Film Collection Online: The Australian Prisoner of War experience

00:06:09
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXP2ucxC8DA

Sintesi

TLDRBob Christie recounts his experiences as a prisoner of war during World War II, detailing his time in the 2nd Tenth Field Regiment and the capture by Japanese forces. He shares how he participated in concert parties, singing songs written for him, and reflects on the hardships faced during captivity. Corporal Nelson Arthur discusses the technical work involved in creating underground radio installations to receive news, highlighting the ingenuity of the prisoners. The emotional toll of being a POW is emphasized, along with a poignant song about longing for home, 'Blue Australian Skies.'

Punti di forza

  • 🎤 Bob Christie shares his POW experiences during WWII.
  • 📅 Captured on February 15, 1942, spent 3.5 years in captivity.
  • 🎶 Participated in concert parties, singing songs for morale.
  • 📻 Corporal Arthur worked on underground radio installations.
  • 🛠️ Used scrap materials to create radio equipment.
  • 😔 Emotional toll of captivity was significant.
  • 🇦🇺 'Blue Australian Skies' reflects longing for home.
  • 🤝 Camaraderie among POWs helped cope with hardships.
  • 📰 Ingenious methods were used to receive news.
  • 🎵 Songs served as a reminder of home and hope.

Linea temporale

  • 00:00:00 - 00:06:09

    Bob Christie, a former member of the 2nd Tenth Field Regiment, shares his experiences as a Prisoner of War during World War II after being captured by the Japanese. He recalls the time spent in captivity, where he participated in concert parties and performed songs written for him, intending to preserve these memories. The narrative reflects on the challenges faced during the war and the camaraderie among the POWs, illustrated through the singing of original songs like one about building railroads. Corporal Nelson Arthur also contributes, sharing insights on the underground radio installations they created to circumvent Japanese control, employing makeshift techniques to receive news. Sir Ernest 'Weary' Dunlop elaborates on the emotional toll of captivity, expressing the profound longing for freedom and connection to Australia. A poignant poem about the beauty of Australia highlights hopes for a return home, wrapping up with a reaffirmation of love for their homeland.

Mappa mentale

Video Domande e Risposte

  • Who is Bob Christie?

    Bob Christie is a former member of the 2nd Tenth Field Regiment in the 8th Division during World War II.

  • What happened on February 15, 1942?

    Bob Christie and his regiment were captured by the Japanese.

  • How long was Bob Christie a prisoner of war?

    He spent three-and-a-half years as a prisoner of war.

  • What activities did the POWs engage in?

    They set up concert parties and performed songs.

  • What was Corporal Nelson Arthur's role?

    He was involved in technical work on underground radio installations.

  • How did they disguise their radio equipment?

    They hid radio sets in roofs and used various ruses to conceal them.

  • What does the song 'Blue Australian Skies' represent?

    It expresses longing for home and the beauty of Australia.

  • What was the emotional impact of being a POW?

    The worst affliction was feeling out of touch with the world and vegetating in captivity.

  • What materials were used for the radio equipment?

    The equipment was mostly made from scrap materials.

  • What is the significance of the songs sung by the POWs?

    They served as a form of morale-boosting and remembrance.

