Singapore POWs

Pakanbaru POW Camp Sumatra, POWs waiting their turn to be evacuated watch other RAAF aircraft leaving for Singapore. RAAF aircrews loading stretcher cases onto C-47 Dakota transport aircraft. 2/14 Australian General Hospital Singapore, AIF nurses rescued from their prison camp in Sumatra, resting in Singapore the day after their arrival. Close ups in the following order QX19074 Sister Jessie Blanch, Uralea Road Alstonville NSW, QX19077 Sister Florence Trotter, Stanely Terrace, Taringa Brisbane; NX70937 Sister Jean Greer, Napier Street Petersham NSW; VX53059 Sister Agnes Jeffrey Ailsa Ave East Malvern Vic; VX39347 Sister Nesta James Shepparton Vic; QX19643 Sister Christien Oxley, Railway Parade, Clayfield Brisbane; QX22819 Sister Valerie Smith, Upper Barron Parade, Clayfield, Brisbane; NX700528 Sister Katherine Blake, 12 Havilah Road, Lindfield NSW with Matron I.M. Brown of Milawa near Wangaratta Vic matron of the 2/14 AGH; NX70528 Sister Janet Gunther, Piora, Casino, NSW. [Long shot of C-47 transport aircraft taxiing, other C-47s parked in background. Unidentified POWs one man helps the other put on a jacket. Gates to prison? POWs in Mess washing utensils and preparing food. (N.B. these scenes not listed in dope sheet)] NX70499 Sister Jessie Doyle, Springfield Avenue, Potts Point, NSW. QX190070 Sister Joyce Twedell, Moreton Street, Norman Park, Brisbane; TX6023 Sister Elizabeth Simons, Nunamara Tasmania. Sister Oxley making a broadcast speech home the day after her arrival in Singapore. Sister Simons in striped frock talking on verendah of 2/14 AGH with VX61330 Sister Vivien Bullwinkel, 4 Valmai Road, Kings Park, Adelaide. Sister Bullwinkel was the only survivor of the 22 nurses who were machine gunned by the Japanese on the beach at Banka Island after the ship in which they were being evacuated from Singapore had been torpedoed and sunk. She died on 3 July 2000. VX58783 Sister Wilma Oram of Murtoa, Vic (spotted gown) talking with SX10595 Sister Mavis Hannah of 27 Essex Street Goodwood Park, SA. sisters Bullwinkel and Oram are talking. Flt/Lt Bill Lindley, RAAF and his brother Gunner Geoffrey of Gympie Qld after Bill had flown his brother out from the riotous "green hell" of Pakabaru. Sister Margot Scott RAAF Nursing Service, one of the flying nurses who have been doing such valuable work in evacuating POWs in Malaya, assisting women who had been interned with their children in Sumatra to get out of a RAAF C-47 at Kallang airfield Singapore. Crew of RAAF aircraft which flew AIF nurses out of Sumatra. Left to Right 21795 F/O Ken Brown, Hurlstone Park, NSW second pilot; 404567 Squadron Leader Fred Madsen, DFC of Kingsford, Sydney captain; Sister Margot Scott RAAF Nursing Service; 442764 F/Sgt Frank Humphries Wireless Operator of Karoonda, SA. Sister Scott was not a member of the crew on the day of the rescue flight. One that occasion the flying nurse was Sister Helen Chandler of Longreach Qld. F/O Brown stayed in Sumatra after the aircraft made a reconaissance flight to Palembang and helped to locate the nurses in the prison camp at Balalau. Group inside hut at Tanjong Pagar prison camp L to R TX2409 Pte T. A. Lawson, 2/3 Machine Gun Coy, Mt Lyell Tas; TX8045 Pte Scott, 2/40 Bn, King Island; 60636 LAC H.G. Hine radio mechanic, Boorowa NSW; F/Lt Hutchinson (PRO); 14240 Sgt J. Skinner Strathfield, NSW. LAC Hine airs one of the tattered blankets used by prisoners at Tanjong Pagar. Sgt Skinner and 205751 Cpl J.A. Davin, electrician, Claremont, SA examing a razor made from a table knife. This was only one of the thousands of instances of ingenuity shown by prisoners in improvising every need. They even built radios capable of world reception from scrap materials and hid them in the most igenious manner. Some were built into water bottles and others into brooms and stools. 400253 Sgt J.W. Gillan, Redfern NSW reading in his quarters at Tanjong Pagar. [Unidentified group of POWs walking between huts. (N.B. not in dope sheet)]. 