Information sheets

Australian prisoners of war: Second World War
Prisoners of the Japanese: Senior Officer's Party, Korea (Chosen or Jinsen), Manchuria and Taiwan (Formosa)

Important general background information - finding your POW
Online Resources
Official records
Private records
Books

Important general background information - finding your POW

The Encyclopedia entry Australian prisoners of war of the Japanese Second World War contains general information about the capture of Australian troops as well as entries on each location of imprisonment.

Online resources

The Memorial's website provides extensive information about our collections. This includes databases of the Roll of Honour, over 200,000 Photograph and Art images, and the Film, Private Records, Books, Serials and Sound collections. In addition, the Memorial's official records collection can be searched on the National Archives RecordSearch database. By consulting these databases, you will identify further information or particular items in the collections relevant to your interests.

Official Records

[8th Division in Captivity - Senior Officer's Group (Formosa and Manchuria)] Memorandum to Lieutenant-General J Northcott, from Major-General C A Callaghan, written from Chungking 31-8-45, Brief notes on Mukden Camp, Armistice and Release, Mukden to Chungking. AWM54 554/14/2

[8th Division in Captivity - Senior Officer's Group (Formosa and Manchuria)] The Story of No 1 Camp, Kankaseki Taiwan, (Formosa) by Major J F Crossley. AWM54 554/14/1

[War Crimes and Trials - Affidavits and Sworn Statements:] NX34723 Maj-Gen CA Callaghan. AWM54 1010/4/27

Records of Australian Military Forces prisoners of war and missing, Far East and South West Pacific Islands . Contains nominal rolls and paybook photographs arranged by name, theatre of war and unit, location of POW camp. AWM232. The nominal rolls can be searched online.

Private Records

Sir Wilfred Kent-Hughes (Colonel), Administrative papers relating to appointments and promotions of AIF while prisoners of the Japanese. Includes nominal rolls, correspondence, routine orders, appeals. PR00017

Books

Sir W.S. Kent Hughes, Slaves of the Samurai : an Australian odyssey, which gives an account of the life and thoughts of a slave of the Samurai, during his three years and seven months as a prisoner of war in the hands of the Japanese. (Melbourne : Geoffrey Cumberlege, Oxford University Press, ( Melbourne :Ramsay Ware Publishing), c1946).

Allan S. Walker, Middle East and Far East, Australia in the War of 1939-1945, Series 5 (Medical), vol. II (Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1953).

Lionel Wigmore, The Japanese Thrust, Australia in the War of 1939-1945, Series 1 (Army), vol. IV (Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1957).