Changi Concert Party Programs: Digitisation Project
The Australian War Memorial is currently undertaking a project to make available online its collection of Changi Concert Party programs. This collection of programs was created by prisoners of war for performances by the Changi Concert Party during the Second World War. The project will digitally preserve the Memorial’s collection of these programs as well as provide full colour reference copies on the Memorial’s website for research and study purposes.
As part of this project, the Memorial is also seeking contact with relatives of the persons listed below. These people have been identified as a contributing artist to the cover illustrations featured on these programs. If you have any further information about these people, or their descendants, the Memorial would love to talk to you. Please contact Theresa Cronk via PubandDig@awm.gov.au.
Some of these programs have also been selected to appear in an upcoming Memorial publication to mark the 70th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War in 2015. This publication will feature items, artworks, photographs and stories from Memorial’s extensive Changi collection. A significant part of this collection is of course the concert posters. The book will be published in August 2015 by NewSouth publishing. The Memorial would particularly like to hear from descendants of Wray Gibson regarding the publication. Please contact Lachlan Grant (Lachlan.Grant@awm.gov.au) to discuss this further.
Service number unknown - Wray Gibson
Little is known about Wray Gibson but there are several programs in the collection that are signed ‘GIBSON’. One program has been found to feature his name in full in the bottom right hand corner. Wray Gibson was an accordion player who also appeared in several performances. Together with Des Bettany, it is believed that he contributed to several other programs as part of a team. This working relationship is also evidenced by a calendar that Gibson and Bettany created for the year 1946: http://changipowart.com/archives/2764. [Collection number: RC01143, RC07301, RC07302, RC07304, RC00847, RC07309, RC07311, RC00851, RC00852, RC00854, RC07318, RC07322, RC07325, RC07327, RC07331, RC07332, RC07333, RC07355, RC00848, RC00853, RC07338, RC01141, SC00168, RC07342, RC07344, RC07346, RC07350, RC07351, SC02106, RC07352, RC07353].
VX31236 - Albert Edmund Gay West
Albert West enlisted at Royal Park, Victoria on 24 June 1940 and served as a sapper with the 2/10 Field Company during the Second World War. The Second World War nominal roll shows his date of birth as 29 September 1909 and the name of his next of kin was D West. The program he is associated with was for a performance titled ‘2nd Anniversary Show’ in March 1944 and shows several playbills on a purple background. [Collection number: RC07300].
Service number unknown - Ken Morrison
Little is known about Ken Morrison. He was the writer/producer of a performance of ‘The time of your life’ and also appears to have been the artist behind the associated programs. This program features a banner across the front highlighting the title of the show with the names of performers appearing underneath. One program in the collection features the initials ‘KM’ and a comment signed ‘Ken’. [Collection number: RC07349, RC02523]