Sprod, George Napier (Gunner, b.1918 - d.2003) Accession Number: 3DRL/5040

Description

Collection relating to the Second World War service of NX34279 Gunner George Napier Sprod, 2/15 Field Regiment, prisoner of war, Singapore, 1945.

Wallet 1 of 1 - Consists of two issues of “Smoke-Oh”, camp magazines produced by Gunner George Sprod in 1945 whilst a prisoner of the Japanese. The magazines were produced for Australian prisoners of war at Changi camp and contain articles, satirical cartoons, and artwork of the Changi concert parties by NX65739 Private Frederick Francis Brightfield.

Contextual Description

These two issues of "Smoke-Oh" are all that remain of the series of camp magazines produced by Gunner George Sprod while a prisoner of the Japanese. It was his most elaborate, and final, foray into camp journalism.

The first POW publication produced by Sprod appeared in September 1942 when he was a member of a working party building a war memorial to the Japanese dead at Bukit Timah on Singapore Island. Produced in collaboration with Gunner A D Ward of the 2/15th Field Regiment (who died the following year in Siam), it was called "The Narrowminded News" (a joke on Gunner Cliff Whitelocke, a fellow prisoner and proprietor of the Narromine News in NSW). It consisted of four handwritten sheets exhibited in a glass frame. It appeared every fortnight and was taken up with jokes, reports of amusing happenings on work parties, and camp gossip. These papers were presumed lost in Siam on the death of Gunner Ward.

Sprod's second publication was produced at Kanburi Hospital, Siam, where he worked as an orderly after coming down from the railroad gangs. He was working night shift at the time, and produced this single sheet "Nuts and Jolts" in his rest time during the day. It was done as an attempt to cheer the sick, and as many were unable to walk (through ulcers, weakness and lost limbs), it was passed round the wards on a board.

In September 1944 Sprod founded and produced in collaboration with Ronald Searle, an English artist, the magazine "Exile" but after a few numbers he decided that he would like to produce a journal with Australian appeal, and "Smoke-Oh" is the result.

"Smoke-Oh" ran for two issues only and then Gnr Sprod was taken by the Japanese to help in the digging of the defences of Singapore Island. He worked at this until the war ended in August 1945.

Details

People

• Michael Sprod

Conflicts

• Second World War, 1939-1945

Places

• Singapore
• Changi

Tags

• Changi Gaol