Annotated gas cape ground sheet : Cowra Prisoner of War Camp

Khaki rubberised cotton gas cape ground sheet with stand and fall collar, brown plastic buttons and brass grommeted holes along four sides. The grommets are stamped, 'CARRS PATT'. Printed in black on the underside is 'MADE IN AUSTRALIA / V44 / 1943 / D [broad arrow symbol] D'.

Handwritten in black ink on the inner, non-rubberised side are columns of English words beside which is their corresponding Romanised Japanese words, and equivalent Kanji (Chinese characters). There are 391 individual words grouped in a range of subjects including; days of the week and the months, counting and numbers, time and seasons, weather, colours, flowers, foodstuffs, meals, cooking utensils and cutlery, animals, insects and birds, temperatures, postage and stamps, cleaning, tools, tobacco and smoking, times, family relationships, intimate relationships, schools, rooms in a house, occupations, points of the compass, clothing, geographical names, religion, emotions, and miscellaneous.

This Australian Army-issue gas cape ground sheet is understood to have been annotated by a Japanese prisoner at the Prisoner of War (POW) Camp at Cowra, in the central west of New South Wales. A Japanese veteran of the Cowra Camp, described how the camp was sometimes referred to as 'the Cowra University' because of the educational programs - both formal and informal - that were available there.

Constructed in 1941-1942, the Cowra POW Camp was part of a nationwide POW and enemy alien internment system. By August 1944 there were 2,223 Japanese prisoners of war in Australia. Of these, 1,104 were housed in Camp B of No. 12 Prisoner of War Compound at Cowra. They were guarded by the 22nd Garrison Battalion. A number of Italian and Javanese prisoners were also held at the Cowra Camp.

On 5th August 1944, the Japanese prisoners attempted a mass breakout of the camp during which 378 Japanese prisoners escaped, and 234 Japanese and 5 Australians were killed. Large portions of the camp were burned to the ground during the breakout. All escapees were recaptured or accounted for.