Cowra is the site of the breakout by Japanese prisoners from the No 12 POW Camp, on the 5th August 1944. This is the largest prisoner of war breakout in modern military history. 231 Japanese prisoners died during the escape attempt. Four Australian soldiers also died. This suite of signs focuses on heritage interpretation – the stories of the POWs and guards. There are 13 signs withstories.
Cowra POW Camp – heritage interpretation in the camp ruins
All the timber buildings were removed at the time the camp was closed in March 1947. All that remains in the area are concrete and brick foundations plus a ‘Stone Hut’. The Cowra POW Camp site exists within a landscape that remains essentially the way it was during WW2. The area is the site of the only land engagement on the Australian mainland during WW2. The camp housed prisoners and internees from many countries; Japanese, Chinese (Formosan), Korean, Italian, Indonesian, Albanian and small numbers of other ethnic groups.
Date: August 2013 – July 2014
Service: Interpretive planning, shelter design, research, identify themes, write content, design, mapping, installation design, image sourcing, and project manage production.
Specs: Camp Ruins – 13 interpretive signs revealing human interest stories – showcased here
Arrival Area
The entrance to the camp provides an overview of the Camp Grounds in WWII and includes 3 signs.
