-
You must be logged in to Tag Records
John Miller interviewed by Alex and Annette Hood in the Alex Hood folklore collection [sound recording]
Bib ID 3361111
Format AudioAudio [sound recording]
Author
Miller, John G. 1922-2010, Interviewee
 
Access Conditions Access open for research, written permission is required for personal copies and public use during the lifetime of the interviewee. 
Description 2005 
3 digital audio tapes (ca. 193 min.) 
Series

Alex Hood folklore collection

Summary

John Miller born in Babinda, Qld., in 1922 talks about his family background; his siblings; his schooling; the 'depression'; early work on a railway gang; enlisting in the Army; being interned in a Prison Camp in Japan; American prisoners; joining the artillery and being sent to Malaya; 'Tokyo Rose'; the 'fall' of Singapore to the Japanese; the Japanese atrocities; Tanglin Barracks; Changi Prison Camp; the journey to Thailand to work on the Burma Railway; diseases; his time in Thailand; his initial journey north on the "Queen Mary" (1941); the ships in the convoy; the construction of the Burma railway; his recent visit to the railway; River Kwai Bridge; Tom Uren; returning to Changi; 'Weary' Dunlop; Sandakan March; "Project Kingfisher"; Macarthur; Judge Curlewis; War crimes trial; survivors of the death march; being sent to Japan to work in a coal mine at Omuta, near Nagasaki; mine, 2,000 feet under the sea, the working methods; the atomic bomb being dropped on Nagasaki; book "Last Stop Nagasaki" written by Hugh Clark; experiences in mine after the atomic bombing.

Miller discusses how the American planes destroyed a lot of the camp; Harry Tillmey; conventional bombing; cessation of hostilities; characters he met during the War, 'Big Syddie'; the guards; story from the Burma Railway; Dan and Alan Borley; Max Harris; refers to book "One Fourteenth of an Elephant"; Tony Perera; 'Donkey' Dave Evans; Doctor Poo; the 'Argyles', Scots who worked with the Australians on the railway; Adam Baxter and John Kershaw; 'Chick' Ferguson'; returning to Burma railway with his wife, meeting some Argyle Scots there; re-union stories; refers to book 'The Railway Man' written by Eric Lomax; Interpreter Takahashi; Primrose; Rod Beattie; Kanjanaburi Cemetery; research done on a shooting incident; ex-prisoners attitudes towards Japanese; Japanese companies eg. 'Mitsui'; his attitudes to Japanese; story of a visit to Japanese resort to talk about his war experiences; finding the mine where he was working as a prisoner; his daughter speaking Japanese and teaching in Japan.

Biography/History

John Miller is a returned prisoner of war who spent years working on the infamous Burma Railway and later as a POW in Nagasaki where he was forced to work in a coal mine. He comes from a large family in Babinda, NSW and is one of three brothers who served in the army during the Second World War.

Notes

Recorded on Feb 23 & 24, 2005 at Kingscliff, N.S.W.

Index/Finding Aid Note Timed summary (13 p.) 
Subjects Miller, John G. - 1922- 2010 - Interviews.  |  Burma-Siam Railroad - History.  |  World War, 1939-1945 - Personal narratives, Australian.  |  World War, 1939-1945 - Prisoners and prisons, Japanese.  |  World War, 1939-1945 - Singapore - Changi.  |  Prisoners of war - Thailand.  |  Prisoners of war - Japan - Nagasaki-shi.
Other authors/contributors Hood, Alex, 1935-, Interviewer  |  Hood, Annette, 1948-, Interviewer

Online

    In the Library

    Request this item to view in the Library's reading rooms using your library card. To learn more about how to request items watch this short online video Help Video.

    Details Collect From
    ORAL TRC 5135/29-31
    Copy: Recording
    Petherick Reading Room (Oral History)
    ORAL TRC 5135/29-31 (summary)
    Copy: Summary
    Petherick Reading Room (Oral History)

    Order a copy

    - Copyright or permission restrictions may apply. We will contact you if necessary.

    Help Video To learn more about Copies Direct watch this short online video Help Video.
    close Can I borrow items from the Library?

    You need Flash player 8+ and JavaScript enabled to view this video embedded.

    You can view this on the NLA website.

    close What can I get online?

    You need Flash player 8+ and JavaScript enabled to view this video embedded.

    You can view this on the NLA website.

    close Can I get copies of items from the Library?

    You need Flash player 8+ and JavaScript enabled to view this video embedded.

    You can view this on the NLA website.

    Members of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Maori communities are advised that this catalogue contains names and images of deceased people. All users of the catalogue should also be aware that certain words, terms or descriptions may be culturally sensitive and may be considered inappropriate today, but may have reflected the author's/creator's attitude or that of the period in which they were written.