GRIFFIN, Charles David (Sir)
Prisoners-of-War (POWs),
Accession Number 002732
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 6
Total Reels
- Christopher Philip Mackenzie Ashton
Interviewer
- 03:04:24
Total Running Time
- English
Language
Overview : Publication - "Changi Days: The Prisoner As Poet" (In NAS Library)
Copyright Notice
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Reel/Disc 1 of 6
Metadata
- 26 Feb 2003
Recording Date
- 00:31:12
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Overview
Publication - "Changi Days: The Prisoner As Poet" (In NAS Library)
Synopsis
Circumstances which led to him joining Australian Army. Early years in Australian Imperial Force (AIF). Convoy journey towards Singapore in April 1941. Belief that his training did not prepare him for war in Malaya. First impressions of Singapore and Malaya. Impression of British officers and why northern Singapore was not fortified. What his unit did before Japanese invaded Malaya. Sent to Ipoh in December 1941. Morale of AIF. Retreat to Singapore. Injured when his motorcycle entered bomb crater. Disillusionment of AIF with British military campaign. Impression of British officers commanding Indian troops.
Remarks
Publication - "Changi Days: The Prisoner As Poet" (In NAS Library)
We will get back to your request within 5 working days
Reel/Disc 2 of 6
Metadata
- 26 Feb 2003
Recording Date
- 00:31:41
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Overview
Publication - "Changi Days: The Prisoner As Poet" (In NAS Library)
Synopsis
Impression of British officers commanding Indian troops. Two miraculous escapes as prisoner-of-war (POW). Suffered from dysentery. Beginnings of "AIF [Australian Imperial Force] Education Centre". Organisation of literary competition. Making toys for interned children for Christmas 1942. Writing The Happiness Box, a children's book; why book had to be buried. Subsequent popularity of book. Impressions of Japanese, Korean and Sikh guards at Changi Prison. Recollection of "Selarang Barracks Incident" of 1942. Lack of food in Changi Prison. Presence of educated and uneducated POWs.
Remarks
Publication - "Changi Days: The Prisoner As Poet" (In NAS Library)
We will get back to your request within 5 working days
Reel/Disc 3 of 6
Metadata
- 26 Feb 2003
Recording Date
- 00:31:54
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Overview
Publication - "Changi Days: The Prisoner As Poet" (In NAS Library)
Synopsis
Presence of educated and uneducated prisoners-of-war (POWs). Use of secret radios. Chosen to speak on Japanese radio programme. Communication with his wife in Sydney. Consequence of Japanese submarine's attempt to blow up ships in Sydney Harbour. Organisation of concert parties and pantomimes at Selarang Barracks.
POWs ravished by malaria. Supply of medicines and why he believed doctors were "heroes". Sporting contests. Impression that religious services were "irrelevant". Festival celebrations. Japanese guards searched for secret radios. Worked on airfield in Changi. Business transactions with Japanese soldiers. Recollection of Gurkha POWs. Comparison between British and Australian POWs.
Remarks
Publication - "Changi Days: The Prisoner As Poet" (In NAS Library)
We will get back to your request within 5 working days
Reel/Disc 4 of 6
Metadata
- 26 Feb 2003
Recording Date
- 00:31:52
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Overview
Publication - "Changi Days: The Prisoner As Poet" (In NAS Library)
Synopsis
Comparison between British and Australian prisoners-of-war (POWs). Resentment of non-officers against officers. Recollection of return of POWs from Death Railway before Christmas 1943. Recollection of Japanese officer nicknamed "Blackjack". Resentment of Death Railway survivors against POWs who did not go to Death Railway. First indications that Japan might be losing war. Receiving news of Japanese surrender in 1945. Japanese soldiers' reaction to end of war. Relationship between Japanese soldiers and POWs with end of war. What kept him going throughout war years. Camaraderie among POWs.
Remarks
Publication - "Changi Days: The Prisoner As Poet" (In NAS Library)
We will get back to your request within 5 working days
Reel/Disc 5 of 6
Metadata
- 26 Feb 2003
Recording Date
- 00:31:41
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Overview
Publication - "Changi Days: The Prisoner As Poet" (In NAS Library)
Synopsis
Keeping record of prison life from viewpoint of prisoners-of-war (POWs). Physical condition upon returning to Australia. Returned to work after one week. Appointed Associate to High Court of Australia in 1946. Involvement in radio and television programmes from late 1940s. Adjustment to life from POW in Changi to civilian life in Australia. Reunion with his wife in 1945. No relationship problems with his wife after he returned to Australia. Outline of his career from 1948 to his retirement in 1998.
Remarks
Publication - "Changi Days: The Prisoner As Poet" (In NAS Library)
We will get back to your request within 5 working days
Reel/Disc 6 of 6
Metadata
- 26 Feb 2003
Recording Date
- 00:26:04
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Overview
Publication - "Changi Days: The Prisoner As Poet" (In NAS Library)
Synopsis
Outline of his career from 1948 to his retirement in 1998. Performances based on poems he composed in Changi Prison. Publication of "Changi Days: The Prisoner as Poet" in 2002. "The Happiness Box" is still in publication today. Visit by Lord and Lady Louis Mountbatten and General Slim to Changi Prison in 1945. Concluding reflections on his experiences at Changi.
Remarks
Publication - "Changi Days: The Prisoner As Poet" (In NAS Library)
We will get back to your request within 5 working days
