War as They Knew It: The Experiences of Prisoners of War in World War II

Welcome to the "War As They Knew It" Exhibit. Here we will be taking a journey through the experiences of two prisoners of war during World War II. Using the diaries that they kept during their imprisonment, we can get a sense of how people coped with trauma and difficult experiences, we can examine the different mindsets and thoughts of the people held within these camps, and can even glean information on the conditions of the camps themselves, as well as their occupants. Our main focus lies with Walter C. Ryan, an American soldier held in various Japanese-run camps. Through Ryan's diaries, we can see the conditions he dealt with and the toll that they took on him. We offer a comparison through the experiences of James William Scott, a Canadian soldier held within a German camp. Through these two very different writings, we are able to glean the truth behind what those within the prisoner-of-war camps dealt with during the Second World War.