Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows Corporal Stan Davidson (Alan David Lee) reporting for duty at a prisoner-of-war (POW) camp at Cowra, New South Wales. On arrival Davidson observes Italian POWs singing as they march past on their way to work, and the camp’s commanding officer, Major Horden (Simon Chilvers), practising showjumping. In the camp headquarters, the elderly Lance Corporal Riley rouses himself from a nap to greet Davidson. The clip cuts to a scene showing Davidson in Horden’s office, where the major tells Davidson that he runs the camp according to the Geneva Convention, a treaty that governs the treatment of POWs. Davidson is disturbed to find that the POW washing the office window is a ‘Jap’, and that he will be guarding Japanese POWs.

Educational value points

• During the Second World War, German, Italian and Japanese POWs who had been captured in theatres of war in Asia, the South Pacific and the Middle East were interned in camps across Australia, including Cowra in rural NSW. By August 1944 there were 2,223 Japanese POWs in Australia, including 544 merchant seamen, as well as 14,720 Italian and 1,585 German POWs. The Cowra POW camp, officially known as No 12 POW Group, held mainly Japanese POWs, most of whom had been captured in fighting in and around the islands north of Australia, and Italian prisoners, the majority of whom had been captured in the Middle East.

• In the clip Major Horden stresses the importance of the Geneva Convention. The Geneva Conventions are a series of agreements forged in Geneva, Switzerland, from 1864 that establish rules for the treatment of POWs and sick and wounded soldiers during war. According to the Conventions, POWs must be treated humanely, which includes the provision of adequate food, clothing and appropriate health care, as well as a range of other standards. The Cowra POW camp was run in accordance with the relevant Geneva Convention.

• Major Horden hopes that treating POWs in accordance with the Geneva Convention will ensure that Australian POWs are also treated well. In 1943, reports emerged that Australian and British troops captured in Malaysia and Singapore by the Japanese were subject to brutal treatment including forced labour, primitive living conditions, starvation rations and poor medical treatment. They were also denied access to the International Red Cross. About 37 per cent of POWs in Japanese camps died, and of the 22,376 Australian POWs captured by the Japanese, 8,031 died in captivity.

• In the clip, Corporal Davidson is greeted by an elderly lance corporal on his arrival at the camp. Guards at POW camps were mostly veterans from the First World War but also included soldiers who had been injured during fighting in the Second World War and civilians who had enlisted but were unfit for duty. Corporal Davidson had been posted to the POW camp after being injured while fighting the Japanese in New Guinea and unable to return to active duty. Davidson’s unease upon seeing the Japanese prisoner cleaning windows attests to his recent experience in a theatre of war.

• The clip establishes that life at the camp is fairly relaxed, showing the Italian POWs singing as they march and the commanding officer practising showjumping, while the rather frail Lance Corporal Riley has to rouse himself from a nap and put in his false teeth before greeting Davidson. The clip also gently mocks anti-Japanese propaganda by juxtaposing a poster that shows an image of an evil-looking Japanese man along with the words ‘LOOK WHO’S Listening’ with the Japanese soldier who cheerfully washes the office window during Horden’s interview with Davidson, and whose opportunity to eavesdrop is not considered a problem.

• The Cowra camp, which was built to house 4,000 prisoners including ‘enemy aliens’, was divided into four compounds in which POWs were segregated according to nationality. It covered about 30,000 hectares, was fenced with thick barbed-wire entanglements about 2.5 m high and was overlooked by six 9-m observation towers. The camp was guarded by the 22nd Garrison Battalion, whose main role was to secure the perimeter of the camp but who were also responsible for supervising work patrols of German and Italian POWs sent to neighbouring farms to work.

• The clip is a segment from The Cowra Breakout, a television miniseries made in 1984 comprising ten 50-minute episodes. The series was directed by noted Australian directors Phillip Noyce and Chris Noonan. Like many of the miniseries made in the 1980s, the clip demonstrates careful attention to character development, and the use of humour and irony in the depiction of a serious subject.

Corporal Stan Davidson reports for duty at a prisoner-of-war camp. On arrival Davidson observes Italian POWs singing as they march past on their way to work, and the camp’s commanding officer, Major Horden practising showjumping. In the camp headquarters, the elderly Lance Corporal Riley rouses himself from a nap and puts his false teeth back in to greet Davidson.
Corporal Stan Davidson Shop!
Lance Corporal Riley Lance Corporal Riley, orderly room clerk.
Davidson Corporal Davidson, reporting for duty.
Riley looks through papers, muttering to himself.
Riley Davidson, Davidson…
Davidson Yeah, I’m here to guard the Italians. Who do I see?
Riley What about?
Davidson Who do I report to?
Riley Oh, Major Horden likes to meet the new arrivals.
Davidson Is he here?
Riley No.
Davidson Are you expecting him back?
Riley Yes. Would you like to wait? He’s out exercising his horse. There’s a show coming on.
Davidson Thanks.
Davidson moves away from the desk to wait. Lance continues to look through papers, muttering to himself.
Riley Davidon, Davidson…

Davidson reports to Major Horden’s office.
Major Horden Stand easy, corporal. Do you know anything about the Geneva Convention?
Davidson Not much, sir.
Horden They lay down some rules to protect the rights of prisoners-of-war. I run this camp by those rules. There are hundreds of thousands of our boys in the hands of the Japs and the Nazis. If we break any of these rules, that gives them the excuse to do the same. I don’t intend to give them that excuse. Do you understand?
Davidson Yes, sir.
Horden Now, it’s probably not necessary to say this to you. It’s the soldiers without battle experience who are trigger-happy, in my opinion, but I won’t have this camp turned into a battleground. You familiarise yourself with those rules.
Davidson is alarmed to see a Japanese man washing the office window.
Davidson Sir, there’s a Jap.
Horden Yes, that’s one of the prisoners. The Nips make good cleaners.
Davidson I thought the prisoners here were Italian.
Horden Yes, most of them are but we’ve got 300 Japs here. They’re the ones you’ll be guarding. Your experience with them will come in very useful. Well, I’m glad to have you aboard, Davidson. Lance Corporal Riley will show you your quarters.
Davidson salutes and leaves the room. Major Horden turns to look behind him at the Japanese prisoner washing the window. He smiles and the man smiles back.