Carers in Captivity: Australian POW Medical Officers in the Second World War

Dr Rosalind Hearder will reflect on the work of the 106 Australian medical officers in Japanese captivity during the Second World War.Caring for their fellow 22,000 prisoners, one-third of whom died in captivity, this small group of men fought incredible odds to save so many.
Dr Hearder will examine the unique challenges faced by these doctors, where they did pioneering and ingenious medical work despite having little or no medical supplies, faced constant conflict with brutal captors and were forced to make decisions that no other group of POWs faced.

She will also explore some of the post-war psychological and physical legacies of captivity, both among the doctors themselves and the wider group of Australian survivors.