The prisoners of war during the World War II, (1939-1945) were treated poorly with no respect or consideration and were given the living conditions worse than animals. It was an extremely bad situation that no human being could survive. They were mistreated, manhandled, beat and even shot defending their country. No one wanted to go to war, but for those men who did, and for those who survived as POWs will always regret it.
The Prisoners of War were kept in concentration camps, where it was day to day constant dying and suffering and separation of the family with unconditional weather. They had no real shelter, and kept busy by working, and the odd time even got a chance to play baseball, soccer or some athletic game to stay in shape. They were surrounded by twenty-four hour guard surveillance in the middle of nowhere, so it would be quite useless to attempt to escape, especially at the risk of being gunned down at any given time. The POW always had to turn their back and keep an eye out for one another. They were considered to be 'hostages' and were treated like the enemy.
Prisoners of War were lucky if they had only been held for a year or two. Most POWs were not that lucky and spent around 5 – 10 years at a time, for some it went on for a decade or two. “When you’re in there all you can and will think about is, am I going to die today” this is what an Australian POWs had to say after he got saved. It is unimaginable what they would have gone through.
The Prisoners of war is one of the most significant aspects in Australia’s involvement in World War