During World War II, 30,000 Australian service men, military nurses and civilians were held as prisoners of war (POWs) or internees. They lived in German and Italian POW camps, and Japanese POW or internment camps. Almost one-third of those in Japanese captivity lost their lives. Conditions varied depending on the location. Most POWs held by the Japanese suffered starvation, disease and often brutal treatment.
Whether they were in German, Italian or Japanese captivity, prisoners and internees needed to be resilient. They depended on their friends for survival.
Many former POWs, particularly those who had been held by the Japanese, struggled to adjust to peace conditions after the war. It took several decades before the impact of their captivity on their health and relationships was fully recognised.
Brief history of Australian prisoners of war
Australians have become prisoners of war (POWs) in most major conflicts of the 20th century.
During the Second South African (Boer) War of 1899 to 1902, 104 interned Australians suffered disease, lack of food and poor sanitation.
In World War I (1914 to 1918), around 4,000 Australians were captured by Germans on the Western Front, or on Gallipoli and throughout the Middle East by Ottoman forces (Turkish). Many were ill-treated, forced to work under difficult conditions, and experienced starvation and disease.
Of the more than 30,000 Australians made POWs during World War II (1939 to 1945), more than 22,000 were captured by the Japanese in south-east Asia, mainly in early 1942. Most of the 8,500 or so Australians in European POW camps had been captured in the Greek and Crete campaigns of 1941.
The Geneva Convention
At the time of World War II, the treatment of POWs was governed by the Geneva Convention (1929), or the 'Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Geneva July 27, 1929'.
In theory, POWs were expected to be treated humanely and with respect. Under the obligations of the convention, POWs could expect:
- access to Red Cross parcels
- adequate food, clothing and medical care
- living quarters of the same standard as their captors' living quarters
- payment for any work done
- not to do any work that is dangerous or military in nature.
In practice, this was not always the case.
Both Germany and Italy had ratified the Geneva Convention (1929). That meant prisoners in their camps tended to have better conditions, thanks to supplies delivered by the Red Cross. These care parcels topped up the prisoners' generally meagre rations.
Apart from that concession, conditions were generally basic. Disease was common, especially later in the war. Working conditions outside the camps were sometimes dangerous. Some POWs were exposed to Allied bombing attacks. Some were beaten by their civilian bosses.
Japan had signed the Geneva Convention (1929) but not formally approved it. As such, Japan argued it was free to use POWs in any way it chose. Almost 3,000 Australians died working for the Japanese in harrowing conditions on the Thailand-Burma Railway.
Home from the war
Adjusting to life back in Australia after imprisonment was extraordinarily difficult for ex-POWs. There were few welcoming crowds on their arrival, little in the way of rehabilitation services and limited sympathy from an Australian public who could not comprehend what POWs had experienced and largely wanted to forget the war.
Returned POWs experienced a raft of social, health and financial issues. Employers often had little sympathy for workers with ongoing health problems. Mental health and the effects of trauma were not well appreciated and many former POWs carried the extra burden of self-doubt and shame.
Family life also suffered. In some cases, returned POWs had the additional loss of partners who had moved on after hearing no news for many years. Others had marriages that struggled under the weight of trauma resulting from their POW experiences. Rates of both divorce and suicide were high amongst returned POWs.
Many returned POWs also suffered ongoing physiological health problems as a result of their captivity. Ex-POWs were more likely to experience:
- arthritis from beatings during the war
- depression and post-traumatic stress
- hearing loss
- liver cirrhosis
- tuberculosis
- ongoing effects of tropical diseases and malnutrition.
They were also more likely to die earlier than other veterans.
Commemorating prisoners of war
Like the war service of First Nations Australians, the commemoration of POWs has been multi-layered and, at times, politically and socially sensitive. Arguments for recognition and compensation sometimes took decades.
Former POWs, such as 'Weary' Dunlop and Tom Uren were tireless in their advocacy for returned POWs.
Today, Australian POWs are commemorated through:
- films and plays
- memoirs and novels
- memorials, museums and war graves.
The Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Australian War Memorial have recorded and preserved countless records. Contemporary audiences can hear about the war from those who experienced it firsthand in oral history projects, including:
Australia's National Prisoner of War Memorial in Ballarat, Victoria, commemorates more than 35,000 Australians who were held prisoner during the Boer War, World War I, World War II and the Korean War.
Sources
DVA (2009), Australian prisoners of war, Department of Veterans' Affairs, Canberra. https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/resources/australian-prisoners-war.
Twomey, C (2018), The battle within: POWs in postwar Australia, NewSouth Publishing, University of New South Wales Press Ltd, Sydney, https://search.worldcat.org/en/title/1002419761.
Vercoe, T (2006), Survival at Stalag IVB: Soldiers and airmen remember Germany's largest POW camp of World War II, McFarland and Co Publishers, Jefferson and London, https://search.worldcat.org/en/title/1545733560.
