During the Japanese Occupation, the Japanese military held numerous prisoners of war (POWs) and internees at Changi Prison and several camps.
Former police inspector William R.M. Haxworth, an internee at Changi Prison and Sime Road Camp, was among them.
During his time there, he secretly drew over 300 small paintings and sketches.
His artworks give us a glimpse into life in the POW camps. They not only documented the difficult living conditions, but often included a light-hearted (and sometimes humourous) spin on their daily lives.
People came to know about Haxworth and his drawings when his wife donated his entire set of sketches to the National Archives of Singapore in 1986.
We have shared some of them here.
Resourcefulness
Haxworth's drawings are proof of resilience and resourcefulness shown by people in times of war and shortage.
When faced with a lack of art materials, Haxworth used whatever he could lay his hands on to create various sketches and watercolour paintings.
His drawings also documented the resourcefulness of the internees regarding footwear.
For instance, bits of a shoe were cut off if the shoe size was too small:
While some made modifications to canvas shoes "for the purpose of coolness," there were also some who did not wear any shoes.
Harsh conditions
Haxworth's drawings serve as a record of life as an internee, including the harsh conditions that they lived through.
For instance, in a piece called "Changi Comforts", he drew a series of simple objects which were considered to be objects of comfort during that time.
These included stools, fruits and cigarettes - things which could easily be taken for granted in everyday life.
Internees also had to endure bed bug infestations.
Haxworth also stated that the communal toilets had many advantages, but "only those living adjacent to or nearby fully appreciated the disadvantages." Due to overcrowding and unhygienic conditions, one can only imagine the state of the communal toilets.
Due to the rough living conditions, many of the internees transformed from gaunt figures to mere skin and bones by the end of the war.
Mischievous spin
Despite these circumstances, Haxworth managed to find humour in many situations. Some of his drawings took a lighthearted approach.
One drawing was of internees getting bitten by sea lice:
Another cheekily portrayed the back view of a naked internee, whom Haxworth called "the internee who would not conform":
In a piece called "Confessions of a member of the kitchen staff", Haxworth revealed that internees who worked in the kitchen secretly plundered the food stock.
In fact, they were bribed (with food) to not overdo it.
Haxworth's creative artworks are testament to the resilience and adaptability of the people who survived the difficult conditions of war.
You can view the his works online here.
Top photo adapted from sketch by William Haxwoth, via NAS.
If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to get the latest updates.