AGH Rostrum Club at Changi

Last updated
A. G. H. Rostrum - Changi
FormationMay 18, 1943 (1943-05-18)
Foundersa public meeting of POWs
Type Secular, service club, education, public speaking
Location
  • Changi Prison, Singapore
Membership
probably less than 100

AGH Rostrum Club Changi was a Rostrum Club formed during World War II at the Prisoner of War camp at Singapore's Changi Prison. The club was formed by members of the Australian Army's 13th Australian General Hospital (AGH), 8th Division AIF and probably included other allied servicemen.

Contents

Background

The AGH Rostrum Club at Changi was formed on much the same principles as the Rostrum Club in Manchester and the Australian Rostrum Clubs. It held to an education aim and was non-sectarian and non-political as espoused by the Rostrum founder, Sidney F. Wicks. It was formed at a time of a great deprivation for the prisoners of war. During this time Changi POW camp was being used to supply men into work camps in Malaya, Thailand, Burma and Sandakan. leading to churn in members.

The 13th Australian General Hospital (AGH) was hurriedly formed on 11 August 1941 at the Caulfield Racecourse, in response to the need for a second Australian military medical team in Malaya. They departed for Singapore on 2 September 1941, on His Majesty's Australian Hospital Ship (H.M.A.H.S.) Wanganella. The strength of the 13th Australian General Hospital medical team was 18 Officers, 1 Chaplain, 20 Warrant Officers and Sergeants, 44 nurses, 3 Masseuses, and 126 Other Ranks – 212 people in total. [1]

After setting up hospitals in Singapore, Tampoi in Johore Bahru, Malaya and then when pushed back by the advancing Japanese, again in Singapore, they were taken prisoner on 15 February 1942, within 6 months of departing Australia. They, and all other allied personnel, were then sent to Changi Prison and the AGH team soon became an annex of the British medical team in Roberts Barracks, part of the Changi POW Prison. As the Japanese didn't want to bog their battle hardened troops with guard duty of the ~50,000 Australian and British troops they left the command structures in place making the officers responsible for discipline, law and order. [2] While many felt discipline and punishment was too harsh, the command structure gave flexibility and allowed the creation of Changi University and the AGH Rostrum Club at Changi.

A painting by Murray Griffin, Roberts Hospital Changi [3] in 1943, now held in the Australian War Memorial illustrates the dire conditions for both patients and the AGH staff. Seriously ill battle casualties, many minus a limb, were quartered on the ground floor, the ambulant on the upper floors. The sewerage system was damaged and there was no water to flush anyway. Men with dysentery had to stagger down several flights of stairs to an outside latrine. This was a nightmare for those in the dysentery ward.

Club formation

AGH Rostrum Changi Minutes of Inaugural Meeting 18 May 1943 - Page 1 AGH Rostrum Changi Minutes of Inaugural Meeting 18 May 1943 - 1.jpg
AGH Rostrum Changi Minutes of Inaugural Meeting 18 May 1943 - Page 1
AGH Rostrum Changi Minutes of Inaugural Meeting 18 & 24 May 1943 - Page 2 AGH Rostrum Changi Minutes of Inaugural Meeting 18 & 24 May 1943 - 2.jpg
AGH Rostrum Changi Minutes of Inaugural Meeting 18 & 24 May 1943 - Page 2
AGH Rostrum Constitution - Page 1 AGH Rostrum Constitution Changi 1.jpg
AGH Rostrum Constitution - Page 1
AGH Rostrum Constitution - Page 2 AGH Rostrum Constitution Changi 2.jpg
AGH Rostrum Constitution - Page 2

AGH Rostrum at Changi was formed at a public meeting of POWs on 18 May 1943 when the privations of their captivity was harming the health and morale of the POWs . A constitution was agreed, President, Secretary, Committeeman and Critics were elected and it was agreed to meet weekly on Mondays. Meetings were to be held alternatively in the Men's, Sergeant's and Officer's Messes. The Constitution used a number of elements of the Constitution of Australian Rostrum Clubs but was shorter and appropriate to their situation.

