The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
It is almost certain that Griffin first conceived the subject of 'Roberts Hospital, Changi' early in 1942, although the painting was not completed until the following year. In the painting all three men clearly show the effects of malnutrition, although far worse was to come in the years of captivity ahead. The men are silent and withdrawn, enveloped in their own private suffering. The unhygienic conditions, the chipped mugs on wooden boxes and the soiled bedding are carefully recorded. The tropical heat and humidity in the ward are palpable, and through the open wall is a distant view of palms and vegetation. As an artist with a great love of the landscape Griffin was keenly aware that the human suffering he was witnessing was set against the lush natural beauty of Singapore.
This painting depicts an old tree near the Changi camp gardens under which many of the prisoner-gardeners ate their midday rice. The lush tropical forest of the Malay Peninsula fascinated Griffin. As
Gaunt, skeletal figures lying on beds inside a hospital on the Burma-Thailand railway. Griffin's use of light and shade in this work accentuates the physical condition and obvious suffering of the men
Interior of Changi gaol. In 1944 all the POWs, some 10,000 men, held at Selarang Barracks and surrounds had to move to Changi goal proper, which was designed to accommodate 600 men. 5,000 men were eve
Members of working party hauling a trailer load of firewood. The trailer had been improvised from a truck chassis and pulled by manpower. The strength demanded by this task became beyond the reach of
In the background of this work are the Changi gaol buildings and in the foreground are the attap huts that housed POW officers, including Murray Griffin. Initially the AIF prisoners were housed at Sel
Depicted is a prisoner hanging out washing with the concrete structure of Changi gaol in the background. Griffin captured the scene in October 1944. In 1944 all the POWs, some 10,000 men, held at Ser
