Australian Prisoners In World War Two

Australia’s new dependence on America resulted in a large influx of American soldiers to Australia and while Australian society was initially accepting and welcoming of their unorthodox culture, behaviours and morals, this quickly turned to contempt and created an unsavoury relationship between Australians and Americans whom they saw as being a bad influence on the women and youth of Australia. Australians regarded Americans as being, “overpaid, oversexed and over-here”. However, while this had the possibility to cause influential divides in society, Australians realised the necessity for the American presence in their country and the security they had provided, overruling any irritation felt towards them. The Australian war effort in the pacific regions had also served to amplify and fuel the ‘Anzac legend’ creating a national sense of pride and unity during the war. Australia’s involvement in the Second World War thus served to create a more independent Australia, in charge of its own policies and decisions in foreign affairs, creating cohesion within society.

Thus soldiers used the ANZAC mythology to ignite guilt within the public consciousness. An example of this was the story of the ‘Man in the Bath.’ Published in 1924 in the Sydney Morning Herald the piece depicted the eulogy of Trooper Rolph. The odd placement of the eulogy within mainstream new content demonstrates an active attempt, on behalf of the soldier writing the piece to bring the consciousness of service men’s suffering to the forefront of public discussion. The piece was written by a fellow solider and the article tells the horrific story of the soldier who was ‘flayed alive by barbarous Huns’’. These lines play on the ANZAC myth of the Australian for example the brave Australian hero battling a vicious enemy. The article details Rolph’s return home, as a result of gas poisoning, suffered inflictions that caused daily suffering until in the years leading up to his death. The article written by one of Trooper Rolph’s fellow servicemen uses the graphic imagery of Rolph’s physical afflictions, such as ‘his skin peeled off and refused to grow back’ to elicit concern and a guilty conscious of the public. The discourse relating to veterans suffering is one means soldiers used their role as a powerful symbol to attack the bureaucratic system. Garton argues that this

Australian Prisoners of War Over 22,000 Australian servicemen and almost forty nurses were captured by the Japanese. Most soldiers and nurses were captured early in 1942 when Japanese forces captured Malaya, Singapore, New Britain, and the Netherlands. Good morning, I am Reagan Baillie and I am here to inform you about the significance of the Australian POWs during the Second World War. In this speech I will be talking about the reason the Japanese captured the Australians, what they were being used for, the living conditions in the camps, how the troops survived the harsh conditions and also the experiences of the army surgeon Colonel Sir Edward Ernest 'Weary' Dunlop.

Prior to World War 1, Australians on the whole suffered due to their geographical isolation, which technology had yet to defeat. Transport was solely by arduous sea journey, which restricted travel and communication with the rest of the world. The mass transfer of Australian youth to fight in Europe enabled the world to see for the first time the unique culture which was developing in this far away land. Recognition and respect was quickly given for the courage, good humour and strength in adversity displayed by Australian soldiers. The easy going egalitarian troops challenged the military norms of their British counterparts. While this

New weapons and defensive techniques were implemented here, a huge turning point for battle tactics and causes of death for the remainder of WW1. Hazardous gases were used alongside new machinery such as military tanks to form a stronger defensive stance, and although trenches were used in Gallipoli warfare, they became increasingly more popular in attacking techniques at the Western Front. The major Battle of Fromelles was also a great struggle for Australian soldiers as their enemies held higher grounds where possible, and there was little experience in working the artillery fire as it was the first ever battle for the AIF (Australian Imperial Force). Additionally, the Australian troops were placed majoritively on the front line at all times by the British. This accounted for the large number of losses and sacrifices of the ANZACs at the Western Front battles compared to the soldiers of other nations who also fought alongside the British. A quote from Lieutenant Hugh Knyvett, 59th Battalion, 15th Brigade (1916) expressed the great hardships that the soldiers were soon to face on the Western Front, unprepared and inexperienced. Knyvett is a credible source as he was one of the soldiers who fought on the Western Front, and was a Lieutenant during these battles. Knyvett says: “We had not been two days in the trenches before we knew that we were destined for an attack on the trenches opposite and we had not had time even to know the way about our own lines” (Wilkinson 2011). In addition, a letter sent home by John Alexander Raws, a credible SA Soldier who also took part in WW1 (1916) furthermore displays what hardships presented itself on the Western

Whilst the conditions shown that were experienced by the Australian soldiers in the film was effective and broad, the conditions faced by the Japanese soldiers in Papua New Guinea was barely covered in the movie. Thus, indicating the limited use of this film as a historical source.