Club members military ranks ranged from Lieutenant Colonel at the top to Private at the bottom. [4]

Club operation

AGH Rostrum's First Speaking Program AGH Rostrum Changi - Program 24 May to 16 August 1943.jpg
AGH Rostrum's First Speaking Program

The club developed a speaking program on a diverse range of topics including:

As Rostrum is an organisation that promotes learning and building confidence in a supportive environment, the club's executive roles were initially rotated every three months. This was later changed to every four months.

The initial meeting elected two Critics. However this was later struck out and the membership record seems to indicate that this became a rotating role as occurs in Rostrum Clubs in Australia.

The amount of documentation produced in the camp is remarkable considering the scarcity of paper and supplies. [5] It is notable that many of the AGH Changi documents are on reused or repurposed forms.

In March 1944 the second of the club's objects relating to being non-political and non-sectarian, was deleted from the Constitution.

Change with time

While there are only a few records of the club's activities, there are noticeable changes in the scope and tenor of the minutes.

Initially all members names are recorded, prefixed by their rank, and proceedings seemed more formal. There is a significant change in later meeting minutes where all members are recorded a Mister (Mr.) irrespective of rank. The other notable change is that minutes became briefer, with closer writing and use both sides of old military forms to maximise the use of available paper which was in short supply.

While the club was active, at least in 1943 and 1944, only a few sets of meeting minutes and programs have survived.

Club numbers were depleted as people were sent off with work parties to Malaya, Thailand and Burma. Visitors and new members are recorded over the period.

There is no record of the normal Rostrum Club maximum membership of 35 members being imposed at AGH Rostrum. While meeting attendance in the minutes we have was typically about 30 people, over 70 people are recorded as having some association with the club.

AGH Rostrum Club records

The AGH Rostrum Club records displayed here were kept by T H (Bill) Hadden ( Service Number VX61667) and lodged with the Australian War Memorial. [6] He is one of very few of the 15,000 Australian POWs at Changi who have material lodged with the Australian War Memorial.

Rostrum Clubs have advertised in veteran's magazines over the years for additional records of the AGH Rostrum Club but none have been found.

Hadden twice visited Changi from Australia. On the first visit he was refused entry as he didn't have the appropriate permits. On the second visit in December 1983, he was shown around prison which today is used as a training camp. [7] Hadden passed away in Hong Kong on his way home to Australia.

Membership

Members of AGH Rostrum Club at Changi showing roles performed, Ch = Chairman, S = Speaker, Cr = Critic AGH Rostrum Changi Membership.001.jpg
Members of AGH Rostrum Club at Changi showing roles performed, Ch = Chairman, S = Speaker, Cr = Critic

The founding members of the AGH Rostrum Club are:

Rank... Name... Military Number... Rostrum Role... Role / Company

+ These members are referred to in "POWs of Japan" article on the 13th Australian General Hospital. [1]

In the limited set of minutes, programs and the membership list, that are available over 70 different people are recorded as participating in meetings.

The club may have had a civilian amongst its members. In the Membership list, a Mr. C Guest is listed amongst all the other members who have their rank prefixing their name. While it would be unusual to have a civilian in this part of the POW camp, it is possible a civilian was associated with the Roberts Hospital and was able to attend the AGH Rostrum meetings. While military rank was dropped in favour of "Mr" at club meetings this seems to have been done after this Membership list was compiled.

Closure of AGH Rostrum Changi

It is not clear when AGH Rostrum Changi closed as there are no minutes or other information available to document the closure.

