| Accession Number | P03541.004 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Japan: Kyushu-chiho |
| Date made | c 18 August 1945 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Group portrait of Allied prisoners of war (POWs) believed to be in Fukuoka Camp No 7B, just after ...
Description
Group portrait of Allied prisoners of war (POWs) believed to be in Fukuoka Camp No 7B, just after the Japanese surrender. The group includes a number of men wearing slouch hats, probably Australians. Seated, eighth from the left, wearing a red cross armband is Corporal Blues, a sick bay attendant. Note the ladder leaning against the building behind them, leading to the roof where a Japanese former camp guard was painting the letters 'PW' with yellow paint to alert passing United States aircraft to the camp and allow them to drop much needed supplies for camps in the area. The letters were approximately 20 feet long, and the day after they were painted, the aircraft started dropping food and photographs of Betty Grable in an open area near the camp.