ABSTRACT
The 12 months between September 1942 and September 1943 proved to be a period of tremendous upheaval that threatened to undermine many of the assumptions and adjustments to life in captivity that had grown since the surrender. As a result of these events the POW community underwent a subtle but significant change. In many respects the whole character of Changi camp was forged during this time, far more than in the preceding eight months and far more even than the few days at Selarang square. While the events of Selarang did not directly provide the abilities to meet these new difficulties, Selarang is significant because of the way that the victory there emboldened the POW population to attempt to do so. In such a situation as the men found themselves in at Changi the impact of how things were achieved was often as important as the end result. The collective POW response to this period was manifested in a perceptible hardening of attitude towards the myriad difficulties that they now faced. Most significantly during this time the POW community proved sufficiently flexible to redefine the nature of its existence and, where necessary, did so at the expense of traditional military discipline. The extent to which they were successful in overcoming the many problems at Changi is only partially important, although the practical benefits that accrued were not inconsiderable. More significant are the other, less tangible, benefits that were reaped from being obliged to struggle and the conclusive rejection of the role of passive captive that this implied.