There are several dates that can be considered possible closure dates. These are:

The use of POWs on work parties for the Japanese would have had an impact of AGH Rostrum members, some of which have been traced to work gangs on the notorious Thai-Burma Railway. POWs were dispatched to work camps in Malaya, Thailand, Burma and Sandakan. The initial group of 15,000 Australian POWs in 1942 was reduced to 2,500 by mid 1943, and grew to 5,000 by mid 1944. [9]

Note: the POW Changi University operated for the duration of the war although it was at times severely constrained by available staff and students, the demand for people at the work camp, the smaller and smaller food rations as the war went on and a crack down by the Japanese guards who in late 1944 confiscated all paper and pencils. A number of diaries and other documents were saved by being buried in tin cans. Some documents held by the Australian War Memorial and in private hands have a musty smell as a result. This confiscation of documents also probably happened to the records of AGH Rostrum Club.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burma Railway</span> WW II Japanese Thai-Burma railway

The Burma Railway, also known as the Death Railway, the Siam–Burma Railway, the Thai–Burma Railway and similar names, is a 415 km (258 mi) railway between Ban Pong, Thailand and Thanbyuzayat, Burma. It was built from 1940 to 1943 by civilian labourers impressed or recruited by the Japanese and prisoners of war taken by the Japanese, to supply troops and weapons in the Burma campaign of World War II. It completed the rail link between Bangkok, Thailand, and Rangoon, Burma. The name used by the Japanese Government is Tai–Men Rensetsu Tetsudō (泰緬連接鉄道), which means Thailand-Burma-Link-Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Changi Prison</span> Prison in Singapore

Changi Prison Complex, often known simply as Changi Prison, is a prison in Changi in the eastern part of Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowra breakout</span> 1944 escape in Cowra, New South Wales

The Cowra breakout occurred on 5 August 1944, when 1,104 Japanese prisoners of war attempted to escape from a prisoner of war camp near Cowra, in New South Wales, Australia. It was the largest prison escape of World War II, as well as one of the bloodiest. During the escape and ensuing manhunt, four Australian soldiers and 231 Japanese soldiers were killed. The remaining escapees were re-captured and imprisoned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Rostrum</span> Organization

Rostrum Australia is an association of Australian public speaking clubs, founded on 21 July 1930. It is the main continuation of the original Rostrum club founded in Manchester, United Kingdom on 21 July 1923. This club's other surviving descendants are "Rochdale Rostrum", a Rostrum club in the Greater Manchester area founded in 1978; and the presently dormant "Wellington Rostrum Club" in New Zealand.

Selarang Barracks incident British prisoner-of-war revolt

The Selarang Barracks incident, also known as the Barrack Square incident or the Selarang Square Squeeze, was a revolt of British and Australian prisoners-of-war (POWs) interned in a Japanese camp in Changi, Singapore.

Changi Murals Series of five WWII paintings by Stanley Warren

The Changi Murals are a set of five paintings of biblical theme painted by Stanley Warren, a British bombardier and prisoner-of-war (POW) interned at the Changi Prison, during the Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II (WWII). His murals were completed under difficult conditions of sickness, limited materials and hardships. With a message of universal love and forgiveness, they helped to uplift the spirits of the POWs and sick when they sought refuge in the prison chapel.

Lionel Matthews Recipient of the George Cross

Lionel Colin Matthews, was an Australian Army officer in World War II. He was posthumously awarded the George Cross, the highest award for heroism or courage not in the face of the enemy, that could be awarded to a member of the Australian armed forces at the time. Matthews was born in Adelaide, South Australia, and was schooled there before moving to Victoria. He trained as a signalman in the Royal Australian Naval Reserve before joining the Militia in April 1939. Commissioned as an officer in the Australian Corps of Signals, Matthews transferred to the 8th Division of the Second Australian Imperial Force after the outbreak of World War II.

Changi Chapel and Museum

The Changi Chapel and Museum is a war museum dedicated to Singapore's history during the Second World War and the Japanese occupation of Singapore. After the British army was defeated by the Imperial Japanese Army in the Battle of Singapore, thousands of prisoners-of-war (POWs) were imprisoned in Changi prison camp for three and a half years. While interned there, the POWs built numerous chapels, one of which was named St George's Church.

