Ronald Searle

A group of mainly Australian prisoners managed to build a chapel there in 1944 using found materials, and a British serviceman fashioned a Christian cross out of a used artillery shell.

Prominent prisoners included Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, the mathematician Sir Alexander Oppenheim, author James Clavel and the British cartoonist Ronald Searle.

The renowned humanitarian Sir Ernest Weary Dunlop was also transferred to Changi briefly before leading the first group of Australians to work on the Thai section of the Burma Railway.

It was there and other Japanese forced labour camps like Sandakan that saw far greater numbers of casualties from the brutal conditions.