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Sottotitoli
en
Scorrimento automatico:
  • 00:00:00
    Hi there, my name's Bob Christie
  • 00:00:03
    and during the 1939 - 45 war,
  • 00:00:06
    I was a member of the 2nd Tenth Field Regiment
  • 00:00:10
    in the 8th Division.
  • 00:00:13
    On the 15th of February, 1942, we were captured by the Japanese,
  • 00:00:18
    and spent three-and-a-half years as a Prisoner of War.
  • 00:00:25
    During this time we set up concert parties
  • 00:00:30
    and as I was a young man with a reasonable voice, I had some songs ,
  • 00:00:36
    written for me to sing at these concert parties.
  • 00:00:40
    I would say that nobody
  • 00:00:43
    would know these songs, so I've been talked into puting them
  • 00:00:48
    up onto this tape, so that they may be kept.
  • 00:00:53
    So after 63 years, the voice
  • 00:00:57
    is not what it used to be. No, you asked for it,
  • 00:01:02
    so here goes.
  • 00:01:05
    "Once we built a railroad, we made it run,
  • 00:01:08
    we made it a race against time.
  • 00:01:12
    Once we built a railroad, that now it's done,
  • 00:01:18
    buddy can't you spare a lime?
  • 00:01:21
    Then we built three bridges,
  • 00:01:25
    driving in piles,
  • 00:01:28
    ichi ni san all the day
  • 00:01:31
    Driving in foundations
  • 00:01:34
    for miles and miles, just to get
  • 00:01:38
    our daily pay on the other side
  • 00:01:43
    walking to and fro,
  • 00:01:47
    carrying our baskets full of earth.
  • 00:01:50
    Idling our time and working very slow,
  • 00:01:55
    but Nippon was shouting, speedo
  • 00:01:58
    Say don't you remember
  • 00:02:02
    we called it hell
  • 00:02:06
    it was hell all the time.
  • 00:02:10
    Say don't you remember,
  • 00:02:12
    I'm your pal,
  • 00:02:15
    buddy can't you spare a lime?
  • 00:02:23
    I've got a New South Welshman, Corporal Nelson Arthur of Annandale, Sydney,
  • 00:02:27
    NX31567
  • 00:02:29
    Now Corporal Arthur is the gen-man in the camp, on all the inventions
  • 00:02:34
    and the little ruses they developed to trick the Japs,
  • 00:02:37
    such as radio and electric heaters and things like that.
  • 00:02:40
    Now here's Corporal Arthur to give you a little of the gen of how this thing was really worked.
  • 00:02:45
    Hello mum and dad,
  • 00:02:49
    For the first two and a half years after we we became prisoners of war,
  • 00:02:55
    I had the privilege of doing
  • 00:02:57
    the technical work on the underground radio installations,
  • 00:03:01
    in this camp, which provided us with the news,
  • 00:03:05
    and the
  • 00:03:09
    way we went about tricking the Japanese, was very interesting.
  • 00:03:13
    We got up to all sorts of ruses
  • 00:03:16
    such as hiding their radio sets in the roofs,
  • 00:03:20
    of different buildings, working radio receivers
  • 00:03:26
    through the doctor's stethoscopes,
  • 00:03:29
    oh, a hundred and one different ways
  • 00:03:34
    we went about disguising these radio sets and
  • 00:03:38
    receiving apparatus to get the news through into this camp.
  • 00:03:44
    The radio equipment used,
  • 00:03:44
    was mostly of a breadboard variety,
  • 00:03:48
    it was mostly made up from scrap materials, which some other boys, who'd gone
  • 00:03:53
    outside the camp had managed to bring in
  • 00:03:56
    and altogether it was a very good job.
  • 00:04:02
    (Sir Ernest "Weary" Dunlop)There was a tremendous amount of work to be done at that time.
  • 00:04:06
    We had so many sick and wounded and problems getting supplies
  • 00:04:10
    and so that sort of you know, extremes
  • 00:04:14
    or misery that comes over your soul when you're a captive,
  • 00:04:18
    you're out of everything, you want to be in
  • 00:04:19
    and I found that the worst, the worst affliction really,
  • 00:04:24
    of being a prisoner war, the fact that you were just out of things,
  • 00:04:28
    that you were vegetating
  • 00:04:31
    in a corner of the world, in which you know so much was happening,
  • 00:04:35
    to change the future of mankind, I suppose.
  • 00:04:40
    Blue Australian skies,
  • 00:04:42
    and sunshine on fields
  • 00:04:47
    wet with dew. In dreams,
  • 00:04:52
    we see your beauty
  • 00:04:57
    and greet our loved ones anew.
  • 00:05:00
    Blue Australian skies,
  • 00:05:05
    that smile on the bright golden grain.
  • 00:05:09
    All our prayers will be answered,
  • 00:05:13
    our dreams will come true, some day we'll come home again.
  • 00:05:19
    On the wings
  • 00:05:23
    of your gentle breezes, by the whisper
  • 00:05:27
    of waves on the shore.
  • 00:05:30
    Tell our wonderful mother Australia
  • 00:05:35
    she's a country, well worth
  • 00:05:39
    fighting for.
  • 00:05:43
    Though we're far apart,
  • 00:05:45
    the love in our heart never dies,
  • 00:05:49
    God grant we all may
  • 00:05:53
    soon return
  • 00:05:56
    to our Blue Australian skies.
  • 00:06:02
    and that is it, thank you very much.
Tag
  • World War II
  • POW
  • 2nd Tenth Field Regiment
  • concert parties
  • radio installations
  • Corporal Nelson Arthur
  • Australian skies
  • prisoner experiences
  • songs
  • camaraderie