Selarang Barracks

Photograph of the Selarang Barracks incident in 1942. The building on the right was occupied by the men of the 2/30th, during their time as Prisoners of War.

(Information provided by Bill DESMET in December, 2006)

The text reads:

"The "Selarang Incident'' took place in the Chang Prisoner of War Camp in 1942.

The Imperial Japanese Army decreed that all Allied P.O.W. must sign a certificate that they would not attempt to escape and acknowledge that should they do so they would be liable to the death penalty. The Prisoners of War in Changi Camp refused to sign the certificate and as a result were ordered by the Japanese to concentrate in Selarang Barracks. The order was issued about midday and all P.O.W. other than those in Hospital had to move from their areas in Changi to Selarang by 5 p.m.
Approximately 17,000 British and Australians, many of them sick and debilitated, had to move with such meagre stores and supplies as existed, on trailers etc pulled by themselves. The move, despite lack of roads, was successfully carried out within the time limit.

The concentration of such a large body of troops within the perimeter of Selarang Barracks was calculated as probably the highest concentration of human beings since the "Black Hole of Calcutta".

These photographs show the situation if anything as better than actually was the case. It must be appreciated that they were to at the risk of the photographers life, to say nothing of that of whoever held them in his possession until the capitulation of Japan.

Severe problems of sanitation, water supply and feeding arose and after 4 or 5 days of nightmare existence the P.O.W. Medical Officers advised the Allied P.O.W. Commanders that the danger of epidemic threatening the life of everyone was so great as to warrant acceptance, under duress, of the Japanese order. The Allied P.O.W. Commanders appreciating that live prisoners were better than dead ones accepted the Medical advice and ordered all of them to sign.

Considerable difficulty was experienced in getting the rank and file to sign the "No Escape" certificate despite the fact that the P.O.W. Commanders stated that they would accept full responsibility to their Government for their action as being under duress. After signature all P.O.W. were returned to their original areas in Changi Camp."