This little self-made booklet served as a record of the books read by Albert Riley while he was held captive in Changi Prison between 1942 and 1945. The prisoners of war (POWs) in Changi had access to books through the Changi Library which grew to have more than 20,000 titles. Space within the prison had to be given to shelf the books and for the librarians to administer the loan process. Reading was food for the mind of the prisoners during leisure time, and it also helped many pass the darkest hours of their lives. The numbers of prisoners reading in Changi Prison grew, and as a result of the warm response, books were often left in poor condition and had to be repaired. Albert Riley held the rank of Private in the 196 Field Ambulance unit (part of the Royal Army Medical Corps) and he arrived in Singapore on 29 January 1942 with his unit to help the wounded soldiers. He was later held captive as a prisoner of war in Changi Prison but managed to survive the imprisonment and hardship. He eventually returned to Britain after the surrender of the Japanese.
