| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | AWM2020.22.206 |
| Collection number | PR86/174 |
| Collection type | Digitised Collection |
| Record type | Wallet |
| Item count | 1 |
| Object type | Papers |
| Physical description | 197 Image/s captured |
| Maker |
Watson, Cyril John |
| Place made | Borneo, Malaya |
| Date made | 1941-1945 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copying Provisions | Digital format and content protected by copyright. |
| Source credit to | This item has been digitised with funding provided by Commonwealth Government. |
Wallet 1 of 1 - Papers relating to the service of Cyril John Watson, 1941-1945
Description
Collection relating to the Second World War service of VX39057 Lieutenant Cyril John Watson, 4 Anti-Tank Regiment, Malaya, Borneo and Singapore, 1941-1945.
Wallet 1 of 1 - Collection contains original handwritten diaries detailing Lieutenant Watson’s experiences as a prisoner of war at Changi from 1942-1945. Subjects include: food and preparation; ill health and weight loss; military parades; food rationing; medical treatment; recipes; translations of songs; poetry; instructions for making nutrition supplements; cultivation of plants and vegetables; recreation and entertainment; treatment of the POWs by the Japanese officers and guards; liberation from Changi; rehabilitation; and repatriation.
Collection also contains four letters from Lieutenant Watson to his parents, Norman William and Louisa Rachel, and his wife, Patricia. Collection also includes four letters from an unknown Australian POW who describes the conditions and daily routine at Camp 5, identifying the location of deceased and buried Australian soldiers, and building a monument for the Japanese at Bukit Timah.