| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | PR86/174 |
| Collection type | Private Record |
| Record type | Collection |
| Measurement | 12 Item |
| Object type | Papers |
| Maker |
Watson, Cyril John |
| Place made | Borneo, Malaya, Singapore: Changi |
| Date made | 1941-1945 |
| Access | Open |
| Related File This file can be copied or viewed via the Memorial’s Reading Room. | AWM315 419/111/024 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copying Provisions | Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction. |
Watson, Cyril John (Lieutenant, b.1918 - d.2005)
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.