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.
