping, a high priority and even a duty for many prisoners, are recorded in the trail. Photographs of a tunnel used in an escape in Germany in 1918 and of prisoners who escaped in Bohemia in 1943 show successful efforts. Sombre images show the aftermath of an attempted mass breakout by Japanese prisoners in Cowra prison camp in NSW, when 231 were killed or committed suicide to retrieve their honour. Three Australians were also killed.