Anita's+POW

=__**Changi Prison WW2 - Singapore**__=

**__Why Was Australia was in Singapore during WW2?__**
The Australian troops were in Singapore to defend against the Japanese. They were defending the land along with Indians and British soldiers from a few defensive lines, but their efforts failed. they had built a naval base that was also to be defended by the British and Australian troops. this was for the purpose of defending Singapore and avoid Japan invading.

__**How many Australian Troops Died, were Captured or were Injured?**__
14,972 Australian soldiers were taken prisoner to any of the 7 prisoner-of-war-camps at Changi. Almost 8, 000 died while in the prisoner-of-war camps. The majority of the prisoners were injured, starved or caught any number of the disease that had spread around the POW camps at Changi. Many prisoners were injured by the harsh living conditions or work that they were forced to do. Of the 12, 000 prisoners that were sent to work on the Burma-Thailand railway, 2, 646 died.

**__Treatment and Hardships that the Prisoners-of-War had to Face__**
the conditions that the prisoners-of-war were kept in were unhygienic and overcrowded. They had to cope with horrible disease outbreaks, overcrowded living space, starvation, difficult labour work and harsh treatments form guards and officers running the camps. A few examples of these diseases are malaria, dengue, dysentery, pellagra and beriberi. cholera was a one disease that if it was in a camp then 60-80% of the prisoners would die in a few days. Cholera dehydrates the person and causes severe diarrhoea. the treatment of the prisoners was horrific they were given a very small amount of food with hardly any nutrition. An average ration for a day was half a cup of rice with a small bowl of thin vegetable soup. Despite the terrible conditions the POW's were resourceful and tried to make their living conditions better. for example carpenters would make prosthetic limbs for the many amputees at the POW camps. Black markets were created and the prisoners traded food and goods, they planted vegetable gardens and bred ducks and chickens to create more food.

**__How did so Many Australian Prisoners Survive?__**
The prisoners survived day to day by entertaining themselves. There was a university set up and soon prisoners were studying law, medicine or even agriculture. They held concerts for one another, anybody who wanted to perform could. Soon after the concert party was set up, there would be a new show every two weeks and there was a system so that everybody in the camp could get equal opportunity to see these shows. Every Sunday there was a 30-piece orchestra that performed for the prisoners and there were also the people who helped tune pianos or helped behind the scenes. There was also a photographer and a cartoonist.

**__Death Marches From Sandakan to Ranau__**
these death marches were to move the prisoners from Sandakan to Ranau because the Allies were moving towards Borneo. the conditions were terrible and many of the sick or malnourished prisoners died along the way. many people who could not continue were killed on the 260 kilometre track. people who were unfit to go to Ranau were killed or died in Sandakan. Only 6 people who were sent to Ranau survived the war, all were Australian.

__**Two men**__
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__**Calorie Intake and Work Output**__
The prisoners were living off less than 2000 calories per day even when working long shifts. The Japanese could justify doing this because they knew the amount of power that they had over their prisoners. The prisoners knew that any attempt at an escape was useless and that they would be killed or taken back to the camp if captured (which was very likely). If anybody escaped then all of the prisoners in the camp would most likely be punished, so it was best for all to remain compliant with the Japanese and not to rebel.

__Effects on Psyche of POWs__
Being a prisoner of war would have effected the Australian soldiers spirit greatly, but they still maintained their mate ship and were resourceful. Although their spirits may have been dampened, they still had their strong characters, friends and fellow prisoners, they all stuck together and this made the Australian spirit stronger and added to the Anzac legend. Some new virtues may have been strengthened as well, but the idea of mate ship developed and the bond between the prisoners at Changi was strong, they were resourceful men who spent every hour, minute and second together at the camps.

__Was Recovery Possible?__
For the very few people who survived the prisoner of war camps at Changi, life would never be the same. Psychologically they would be scarred from what they have seen, some would be shaken would not have been able to go back to normal life. The recovery process would be slow and difficult for the ex-prisoner and for the family, some men may have never been able to trust strangers, let alone their family any longer, because of the loss that they have suffered and the horrific things that they would have seen.

__**BIBLIOGRAPHY**__
 Australian Broadcasting Commision. ((C) 2011). //life in Changi POW Camp.// Available: http://www.abc.net.au/changi/life/cartoons.htm, Last accessed 26th April 2011.  **Australian Government. (UNKNOWN). ** //Fall of Singapore: Overview. //**Available: http://www.ww2australia.gov.au/japadvance/singapore.html, Last accessed 12th April 2011. ** **Australian War Memorial. (UNKNOWN). //Encyclopedia | Australian War Memorial.// Available: http://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/pow/general_info.asp#Singapore, Last accessed 26th April 2011. ** **Australian War Memorial. (UNKNOWN). //Stolen Years: Australian Prisoners of War | Australian War Memorial.// Available: http://www.awm.gov.au/exhibitions/stolenyears/ww2/japan/sandakan/, Last accessed 26th April 2011. ** **Department of Veterans' Affairs. (UNKNOWN). //The History Of Australian Prsioners Of War.//Available: http://www.dva.gov.au/commems_oawg/commemorations/education/Documents/1POW_P01913.pdf, Last accessed 26th April 2011. ** Red Apple Education. ((C) 2011). //Australian Prisoners Of War: Changi and the Burma-Thailand Railway.// Available: http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-14_u-91_t-199_c-666/australian-prisoners-of-war-changi-and-the-burma-thailand-railway/nsw/war-time-experiences/, Last accessed 26**th April 2011. ** <span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">UNKNOWN. (UNKNOWN). ** //<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Singapore Travel Information - I Need A Holiday. // **<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">Available: http://www.ineedaholiday.com.au/TravelFactDetails.asp?RegionID=4&Code=SIN&Destination=Singapore, Last accessed 12th April 2011. **<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">