Working for the Enemy: Identity and Resistance in the Work Experiences of New Zealand POWs During World War II

Abstract

This paper argues that New Zealand POWs used their post-captivity accounts to distance themselves from the perceived shame of being forced to work for the enemy. Their willingness to describe acts of sabotage showed a desire to minimize their impotency and reconnect their experience with the wider war effort. Moreover, beyond these acts of resistance, the paper argues that some prisoners recast themselves as more than saboteurs. This argument is articulated through the experiences of Private Arthur Coe and Private Jack Gallichan. Their accounts highlight how some prisoners found ways to retell their POW experience with pride, but without having to resort to romanticized tales of escape and sabotage. Coe's work in camp hospitals and Gallichan's role as a guardian to his fellow workers represent a subtler expression of identity and resistance to captivity. These examples reinforce a multifaceted approach to identity construction in captivity.

KEYWORDS:

• POW
• captivity
• labour
• prisoner
• war
• identity
• resistance

Notes on contributor

I completed my PhD in history from the University of Waikato in 2018. I examined the POW experience of New Zealanders in Europe and North Africa during World War II. Currently I am an early career researcher. Correspondence to: Matthew Johnson. Email: [email protected]

Notes

1 According to Mason, 377 New Zealanders were captured in the Pacific. However, he questioned the accuracy of this number because the majority of these people were classified as civilians (Mason, 1954: 160). For a detailed study relating to resistance and identity in Japanese POW camps, see La Forte (2003).