Indian Prisoners of War in Japanese Captivity during World War Two

Kevin Noles

$234.95

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Oxford University Press
31 July 2025

Asian history; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Social & cultural history; Colonialism & imperialism; Prisoners of war

Series: Oxford Historical Monographs

During World War Two some 67,000 Indian personnel of the British Indian Army were captured by Imperial Japanese forces, including a large number at the surrender of Singapore in February 1942. This book, the first of its kind, critically examines why these colonial Prisoners of War (POW) were largely forgotten in the post-war period, and therefore represents a case study in the formation of British wartime historical memory. It addresses three questions, relating to the impact of evidence that some Indian prisoners were disloyal, the role of British colonial propaganda in shaping later memory of Indian prisoners, and the unavailability of important documentary sources. It argues that the process of forgetting can be understood in terms of three active memory practices, namely: suppression; obscuration; and selection. Examples of how each of these have impacted British memory of Indian prisoners are provided. These practices acted in a colonial context within which a pertinent element was a

By: Kevin Noles
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm,
ISBN: 9780198955603
ISBN 10: 019895560X
Series: Oxford Historical Monographs
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 31 July 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , Undergraduate , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Following retirement from a career in industry and the financial markets, Kevin Noles went on to complete a part-time doctorate in History in 2022 at New College, University of Oxford, under the supervision of Dr Yasmin Khan. Having adapted his doctoral thesis for publication he continues to research and write, including contributing a chapter to a forthcoming edited collection on the logistics of warfare in Southern Asia, reviews articles submitted to academic journals such as the International Journal of Military History and Historiography, and is preparing an article for Oxford Bibliographies on the Indian nationalist forces during World War Two.