Forty Drawings by Ronald Searle

Title
Forty Drawings by Ronald Searle
Creator
Year/Period
1946
Object Type
Technique
Dimension
Object size: 28.5 x 23.0 x 0.6 cm
Accession No.
2019-00971
Credit Line
Gift of family of Alan Toze

Ronald Searle was an English artist and soldier with the Royal Engineers. Stationed in Singapore, he was taken prisoner when Singapore fell to the Japanese. He was imprisoned first in Changi and then in the Kwai jungle, where he worked on the Siam-Burma railway. During his imprisonment, he drew many sketches which documented the camp conditions and daily life of the prisoners. Some of these were published in the book Forty Drawings. The owner of this particular copy, Lance Bombardier Alan Toze, was also captured in Singapore and imprisoned in Changi. His diaries and personal papers are currently with the Imperial War Museum.