Prisoner of war diary |
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| Title : | Prisoner of war diary |
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| Creator : | McLaren, Melvin Donald, 1922-1998 | ||
| Source : | D 6478(L) | ||
| Date of creation : | ca. 1942-1945 | ||
| Format : | Manuscript | ||
| Dimensions : | Diary, 130 x 170 x 40mm [open]; cover 135 x 85mm | ||
| Contributor : | State Library of South Australia | ||
| Catalogue record | |||
| The State Library of South Australia is keen to find out more about SA Memory items. We encourage you to contact the Library if you have additional information about any of these items. | |||
| Donated by : | Don McLaren |
| Copyright : | Reproduction rights are owned by State Library of South Australia. This image may be printed or saved for research or study. Use for any other purpose requires permission from the State Library of South Australia. To request approval, complete the Permission to publish form. |
| Description : |
Diary kept by Melvin Donald McLaren, 8th Division, 2 A.I.F., whilst a prisoner of war in Japanese hands in Changi, Singapore, Thailand and Japan. Although it looks unassuming, this notebook would have cost South Australian soldier Melvin Donald 'Don' McLaren his life had he been discovered writing it. This diary was kept by McLaren, 8th Division, Second Australian Imperial Force, as a Japanese prisoner of war during World War II. At 17 years of age, McLaren enlisted in 1940. He was a prisoner of war from 1942 to 1945. The diary chronicles the conditions and events he witnessed and experienced during captivity in Changi prison in Singapore, and later in Burma and Japan. His courage, loyalty to comrades and the ability to retain a sense of humour even under the most extreme circumstances, are evident in his writings. The diary was published as Mates in hell in 1998. |
| Subjects | |
| Coverage year : | 1942-1945 |
| Period : | 1939-1945 |
| Place : | Singapore, Burma and Japan |
| Further reading : | McLaren, Don. Mates in hell: the secret diary of Don McLaren, POW of the Japanese 1942-1945, Henley Beach, S. Aust.: Seaview Press, 1998 |
| Internet links : |
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