Word On Books
with Jeremy Fenton
Changi
By John Doyle
Published by ABC Books
What was originally conceived as an ongoing situation comedy called 'Worn Out and Weary', aired to the delight of many Australians (and seemingly all critics) recently on ABC television as the mini-series named Changi.
Thankfully the initial 'Japanese Hogan's Heroes' scenario has been developed into something that actually sheds some light on why Australians were able to survive as Japanese prisoners-of-war, in notably disproportionate higher numbers than their fellow British and Dutch prisoners.
Writer John Doyle‚s underlying theme in Changi is that Australians (at least the six that the series focuses on) survived not only because of their initial robust health and will-to-live, but by turning humour into an artform in the face of severe adversity.
The mini-series (and this book of scripts with pictures of the production) is certainly not the be-all and end-all of statements on the camp. I believe there are a few too many songs, over-nourished bodies and witty remarks for that to be the case.
Overall Changi is a bit fluffy and over-theatrical (without the time to actually build characters that the viewer cares about - particularly in the case of the older, present day representations of the main characters), nevertheless there are times when it soars to become entertaining and insightful television.
The accompanying book, however, is a largely superfluous aside.
Changi Photographer
By Tim Bowden
 In an appropriate bit of foreshadowing, George Aspinall was nicknamed 'Changi' well before he actually became a prisoner-of-war after the fall of Singapore to the Japanese in 1942.
The Changi he first photographed was actually a small village that exotically belied the horror it was to become.
Of the 22,000 Australians who were captured and placed in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps during that year alone, only 14,000 survived their three-and-a-half years of the often-barbaric captivity.
George Aspinall's partially damaged and sepia-toned photographs, as a record of being a prisoner-of-war, rival anything to have emerged from Europe after World War II. Perhaps they are even more precious because of the scarcity of any similar visual record of the terrible events that took place so much nearer to home for Australians.
This book of the now deceased Aspinall's photographs (ably compiled by broadcaster, documentary-maker and author Tim Bowden) is astounding.
No bursts of song, wisecracks or clever cinematic flashback tricks could hope to tell the story of Changi as poignantly as do these pictures.
Dogs at War
By Blythe Hamer
Published by Andre Deutsch
When humans go to war (inevitably it seems at the moment), often ignored recognition-wise are the species that accompany us onto the battlefield. Those creatures that without any say on their own part - fight and die for the things that we believe in.
Unfortunately for them, a phenomenal sense of smell and hearing combined with arguably the greatest ability of any soldier to follow orders without question have made dogs an integral part of warfare since at least Roman times.
Given the enormous human tragedy of war, the heroism and courage-under-fire of our canine companions has understandably not formed a large part of conventional military history.
Dogs at War (true stories of canine courage under fire) by Blythe Hamer seeks in small part to provide some redress to this omission.
Stories of pooches pulling ambulance sleds in Russia, detecting camouflaged Vietcong in Vietnam, and comforting wounded troops during the American Civil War are just some of the many tales to be found in this book.
A little patchy and cutesy in parts, Dogs at War is a very digestible and informative (if slim) work on our best friend‚s time on the various military front lines throughout history.
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