Changi Air Base Military airbase of the Republic of Singapore Air Force

The Changi Air Base is an airfield military airbase of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) located at Changi, in the eastern tip of Singapore. Sited at two locations to the east and west of Singapore Changi Airport, it co-shares runway facilities with the civilian airport and currently occupies a third runway slated for future expansion for civilian use by Singapore Changi Airport. Together, the two airfields house 121 Squadron, 112 Squadron, 145 Squadron, the Field Defence Squadron, the Air Logistics Squadron and the Airfield Maintenance Squadron. The air base badge carries the motto Together in Excellence.

Peter Chitty Australian rules footballer

Leslie Allan "Peter" Chitty BEM was an Australian rules footballer who played for St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and who won the only "Changi Brownlow" awarded in the Prisoner of War Changi Football League.

Frederick Galleghan Australian general

Major General Sir Frederick Gallagher Galleghan, was a senior officer in the Australian Army who served in the First and Second World Wars.

Operation Whiting was a military operation by Dutch and Australian forces during World War II in New Guinea by M Special Unit. It ran in conjunction with Operation Locust, and resulted in the capture and execution of Leonard Siffleet in October 1943, producing one of the most famous photographs of the war.

Reginald Newton Australian Army officer

Lieutenant Colonel Reginald William James Newton, was an Australian Army officer noted for his leadership while in Japanese prisoner of war camps during the Second World War. He became well known among Australian military circles, where he was affectionately known as "Roaring Reggie."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sidney F. Wicks</span>

Sidney Frederick Wicks was a Congregational minister, public speaking trainer, advertising and business manager, and newspaper executive. He conducted public speaking courses and formed what is now the oldest public speaking club in the world initially called The Rostrum but now simply Rostrum.

Changi University is the nickname given to a program of education for prisoners of war in the Changi Prisoner of War camp in Singapore during World War II. The program's aims were to raise the morale of the prisoners of war and mitigate boredom.

Sir Adrian Herbert Curlewis, was an Australian barrister, captain in WW2, a Changi and Thai-Burma Railway POW and later District Court judge. He was also a sportsman, one of the early surfers in Sydney and later a sports administrator.

John Charles Robertson (army officer)

Lieutenant Colonel John Charles Robertson was a senior officer in the Australian Army who served in both the First and Second World Wars.

The three branches of the Australian Defence Force are each represented by flags, among other emblems and insignia. Within each service various symbols fly on individual ships, at bases, camps, the Australian Defence Force Academy and colleges. These include flags, standards, guidons and banners and that denote rank, appointment, corps, formations, regiments, training units and sub units.

Russell Francis Wright, MBE, Service number VX70200, was an Australian radio engineer and soldier.

References

  1. 1 2 Arthurson, Lex (May 2009). "The Story of the 13th Australian General Hospital" (PDF). pows-of-japan.net.
  2. Robertson, Lucy (2013). "Discipline at Changi: Crime, punishment and keeping order inside the prison camp p4" (PDF). Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 21 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. "Roberts Hospital, Changi". www.awm.gov.au.
  4. Private Records of T H (Bill) Hadden held at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) https://www.awm.gov.au/advanced-search?query=hadden+rostrum&collection=true&facet_type=Private+Record
  5. Robertson, Lucy (2013). "Discipline at Changi: Crime, punishment and keeping order inside the prison camp. p9" (PDF). Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 21 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. "Advanced Search - The Australian War Memorial". www.awm.gov.au.
  7. "Prison Comedy: We had to Make the Boys Laugh". Hamilton Spectator. 29 December 1983. p. 2.
  8. "SINGAPORE. 1945-09-13. PRISONERS OF WAR (POWS) RELEASED FROM CHANGI PRISON CAMP WERE EVACUATED ..." www.awm.gov.au.
  9. "Kelsey: Changi Prison". www.bobkelsey.net.

Bibliography

Australian Rostrum https://www.rostrum.com.au

Rochdale Rostrum http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/sites/rochdale-rostrum-speakers-club