Captive Anzacs
Australian POWs of the Ottomans during the First World War

Captive Anzacs explores the experiences of the 198 Australians who became prisoners of the Ottomans during the First World War.

Kate Ariotti (Author)

9781107198647, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 1 May 2018

238 pages, 16 b/w illus. 2 maps
23.5 x 15.8 x 1.9 cm, 0.52 kg

During the First World War, 198 Australians became prisoners of the Ottomans. Overshadowed by the grief and hardship that characterised the post-war period, and by the enduring myth of the fighting Anzac, these POWs have long been neglected in the national memory of the war. Captive Anzacs explores how the prisoners felt about their capture and how they dealt with the physical and psychological strain of imprisonment, as well as the legacy of their time as POWs. More broadly, it explores public perceptions of the prisoners, the effects of their captivity on their families, and how military, government and charitable organisations responded to the POWs both during and after the War. Intertwining rich detail from letters, diaries and other personal papers with official records, Kate Ariotti offers a comprehensive, nuanced account of this aspect of Australian war history.

Introduction
1. Becoming prisoners of war
2. The circumstances of confinement
3. Shaping camp life
4. Outside connections
5. Reactions at home
6. After the Armistice
7. 'Repat' and remembrance
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: First World War [HBWN], Military history [HBW], History [HB]