Australian Army Museum of Western Australia > Records

World War 2, South West Pacific Theatre, Morotai, NX56669 BLAIN MHR, Prisoner of War Release, 1945

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Overview

Newspaper copy of pencil sketch by war artist Tony Rafty of released prisoners on Morotai sending messages to Australia. One identified is NX56669 Adair Macalister Blain, MHR. Blain was educated at Perth Modern School and as 2126 served in 51 Battalion and 31 Battalion during WW1. As an Independent representing the Northern Territory he was the only Federal Member of Parliament to be held as a prisoner of war during World War 2.

Historical information

During the Pacific war, the Japanese captured 22,000 Australians: soldiers, sailors, airmen and members of the army nursing service, as well as some civilians. They were imprisoned in camps throughout Japanese-occupied territories in Borneo, Korea, Manchuria, Hainan, Rabaul, Ambon, Singapore, Timor, Java, Thailand, Burma and Vietnam and also Japan itself. At the end of the war only 13,872 of the POWs were recovered: one-third of the prisoners had died.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-32-99-241

Contextual information

Part of a series of sketches by war artist Tony Rafty which appeared in "The Mirror", Sydney on 20 October 1945

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Last modified

Thursday, 9 October, 2025

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