Description
Object description
British civilian missionary worked with Japanese civilian internees in St John's Island Interment Camp, Singapore, Malaya, Purana Qila Internment Camp, New Dehli and Ajmer Internment Camp, Deoli, India, 12/1941-8/1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in GB, 1900-1939: story of brother's experiences as prisoner of war during First World War; reason for wanting to be a missionary and reaction of mother to prospect; membership of Church Missionary Society; missionary training in GB; attitude of missionaries to indigenous peoples. Recollections of period as missionary working with Japanese internees in St John's Island Interment Camp, Singapore, Malaya, 12/1941-1/1942: prior missionary experience in Ceylon; reaction to being sent to Singapore; attitude to possible Japanese invasion of Singapore; reaction to Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour Hawaii, 7/12/1941; role in charge of Japanese civilians internees from Malaya; social background of internees.
REEL 2 Continues: organisation of internees in quarantine huts on St John's Island; accommodation and living conditions for internees; confiscation of contraband goods and personal belongings; number of internees; opinion of food and accommodation; guards; memories of missionary Miss Nicholl; attitude to role of being placed in charge of internees. Recollections of period as missionary in charge of Japanese internees in Purana Qila Internment Camp, New Dehli and Ajmer Internment Camp, Deoli, India, 1/1942-8/1945: voyage from Singapore, Malaya to India, 1/1942 including attitude of crew to internees and sexual relations between crew and female internees; disembarkation in Calcutta; move to Purana Qila Internment Camp, New Dehli, 1/1942; description of camp and surrounding terrain; tented accommodation; organisation of families; number of males and females in camp; question of exchange of internees.
REEL 3 Continues: further comments on exchange of internees; move to Ajmer Internment Camp, Deoli, 1943; various nationalities of internees including German and Italian; housing of Japanese comfort girls in separate camp; opinion of guards and question of escape; organisation of camp; reason for honorary title of 'wing commander'; facilities in camp; awareness of progress of war; attitude to use of 'enemy aliens' on camp staff; nature of relations between various nationalities in camp; Japanese prisoners of war coming to camp and reaction of internees; attitude to Japanese treatment of Allied prisoners of war; sanitary facilities; use of Indian labour.
REEL 4 Continues: control of food supplies by Indians; reason for transfer to Ajmer Internment Camp, Deoli, 1943; opinion of guards; relations between Japanese and Indians; state of health; medical facilities; leave; organisation and administration of camp; opinion of camp commandant; discipline.
REEL 5 Continues: punishments; attitude of Japanese internees to camp authorities; problem of gambling; recreational and sporting activities; religious services; educational classes; use of interpreters; political beliefs of internees; awareness of progress of war in Europe; reaction to dropping of atomic bombs on Japan, 8/1945; question of internees not being allowed to have radios; reason for discontent among internees following end of Second World War, 8/1945.
REEL 6 Continues: story of riot in camp and use of military force; casualties among internees; attitude to being placed in charge of ringleaders of riot; return to GB, 1946; attitude to deaths of internees during riot; further comments on camp commandant.
