Description
Physical description
Cloth bag made from rice sacking embroidered with "D. MacL" in blue.
Label
Handmade cloth bag made from the remnants of a rice sack made by Mrs Dorothy (Mac) MacLeod as a civilian internee at Palembang in Sumatra (Indonesia). Mrs MacLeod died in captivity in April 1945. The bag was brought back to the UK by a fellow internee, Mrs Mamie Colley, who deposited it with the Museum. It was subsequently donated by Dorothy MacLeod's son after he had traced his mother's story and seen the bag in the Museum.
(For further information, see Ian MacLeod's 'I will sing to the end' (Worthing: Coco's Publications, 2005) [IWM Department of Printed Books reference: 77/5.1(=41:=52)-2]).
History note
Handmade cloth bag fashioned from a rice sack made by Mrs Dorothy MacLeod in Palembang. Mrs MacLeod died in captivity in April 1945. The bag was brought back to the UK by Mrs Mamie Colley who deposited it with the Museum. It was subsequently donated by Dorothy MacLeod's son after he had traced his mother's story and had seen the bag in the Museum.
Many civilians trying to escape from Singapore in 1942 where interned on the islands of Sumatra when their ships were sunk by the Japanese. Mrs Mamie Colley, Mrs Brown and her daughter Shelagh, Miss Margaret Dryburgh, Mrs Dorothy (Mac) Macleod, Miss Briggs among others were all interned in the same room in Palembang, Sumatra. They called their quarters 'Garage 9'. Out of the original fourteen women only five survived the war. Margaret Dryburgh, a Presbyterian missionary, and Norah Chambers organised a 'vocal orchestra' that gave concerts in the camp. The experience of 'Garage 9'internment provided the basis for both the drama series, Tenko, shown in the 1980's and the feature film, Paradise Road (1997).
History note
For further information, see Ian MacLeod's 'I will sing to the end' (Worthing: Coco's Publications, 2005) (DPB ref -77/5.1(=41:=52)-2
History note
To conservation, pending P.O.W. exhibition
Inscription
D. MacL