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"Changi Photographer" – George Aspinall's
Record of Captivity
By Tim Bowden
Even before he became a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese in Singapore in
1942, George Aspinall was nicknamed ‘Changi’ Aspinall by his
2/30th Battalion mates. At lights-out time in Birdwood Camp, this teenaged
Australian soldier was invariably ‘down at Changi Village’ helping
to process photographs he had taken with a hidden camera of his friends
in their new and exotic tropical surroundings.
After captivity that hobby became a private obsession that saw George
not only taken secret photographs in the Changi area, but up on the appalling
Thai/Burma Railway. He not only took photographs at great personal risk,
but actually processed them on the spot, using chemicals smuggled in medicine
bottles from Singapore.
The ingenuity and resourcefulness of this young Australian private soldier
have resulted in a unique visual diary of captivity. Originally published
in 1984, this remarkable story with its graphic photographs has never
been out of print since George Aspinall told his story to author and historian
Tim Bowden. Now recognised as a classic, this book has been widely praised.
"The words, Aspinall’s own, recorded with great skill by Bowden
are vital to the pictures. The story is told with understatement and economy
of words... a deeply moving account."
Far Eastern Economic Review
"the recollections and observations of an ordinary man, are more
dramatic than any "official" history could hope to be."
Melbourne Herald
‘One of the bravest and most ingenious photographers in Australian
wartime history.’
Australasian Post
‘A beautiful book – all the more remarkable because of the stinging
tragedy that lies behind the surface of its sepia photos.’
Sydney Telegraph
"...records with a poignancy that cannot be equalled by words along...
it is a splendid, unique collection, a mute tribute to the courage and
ingenuity of a teenage amateur, who tackled successfully problems to daunt
the professional, often in the face of mortal peril."
Canberra Times
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