Illustrated history

There are many ways to record history. Because writing was prohibited in the Mukden camp, the POWs stole paper on which they drew cartoons through which they vividly recorded life in the camp and made scabrous attacks on their Japanese guards.

Three of the prisoners - Malcolm Fortier, Barton Pinson and William Wuttke - worked in the camp's draftsman's office shop, which provided them with access to materials. They quickly become known as the camp's main artists.

The three worked clandestinely to avoid drawing attention to their work, which they concealed under their clothing to escape detection.