Jennefer Davidson's first shoes
Production date
1942
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Description
A pair of baby’s shoes, made for Jennefer Davidson, who was born in Changi Jail in July 1942. The shoes were made by her mother, Daphne Davidson, out of scraps of material she found. Daphne and her husband, James Davidson, were separated in the Changi prison camp.
On the 15th of February in 1942, Singapore surrendered to the invading Japanese army. This led to the internment of around 2,800 civilians in Changi Jail in the east of Singapore, a prison initially built to house 600 prisoners. In May 1944 the Changi internees were moved to a former Royal Air Force barracks a few miles away. By the end of 1944 there were around 4,000 people interned.
The civilians interned were mainly British, however, there were also citizens from many other countries including Denmark, Netherlands, Australia, America and Canada. These were individuals who lived in the Far East as doctors, teachers, nurses, nuns, missionaries or as wives of officials. The majority were associated with the British Colonial administration of Malaya and Singapore.
Women and children were separated from the men, splitting up families. The conditions in the jail were extremely harsh - the internees endured overcrowding, malnutrition and diseases such as malaria. Food parcels were sent by the Red Cross, but only a limited number were received by the internees.
As a Museum Curator, I am very drawn to objects which are made by people in captivity. Many creative items were made by the individuals in Changi. These range from purely the functional, needed for survival, to ones with more aesthetic qualities, such as works of art. I think it must be empowering to be able to create something when you have very little. These objects capture a spark of the human spirit in extreme conditions and tell the stories, ideas and emotions of their makers.
Audio recording by Mehzebin Adam (Curator, British Red Cross Musuem & Archives).
On the 15th of February in 1942, Singapore surrendered to the invading Japanese army. This led to the internment of around 2,800 civilians in Changi Jail in the east of Singapore, a prison initially built to house 600 prisoners. In May 1944 the Changi internees were moved to a former Royal Air Force barracks a few miles away. By the end of 1944 there were around 4,000 people interned.
The civilians interned were mainly British, however, there were also citizens from many other countries including Denmark, Netherlands, Australia, America and Canada. These were individuals who lived in the Far East as doctors, teachers, nurses, nuns, missionaries or as wives of officials. The majority were associated with the British Colonial administration of Malaya and Singapore.
Women and children were separated from the men, splitting up families. The conditions in the jail were extremely harsh - the internees endured overcrowding, malnutrition and diseases such as malaria. Food parcels were sent by the Red Cross, but only a limited number were received by the internees.
As a Museum Curator, I am very drawn to objects which are made by people in captivity. Many creative items were made by the individuals in Changi. These range from purely the functional, needed for survival, to ones with more aesthetic qualities, such as works of art. I think it must be empowering to be able to create something when you have very little. These objects capture a spark of the human spirit in extreme conditions and tell the stories, ideas and emotions of their makers.
Audio recording by Mehzebin Adam (Curator, British Red Cross Musuem & Archives).
Collection Type
Objects
Media/Materials
Catalogue Number
1253/21
Associated Person and Role
Jennefer Davidson
Associated Person
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Object Types
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