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"this is a goldmine of a book....the stuff of history....a priceless and universal appendix to so many singular stories"
Martin Bell
"This superbly produced and informative book....Undoubtedly a very fine book"
Stamp Lover Volume 94 June 2002.
"All of this has been presented with the utmost clarity which makes references into the book a pleasure. I feel sure this book will remain a mine of information for many years to come and I doubt that it can ever be added to. It is all here."
Neville Watterson in The London Philatelist July/August 2002.
"The first of a series. …… this book is a marvellous beginning. It contains great human interest and provides fascinating insights into how people felt. To compose this book must have been a long a painstaking task, and I doubt that anyone else could have achieved it more thoroughly, or presented it with such sensitivity and good taste. The subsequent volumes will be eagerly awaited"
Ian McQueen in Gibbons Stamp Monthly July 2002.
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 This website is dedicated to the study and research into the mails and correspondence of the POWs and civilian internees in East Asia in the Second World War.
Author and postal historian David Tett is compiling a series of books on the mails to and from the Prisoners of War and Civilian Internees of the Japanese in East Asia (Far East) in The Second World War
Between 250,000 and 300,000 people were imprisoned by the Japanese in the second world war. They were captured principally in Singapore, in Java and Sumatra and in the Philippines although POWs and internees were taken in all the territories overrun by the Japanese onslaught.
POWs and internees were held in camps throughout Singapore (Changi), Malaya, Thailand, Burma, Taiwan, Indo China, Dutch East Indies (Java, Sumatra, Celebes, Timor, Ambon etc. ) Borneo, Korea, Manchuria, Hong Kong, Philippines, New Guinea, China and Japan.
Prisoners were often transferred from one prison to another and from one territory to another, usually to cater for the labour requirement of their captors. Many POWs were sent to Thailand and Burma to build the infamous railway. Others went to the Moluccan Islands to build airfields; to Sumatra to build another railway; to Japan to work in the mines, factories and shipyards. Most of these prisoners were allowed to receive mail and send cards, (and in some cases letters,) albeit in very limited quantities.
Many hundreds of books have been written about the lives of these prisoners. Many films, fictional and documentary have been made. But until now no medium has existed devoted to the study and research into the postal history of the captives. This website seeks to address that gap. It is designed to be a meeting place for persons interested in the study and research regarding the postal history of the prisoners. The starting point is the book published in 2002 entitled:
A POSTAL HISTORY OF THE PRISONERS OF WAR AND CIVILIAN INTERNEES IN EAST ASIA DURING WORLD WAR TWO – VOLUME 1 SINGAPORE & MALAYA 1942-1945 – THE CHANGI CONNECTION By David Tett
This book is a treasure trove of information regarding not only Malaya and Singapore, but also the rules and regulations and conditions in wartime Australia and Britain for communicating with the prisoners in East Asia. The first volume, covering Singapore and Malaya was published in February 2002.
A POSTAL HISTORY OF THE PRISONERS OF WAR AND CIVILIAN INTERNEES IN EAST ASIA DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR - VOLUME 2 DUTCH EAST INDIES 1942-1946 - PARADISE LOST by David Tett
Published in December 2003. It deals with the Dutch East Indies. In 1942, The East Indies – Java, Sumatra, Celebes and thousands of islands big and small – had been under Dutch rule for 340 years. The country was stable and peaceful, for most a paradise. In March 1942, that was all about to change. With the fall of Singapore and many other neighbouring territories, the Japanese invaded the country and within two weeks acquired the vast resources of the former colony. Life thereafter was never the same again. Servicemen of Dutch, British, Australian and American forces became prisoners of war. All Dutch and other aliens were interned. Many thousands of Eurasians suffered the same fate. Upwards of 200,000 civilians lost their freedom. Their paradise was to be lost for three and a half years, in fact as it turned out, forever. Volume 2 tells their story through the medium of the postal history. The book contains 470 pages with more than 500 illustrations.
A POSTAL HISTORY OF THE PRISONERS OF WAR AND CIVILIAN INTERNEES IN EAST ASIA DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR - VOLUME 3 BURMA THAILAND AND INDOCHINA 1942-1946 – THE RAILWAY, THE RIVER and THE BRIDGE by David Tett
Published in 2005, Volume 3 encompasses the story of the mails to and from Burma, Thailand and Indochina. The principal concentration of mail was to and from the Burma-Thailand railway, but mail from the Bangkok Internment camp, the mails from the civilian labourers, and the work of the Dutch Post Office in Bangkok are also extensively covered. Postal items to and from British, Dutch, Australian and American prisoners are illustrated. The hardback book, published by BFA Publishing, contains more than 400 illustrations, mostly in colour, and 380 pages.
A POSTAL HISTORY OF THE PRISONERS OF WAR AND CIVILIAN INTERNEES IN EAST ASIA DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR - VOLUME 4 HONG KONG AND CHINA 1941-1945 by David Tett
Published in 2007, Volume 4 covers the story of the mails to and from Canadian, British and Indian servicemen captured in Hong Kong, the US Marines and others imprisoned in China, and civilians of many nationalities interned in Hong Kong and China. The principal concentration of Hong Kong mail was to and from the two major POW camps, Shamshuipo, and Argyle Street, and the civilian camp at Stanley. Many examples are shown with various censors and directional markings to and from these and other camps, as well as a considerable variety of inter-camp mail. In China a relatively small number of POWs were held initially in Woosung and then Kiangwan near Shanghai. Mail from and to these camps is illustrated. The civilians were held in a number of Civilian Assembly Centres in Shanghai, Yangchow and North China and mail from and to these camps is illustrated.
The hardback book, published by BFA Publishing, contains more than 400 illustrations, mostly in colour, on 457 pages.
A POSTAL HISTORY OF THE PRISONERS OF WAR AND CIVILIAN INTERNEES IN EAST ASIA DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR - VOLUME 5 THE PHILIPPINES AND TAIWAN 1941-1945 by David Tett
This volume, subtitled “No Uncle Sam” is in the course of preparation and is expected to be published in 2009 or 2010. The book will cover the mails to and from US servicemen and US and British civilians held in the Philippines and British, American, Australian and Dutch servicemen held in Taiwan (Formosa),
A POSTAL HISTORY OF THE PRISONERS OF WAR AND CIVILIAN INTERNEES IN EAST ASIA DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR - VOLUME 6 JAPAN, KOREA AND MANCHURIA 1942-1945 by David Tett
The final volume in the series will encompass the mails to and from prisoners in Japan, Korea and Manchuria.
To make Volumes 5 and 6 possible, knowledge and material are required. Personal knowledge and recollections, access to official records, highlighting of published accounts and the postal history items themselves all build a picture from which the history can be written and illustrated. Anybody who has information and knowledge and is willing to contribute is urges to contact the author at davidtett@aol.com.
Please contribute if you can. See information requested page
As new information comes to light updating the published information then details will be posted on the site. Volume Two contains details of new material or information arising since publication of the first volume. Any new information coming to light regarding the subject matter of Volume 3 will be included in an Update section to Volume 4.
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