Imperial War

Captured: The Extraordinary Life of Prisoners of War

Imperial War Museum North, Special Exhibitions
Gallery Illustration © Martin Brown 2007

23 May 2009 – 3 January 2010. FREE. www.iwm.org.uk/north   In the year which sees the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War, Imperial War Museum North in Manchester presents the first major exhibition ever held by the Imperial War Museum dedicated to the experiences of prisoners of war (POWs) during the conflict. The exhibition reveals the experiences of British and Commonwealth prisoners and civilian internees in Europe and the Far East and also features stories of Italian and German prisoners in the UK and their relations with their captors. More prisoners were taken during the Second World War than in any other conflict. Millions of soldiers, sailors and airmen found themselves behind barbed wire. What happened to them depended on when and where they were captured - and sometimes their nationality or race. Many of us know something about prisoners of war through films which romanticise daring escapes. But there is another story. It is one of extremes - from courage, comradeship and compassion, to hunger, boredom, deprivation, cruelty and neglect. In this total war, civilians including women and children were also interned, simply because of their nationality. Either they were people caught in enemy territory when war broke out, or they had escaped persecution and were rounded up and interned by the very countries in which they had sought refuge. This unique exhibition will look in detail at what was needed to survive in an often harsh environment. Using an engaging mix of objects, art, documents, photographs, film and sound from Imperial War Museum’s unrivalled collections, Captured will reveal incredible personal stories during periods of captivity that in many cases lasted for several years. Visitors can uncover the truth behind stories that have since become legends such as The Great Escape, Colditz and The Bridge Over The River Kwai and find out what everyday life was really like as a POW, from experiences of capture, food, welfare, work, recreation and illicit activities to liberation. This exhibition looks at the real experiences of prisoners of war and civilian internees during the Second World War, and at the impact and legacy still affecting former prisoners and their families today. Hands-on displays throughout the exhibition will allow children and adults alike to discover the realities of camp rules and regulations, crawl through an escape tunnel, try on disguises and send and listen to illicit messages. All visitors will receive a prisoner of war “identity card” on arrival with a real-life story of a prisoner of war to help negotiate their way around the exhibition and its themes. Highlights of the exhibition include:

The first public display of unique items including: film footage of a POW camp for German prisoners in Nottinghamshire and a full sized bed sheet embroidered by Mrs Day (Daisy) Joyce during her internment in Hong Kong containing over 1000 names of other internees as well as two years' of camp diaries represented by coded words, signs, symbols and colours.

Replicas of: the interior of a POW hut and a camp watchtower

The cap worn by Jimmy James at the time of The Great Escape from Stalag Luft III in 1944. Pilot Officer BA “Jimmy” James was one of the 76 who successfully escaped through the “Harry” tunnel.

Uniform jacket worn by Oliver Philpott, one of three men to make a successful escape from Stalag Luft III in 1943. Philpott, together with Eric Williams and Michael Codner used a wooden vaulting horse positioned close to the perimeter fence as a disguise for a tunnel which they were constructing from underneath the horse.

Nails and track from the Burma railway, built by POWs in the Far East

Slouch hat belonging to and drawings by the acclaimed artist and cartoonist Ronald Searle. Searle was captured by the Japanese in 1942 when Singapore fell and while working as a slave labourer he created many clandestine drawings, recording the plights and suffering of his comrades, hiding his illustrations under the bedding of fellow prisoners that were stricken with cholera.

“Flywheel”, a richly illustrated motoring magazine produced in Stalag IVB by members of the “Mühlberg Motor Club” and other examples of POW magazines and newspapers produced by prisoners.

Secret radio made by Captain E Shackleton at Oflag IXA/Z Rotenburg. Hidden under the floorboards and operated by knitting needles pushed through the cracks, the core of the radio was made from a German film projector.

Handmade loom, constructed by prisoners in Oflag VIIb, to help pass the time

Artworks by John Worsley, a naval war artist who was held as a POW from 1943 to 1945

A dress made from mosquito nets and used in theatre productions at Changi POW camp.

For further information visit www.iwm.org.uk/wardeclared.

Imperial War Museum North Open 7 days a week from 10am - 6pm (Nov to Feb 10am - 5pm) with free admission The Quays, Trafford Wharf Road, Trafford Park, Manchester M17 1TZ (close to Harbour City Metrolink and Junction 9 of the M60)
T: 0161 836 4000
E:iwmnorth@iwm.org.uk
www.iwm.org.uk

Imperial War Museum North, which opened to visitors on 5 July 2002, has fast become one of the most popular visitor attractions in the North West, already receiving over 1, 800,000 visitors. It is on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal in Trafford, in a spectacular award-winning building designed by the internationally renowned architect, Daniel Libeskind. The Museum tells the story of how war has affected the lives of British and Commonwealth citizens since 1914. It is the 5th branch of the Imperial War Museum and the first outside the South East of England. Recently named one of the top 10 buildings of the last century (The Rough Guide to England, 2008) and one of the top 3 Large Visitor Attractions in England (Silver Award at VisitBritain's Excellence in England Awards 2007). IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM The national museum of the experiences of people who have lived, fought and died in conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth since 1914. The Imperial War Museum is the museum of everyone’s story: the history of modern conflict told through the stories of those who were there. It is an educational and historical institution responsible for archives, collections and sites of outstanding national importance. The Museum’s five branches are Imperial War Museum London, with six floors of exhibitions and displays; Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, housed in Churchill’s secret headquarters below Whitehall; the Second World War cruiser HMS Belfast; Imperial War Museum Duxford, a world renowned aviation museum and former Second World War airfield; and Imperial War Museum North, housed in a spectacular award-winning building designed by Daniel Libeskind. IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM COLLECTIONS The Imperial War Museum has an incomparable collection covering all aspects of twentieth- and twenty-first-century conflict involving Britain and the Commonwealth. The Collections include works of art and posters, film and video, photographs, oral history recordings, objects ranging from aircraft to toy bears, a huge range of documents, maps, diaries and letters, and a national reference library.