The Changi Murals are five most beautiful pieces of art produced in conditions of extreme hardship and deprivation and, for me, give a message of eternal hope, faith and optimism.
Stanley Warren was born in 1917 and studied art at Hornsey Art College, London. He then went on to work as a poster designer for Granada Cinemas before joining the army in January 1940. Due to his artistic talent, he was made an Observation Post (OP) Assistant, tasked with making fast but accurate sketches of enemy positions.
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| Stanley Warren in later life |
He set sail for the Middle East theatre of war in 1941 but was diverted towards Singapore following Japanese advances in the Far East. He landed in Singapore in January 1942. Before his capture he was able to save the life of a Chinese boy:
`He had been peppered with stones that had been thrown out by a bomb. Now, the injuries were not serious. This poor little Chinese boy, hair cut in a circular fringe. And he didn't cry....he was just shivering. I gently carried him down to the road and got an ambulance to take him. I just hoped that someone would be able to take the stones out and cauterize the wounds. Just looked at me. I can still see his face.'
He was not so fortunate with a young anti-aircraft gunner whose leg was blown off whilst trying to disable his gun before capture.
I saw the man was bleeding to death. The trouble is the Japanese planes were over all the time and the fighters were strafing. So I lay on the road...beside him and pressed my thumbs on the artery to stop him from bleeding any further. I was hoping that if the fighters came...and if they see that great patch of blood and see two figures there, they won't bother [because] they'll think I was dead anyway.
The ambulance took a long time to come, by which time Stanley's thumbs were numb with pressure. Sadly the officer died through loss of blood.
I can almost see him now - the young man's face, his grey eyes, the perspiration on his face.
Stanley was taken to Changi camp, where he witnessed executions of men who had tried to escape. He then became seriously ill with overwork and under-nourishment and was moved to the Roberts Barracks hospital, where there was a chapel dedicated to St. Luke the Physician. There was an altar, altar rails and wooden benches, all made by the prisoners. He was asked by two of the army chaplains, Chambers and Payne, if he would decorate the chapel walls with murals. Stanley agreed and set to work reading the Gospels for inspiration.
There was no paint available in the camp, and men put themselves in considerable danger to provide Stanley with the materials he needed, including some billiard cue chalk which was crushed to make blue paint.
Stanley used the same technique as he had when producing bold cinema posters; clear black lines and large bold brush strokes of solid colour. He started work on the murals in September 1942 and could only paint for fifteen minute stretches due to extreme weakness from his illness. He would start at 9am and by 11am he would be exhausted. The progress of the murals was followed with interest by prisoners and guards alike:
The Japanese soldiers would come in, the Japanese sergeant and Korean guards. They would sit along the wall...[and] press their rifles on the wall. They would look on and never interfere. [The altar was] decked with frangipani blossoms cut from the trees that did grow within the POW area, they gave out their fragrance and it always seemed cool....and men would sit quietly on the benches, often discussing home, discussing family affairs. They would also follow the progress of the murals and trade stories about the artist!
Stanley chose themes that would make no remark about the squalor surrounding him, but give relief and uplift from it. For him the chapel was about peace and reconciliation, so he chose universal themes. The next series of blog posts will take each mural in turn and discuss its significance.
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