Although both the World Wars had significant impacts on Australians, the statement that wartime controls in World War One had a greater impact on Australians than they did in World War Two is fairly inaccurate. There are a number of reasons as to why this was the case, as demonstrated through the government 's wartime controls. One of the wartime controls that was utilised by the government in both World Wars but had greater impact on Australians in World War Two was conscription. Another wartime control that had a higher degree of impact on Australians in World War Two than in World War One was the detainment and isolation of ‘enemy aliens’ when the government again took steps to protect their national security. With such a large number of servicemen deployed overseas, the role of women in Australia also changed drastically to meet the needs of the armed forces, the government and the economy and this influenced Australian life more in World War Two. Therefore, although both wars affected the lives of many Australians in mental, physical, social and economic aspects, the wartime controls of World War Two had a much greater impact on Australians than in World War One.

It was a hard life for most people that were on the first fleet going to Australia. Convicts could either start a new life or leave back to there home. Officers could leave whenever they want or they could stay and the aborigines had no choice, but to move or be killed. The settlement of Australia was both a beginning and end for convicts.

Geneva Conventions are rules laid down by various member nations that are applied in times of armed conflict. The Geneva convention seeks to protect people the sick, civilians, the wounded, and prisoners of war. USA is a member nation of the Geneva Conventions, having signed the 1977 protocols. Under the Geneva Conventions, the torture and abuse of prisoners is barred. Waterboarding is a torture technique used on prisoners, hence, it is also

The Western Front, while the main focus of combat in WW1, many Australians ignore this part of the war, as they focus more on the Gallipoli campaign and its legend. However with the centenary of the First World War here, many people have begun to realise that Australia was involved in other theatres of the war, and not just Gallipoli. The focus of this essay will be on the Events leading up to Australia’s involvement, the weapons of the western front, life in the trenches, trench warfare, The Battle of Fromelles and the End of the war.

On the 25th of April 1915, Australia took its first major step as a nation by sending soldiers off to fight in Gallipoli; these soldiers charged and fought their way through countless challenges, forging themselves a legend, but more importantly – forging Australia an identity. As time sparks controversy and scepticism, many begin to doubt the validity of the ANZAC legend. This opinion however, is unmistakably inaccurate as many diverse and credible sources document the ANZACS battle against their trials and tribulations as being heroic. The ANZACs endurance, mateship and courage are undoubtedly an accurate depiction of the ANZAC legend.

The great majority of Australian prisoners were taken captive by the Japanese in the Second World War, it is their stories that are the most well known. Over 22,000 Australians became prisoners of war of the Japanese in southeast Asia.

Another aspect of wartime Australia that history likes to forget is the emergence of an intense Anti-German movement. In 1914, within a week of the Declaration of War, all German-Australian citizens were declared ‘enemy aliens’ and required by law to report to government offices to report their residential addresses (NSW Migration Heritage Centre 2011). By February 1915, the definition of ‘enemy alien’ came to include those born in Australia, but with parents or grandparents of German or Austrian decent. Due to the number of citizens now classified as ‘enemy aliens’, it became impossible to intern all of them, and the policy of selective internment was aimed at leaders of the German Australian community, including high ranking officials of

Convicts that had education were put into jobs where they could use their minds or work for the government whereas convicts who didn’t have the access to education were put into jobs where they took part in building bridges, hospitals and other public facilities. (These people were usually men)

In Java, he helped treat wounded and allied troops at the Bandung hospital. When Java fell to the Japanese, Dunlop refused to leave his patients, so the Japanese army captured him. He was then shipped to Singapore and on 20 January 1943, he was driven to Thailand on a crowded rice truck. Under forced labor, the prisoners had to build a railway line from Burma to Siam (Now known as Myanmar and Thailand). The railway is over 421 km long and an estimated 100,000 lives were lost whilst building it. Dunlop went to Thailand in charge of ‘Dunlop Force’ so he could treat the wounded and sick people under labor. Many times he put his life at risk and stood up to the Japanese captors who harmed the weak builders. Dunlop recorded his experiences in his