Ben Wheeler (Canadian doctor)
Encyclopedia
Ben Wheeler was a Canadian doctor in the British Army (Rank was Major) stationed in Singapore
in 1942 when British forces unconditionally surrendered
to the Japanese. He had a central role in keeping up the spirits and the health of British and Commonwealth soldiers subjected to harsh treatment while prisoners of the Japanese, and was directly responsible for saving hundreds of lives. He was imprisoned by the Japanese in Singapore and later moved to Taiwan with other British POWs.
The POW's were used by the Japanese as forced labour in copper mines and were subjected to the most inhuman treatment imaginable. Conditions in the mine and the camp were as bad, if not worse in many cases, than those experienced by POWs under Japanese control on the now-famous Railway of Death in Burma and Thailand.
A movie, A War Story
, was made about his experiences as a prisoner of war. His daughter, Anne Wheeler
was the director of this feature length docudrama
. The film was released in 1981.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in 1942 when British forces unconditionally surrendered
Japanese Occupation of Singapore
The Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II occurred between about 1942 and 1945 after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Military forces of the Empire of Japan occupied Singapore after defeating the combined Australian, British, Indian and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore...
to the Japanese. He had a central role in keeping up the spirits and the health of British and Commonwealth soldiers subjected to harsh treatment while prisoners of the Japanese, and was directly responsible for saving hundreds of lives. He was imprisoned by the Japanese in Singapore and later moved to Taiwan with other British POWs.
The POW's were used by the Japanese as forced labour in copper mines and were subjected to the most inhuman treatment imaginable. Conditions in the mine and the camp were as bad, if not worse in many cases, than those experienced by POWs under Japanese control on the now-famous Railway of Death in Burma and Thailand.
A movie, A War Story
A War Story
A War Story is a docudrama produced, written, and directed by Anne Wheeler telling the story of her father Major Ben Wheeler when he was captured by the Japanese during the Second World War....
, was made about his experiences as a prisoner of war. His daughter, Anne Wheeler
Anne Wheeler
Anne Wheeler, OC is a Canadian film and television writer, producer and director. Graduating in Mathematics from the University of Alberta she was a computer programmer before traveling abroad. Her years of travels inspired her to become a storyteller and when she returned she joined a group of...
was the director of this feature length docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
. The film was released in 1981.