Changi photographer: George Aspinall's Record of Captivity

In this book, Tim Bowden writes the story of George Aspinall's time in the Australian Army, and as a POW under the Japanese in Singapore and Thailand, during World War II.

It is an important book, that provides incredibly rare photographs from that time and Aspinall's story which connects those photographs, taken at great personal risk. There would have been more, but they were loaned to the army for the Rabaul War Crimes Trials at the end of 1946 and somehow went missing, thus never returned to their owner.

In short, Aspinall was gifted a camera by his uncle at the time he signed up for the army - using false papers, as he was too young by a year or two. His interest in photography led him to spending time in a photo lab in Changi, in Singapore learning how to develop negatives and print photos under the tutelage of the owner Wong Yeow. He spent his spare time at that shop, and earned his nickname ‘Changi' Aspinall at that time.

After the Allied surrender of Singapore, George was surprised to find he still had his camera, and several films. He knew enough to realise that the films if left undeveloped would ruin, so he set about trying to find a way to develop those films. At no small risk, he continued to take photos, sometimes under the noses of the Japanese, but minimising the risk as much as he could. At this time he mostly photographed things that interested himself - to show his family when he was released. Later he would start to take pictures of some of the atrocities of being a POW.

George, like all the POWs ended up working heavy labour for the Japanese. In Singapore they did all sorts of tasks, and one was moving looted goods from the docks to ships being sent back to Japan. As a bit of a scrounger, George was always on the lookout for anything he could pinch to benefit the POWs. At one point he found sheets of Xray negative and bottles of developer and fixer - and he manged to procure bottles to store it in various places all over Singapore.

Through trial and error he managed to develop his films and to modify the Xray negative to use in his camera. Not only that, but he brought it with him to Thailand where he was one on many who worked on the famous Thailand to Burma railway.

This book doesn't shy away from the hardships those men were put through. The Malaria, Beriberi, tropical ulcers, dengue fever were bad enough. The slave-like conditions they worked under, the poor food, the cruel treatment. The recording of this story is not unique, and stories like this can probably be found in their hundred if not more, but George Aspinall's modest demeanor along with his cunning and Tim Bowden's sensitive handling of the events make this book very readable - without even considering the photos.

A quick google search of “George Aspinall photographs” shows many of them. The one titled “three ‘Fit' Men” is particularly telling. These were men from the hospital that the Japanese deemed fit for work. You will know it when you see it.

5 stars for this important book.