Holloway, Reginald Alex (Private, b.1917 - d.1985)

57 page manuscript entitled "Brief notes on POW Life: Timor, Java, Thailand, Japan 16th July 1940 to 20th October 1945". The manuscript details the experiences of TX3894 Private Reginald Alex Holloway from his service in Timor to the end of the Second World War. The author's experiences in Timor defending against the Japanese is summarised at the start. The process of capture and initial experiences of being a prisoner of war (POW) on Timor are detailed. The remainder of the documents follows Holloway's experiences as a POW through Java, Singapore, Malaya, Thailand, and Japan. The nature of diet, accommodation and medical care is described in detail throughout the manuscript, with a strong emphasis put on weight and disease. The experiences of the POWs between the cessation of hostilities and repatriation to Australia are described and used to contrast their treatment and how they treated each other. The author also makes several comparisons between the different groups of POWs to examine the nature of their experiences as their casualty rates. The groups examined in detail are the English, Australians, Dutch, and Native population. An appendix consisting of two letters written by Holloway to his mother is included. Two copies.

• Wallet 1 of 2 - Memoir of Private Reginald Alex Holloway - 1917-1985