12425 Sgt R.D. Winton, Medical orderly, Lisarow NSW, talking with 33833 Sister J.W. Dawson, Queen Alexandra's Imperial Nursing Service Reserve, one of the first nurses to arrive in Singpore after the liberation. Group of POWs trading with Chinese civilains. Second from left is 405009 Sgt P.F. Atherton WAG 100 Sqn RAAF, Longreach Qld. Chinese civilians gave unending aid to prisoners throughout the occupation. Exterior of control buildings, Kallang airport. This building was used by the Japanese up to the time of the first Allied bombings then abandoned. General shots of Singapore from landing craft and landing operations. Close ups of British Army officers conferring with Japanese officers regarding taking over Kallang airfield. Japanese guard of honour for General Nakajima in charge of ordnance Singapore. He was one of 85 generals taken prisoner in Singapore. Welcoming crowds lining the streets of Singapore. Note smiling faces of Chinese who form majority of Singapore's population. Transferring Indian troops from transport [ship] to landing craft and landing operation. 1706 Flt/Lt A.E. Tinkler, Signals Officer, Essendon, Vic; 256102 Flt/Lt S.R. Hutchinson, RAAF PRO SEAC, Melbourne; 390 F/Lt J.L. Macalister pilot 2 Squadron of Essendon Vic, photogrphed when first being interviewed at Changi prison. Macalister distinguished himself by making two attempts to steal aircraft to fly to Australia. The first time, at, Timor, he and nine AIF men were in a Douglas [Dakota] for more than an hour but could not start it because the battery was lacking and had to sneak back to camp. When he was planning his second attempt, at Singapore, Macalister was betrayed by Chinese who were working on his behalf outside and was sentenced by the dreaded Kempi (Gestapo) to 20 years hard labour. He served one year of this in the notorious Outram Road Gaol before the liberation. During that time he was subjected to systematic starvation. Group taken at Changi Gaol when RAAF prisoners were receiving first news of home. L to R F/Lt Tinkler; 401012 W/O A. Moritz, air gunner, of Shepparton, Vic; 400883 Sgt G. Sharp, Wireless Air Gunner (WAG), Footscray, Vic; 9205 Cpl R.J. Fitter, Ashford, SA; 405287 Sgt R.R. Allen WAG Coogee, NSW; Flt/Lt Hutchinson, PRO; 402158 Sgt P.G. Forsythe WAG, Ermington, NSW; 33439 LAC S.C. Smith, stores clerk, Wiley Park, NSW Flt/Lt Tinkler; Sgt Gilbert Sharp lost his leg in a Vildebeeste [RAF toperdo bomber aircraft] crash in Malaya 26 January 1942 and was in hospital at capitulation. He now wears an artificial leg made by AIF POWs from scrap duralminium from a wrecked aircraft. This was one of the many artificial limbs made by prisoners from scrap material with improvised tools. Group featuring Sgt Sharp. Sgt Sharp is now so agile on one leg that he can beat an average player at tennis. Flt/lt Hutchinson interviewing Macalister and 3217 F/Sgt Roy Prowse W/T operator Elsternwick, Vic. General activity inside Changi Prison. This prison designed to hold 600 was packed with 5254 prisoners at the time of liberation. Australian prisoners hauling one of many trucks converted into trailers with which they built the Changi Airfield. Exterior of Tanjong Pagar prison camp near the Singapore Dock Area. Labour from this camp was used to unload Japanese ships and to dig tunnels as air raid shelters for the Japanese. General interest shots taken aboard the transport enroute to Singapore from Rangoon. Entrance to Changi Gaol Australian Cemetery. The cemetery is two miles from the gaol. F/Lt Tinkler and NX76216 Lt L.W. Male, AIF, Petersham, entering cemetery. Above personnel placing a wreath of frangipani on the grave of a fellow POW. General view of the cemetery. Japanese aircraft abandoned on Changi airfield. This airfield was built by hand by POW labour. Line up of assorted Japanese aircraft. Close up of Japanese markings on aircraft. Twin engine Japanese fighter on Changi. Line up of Japanese aircraft on Changi. [transcribed from dope sheets with scene descriptions arranged to match present order of film]