3.2 Experiences at War - POWs

Learning Intention:

Success Criteria:

Over 30,000 Australians became prisoners of war (POWs) in WW2. Of these over ⅔ were taken by the Japanese at the beginning of 1942 with most of these suffering from starvation, disease, brutal treatment and forced labour. Many were sent to Japan to be used as slave labour in Japanese industries. Others were either sent to work on the Burma-Thailand Railway or to prison camps in Singapore. 

Activity 1 - Prisoners at War

Extention/Research Task:

1. Choose ONE POW camp that interred Aus. soldiers in WWII:

-Name the prison camp and country.

-Describe what is known of the living and working conditions at this POW prison camp.

-Research how Australian POWs contributed to the Thai-Burma Railway. How many Australian POWS were killed working on this railway?

-Research the difficulties POWs had integrating back into civilian life when they returned (and the issues they suffered years after....)

Significant Individuals 

Task 2: After watching the videos, write a short report to explain why these two individuals are significant to Australian History.