Thrale history

Search • Advanced Search • Search Families • Search Site

First Name:   Last Name:   ID:  

82.—SOMEBODY'S WIFE. From a photograph belonging to the husband who was a civil internee. What photographs we became almost worn out by continued handling—they were "home". I had no photographs. Perhaps that's why I fell in love with this one. (Red from roots and pencil)

83.—CHURCH OF ENGLAND SERVICE IN ONE OF THE COURTYARDS, CHANGI GAOL. "Please God set us free". (Crayon and wash on black paper). Showing Padre Young, of Kirk Deighton, Leeds.

84 PORTRAIT OF A FRIEND. Here again I experimented with blood for tint.

85.—THE DISABLED LIMBLESS. Listening to lectures organised to help them to forget. (Dye from boiled book cover. On music score).

86.—A KOREAN GUARD. About this time, the very sick men who were not able to work on aerodrome construction were put on roadmaking, it being considered lighter work. The road was built solely to enable the Japanese General to visit the whole camp in his car. The Korean shown was a good sort-he took a risk in supplying the means whereby prisoners could get coconuts to supplement the rice ration. (In red pencil).

87—THE JAPANESE GARDENS, SINGAPORE. In these gardens very sick men cultivated tapioca, spinach, sweet potatoes, etc., most of which found its way to the Japanese cooking pots—some, however, did find its way to the prisoners.

88 and 89.—THE SAME GARDENS. (Sketches since faded away).

89a.—THE SAME GARDENS. The building in this picture was called "Brighton Villa" and was built by an Englishman in peace-time. How that name tormented us, with its vision of the Palace Pier, the curling sea walk to Rottingdean, and the gay, lighthearted crowds. (All four of the gardens in red pencil)

90.—THE GARDENS OF THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE ARMY, SINGAPORE. Showing prisoners sheltering from the rain. These were very sick men, and the Japanese boasted of their HUMANITY in allowing them to shelter during rain. They knew none of these men could outlive a bout of pneumonia, and prisoners were getting a bit short by this time.

90a.—P.O.W. HAT STYLES. By their rags we knew them. (Faded away).

91.—SOMEBODY'S MOTHER. Painted from memory and with a lump in the throat. She was a civil internee I had seen through the wire confining her. (White from sediment of medicine).

92.—ADAM PARK CAMP, SINGAPORE. By this time, these Jap Guards were really getting the wind up, and they decided that the defences of Singapore should be made imptegnable. Long, years ago down the corridors of time, I seemed to remember that England had thought the