Charlie Johnson and Mrs Johnson interviewed by Rob Willis for the Rob and Olya Willis folklore collection [sound recording]
- Bib ID:
- 1846276
- Format:
- Audio
- Author:
- Johnson, Charlie, 1918-, interviewee
- Online Version:
- National Library of Australia digitised item
- Access Conditions:
- Access open for research, personal copies and public use.
- Description:
-
- 1991 Jul. 10
- 1 sound cassette (ca. 60 min.)
- Series:
- Rob and Olya Willis folklore collection.
- Summary:
-
Folkloric recording.
Charlie Johnson and Mrs Johnson talk about the Cowra Prison Camp during World War II. He speaks about his attitude towards the Cowra Prison Camp, how he was stationed there from 1943, the attitudes towards and stories about the Italian prisoners of war, the contrast with the Japanese POWs who would not work even for burials, Italian tradesmen and their jewellery making, how the Italians had the run of the Camp, how the Korean people in the camp were dying from the cold, how the Italians were used to help clear the surrounding land, the hostility between the Japanese and the Italian POWs, his description of the Camp, how during the Breakout the Italian POWs locked themselves in, how he had been left to pick up the dead, how when the Breakout occurred they quickly ran out of ammunition as the guards who were mostly older servicemen wasted ammunition because they were half drunk, how there had been a ticket system for getting beer, how the AIF following the Breakout brought in young soldiers with bayonets, how the Japanese POWs all wanted to die, confirms that the Breakout was anticipated, how they used blankets to breakout of the Camp, his reference to a previous breakout by prisoners, how the guards on duty over the Japanese at Homewood were not armed, describes the mass grave and the numbers buried at the funeral service, 309 Koreans buried at that cemetery, how the remaining prisoners were evacuated to Hay.
Johnson recounts how the Italian POws were sad to go home after the War ended. Mrs Johnson relates her story of the Breakout, how her aunt was on the train that ran over the Japanese, how she worried about Charlie at the Camp, later she washed his clothes stained with the smell of death, how the Japanese got better rations like fresh fish than the guards, how they ran out of ammunition and had to send away for more.
- Notes:
-
- Recorded on July 10, 1991 in Cowra, N.S.W.
- Also available online http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-201992651
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Timed summary available (2 p.)
- Subject:
-
- Johnson, Charlie, 1918- -- Interviews
- Johnson, Mrs, 1920- -- Interviews
- Australia. Army. Cowra Military Camp (1941-1947)
- Prisoners of war -- Japan
- World War, 1939-1945 -- New South Wales -- Cowra -- Prisoners and prisons
- Prisoners of war -- Italy
- Concentration camp escapes -- New South Wales -- Cowra
- Soldiers, Australian -- New South Wales -- Cowra -- Interviews
- Cowra (N.S.W.) -- History, Military
- Other authors/contributors:
- Related Records:
-
This belongs to the Rob and Olya Willis folklore collection.
This collection contains 1,003 records. - Copyright:
-
In Copyright
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- Reason for copyright status:
- Until 2061 [Created/Published Date + 70 Years]
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Sound Recording
- Published status:
- Unpublished
- Creation date:
- 1991
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
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