Cambridge University Library has been awarded a Wellcome Trust Research Resources Award to conserve, digitise and make freely available online the archives of two WWII civilian internment camps on Singapore – Changi and Sime Road. These form part of the Royal Commonwealth Society’s British Association of Malaysia and Singapore archives. The two-year grant commences in September 2015 and it is planned to launch the records in Cambridge Digital Library in August 2017.
The archives will be of immense interest to the families of internees, academic researchers, students and the general public, since few survivors ever spoke of their traumatic ordeal. The first stage of the project involves the meticulous conservation of the archives.
The archives contain invaluable primary sources for the reconstruction of the lives of Singapore’s civilian internees. They include official records compiled by the camps’ internal administration, which document personal data like an internee’s name, date entered camp, marital status, occupation, age, nationality, and camp address. Other sources shed light upon accommodation, camp discipline, relations with the Japanese authorities, work parties, diet, health and hygiene, recreation and leisure, the delivery of mail, and the repatriation of internees at the end of the war. Newspapers circulated within the male camp, such as the ‘Changi Guardian’, reported upon events, disseminated news of sporting, musical and theatrical societies, and published fiction, poetry and humour. These official records are complemented by the correspondence, diaries and memoirs of individual internees.
More information on the historical background and provenance of the archives can be found on the Cambridge University Library Special Collections webpage.
An article by Peng Han Lim on “Identifying and collecting primary sources of information to reconstruct the daily lives of the civilian internees at Changi Prison and Sime Road Camp 1942-45” is included in the SEALG Newsletter 2013.
Southeast Asia Library Group (SEALG) 
Nov 20, 2015 @ 10:49:10
Nov 20, 2015 @ 23:45:22
Dad, Des Bettany was in there & painted to stay sane & help his mates to live. Since the site went up relatives of ex POWs have emailed copies of dads art he gave away, over 70. Dad painted & bought back over 300 paintings, each on has a story. They have been in his cupboard for 70 years!! I’d love to be involved. Dads other art book of political cartoons of the Japanese were found & he found himself in front of Major Col Saito. Dad told us he got out by the skin of his teeth but any more paintings like this will result in a ‘short haircut’ beheaded. On the site http://www.changipowart.com I have been adding descriptions that dad told us of or I have researched. In 1958 we all immigrated to Australia. You will see a sketch by Sir Ron Searle of dad he gave to him. Dad was a mill worker & I think the other artists saw his talent & encourage him to be trained, which he was at Leeds.
Nov 23, 2015 @ 10:27:56
Thank you, Keith Bettany, for this information. The site http://www.changipowart.com contains an impressive collection of works of art refelcting the life of the POWs in Changi. That’s a very interesting and important resource.
Jan 19, 2016 @ 11:41:51
Peng Han Lim and Mohd Salleh Aman have published an article on “The Sporting Lives of Sir Shenton Thomas and the Male European
Internees at Changi Prison Camp During the Japanese Occupation of
Singapore, 1942–1945” in The International Journal of the History of Sport, 2014. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09523367.2014.994203