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Camp entertainment for prisoners of war

Image
POW performance of 'The Bumbles of Bumbleton'

Thirty musical numbers were used in the show, The Bumbles of Bumbleton, which this photograph depicts. The musical farce was mounted on 25, 26 and 27 April 1944. The backstage workers performed miracles with the most unlikely materials to make props and costumes for the shows.

POWs dressed as Maori warriors and women dancing

This image comes from the show Whizz-Bang, a revue performed on 30 and 31 May 1944

POWs dressed as Dutch men and women

Another image from Whizz-Bang. An ingenious backstage team made costumes from palliasses, cloth wrappings from parcels from home, sheets and groundsheets.

See also: related interview about POW camp entertainment

Credit

Courtesy of Jack Smallridge

How to cite this page

Camp entertainment for prisoners of war, URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/camp-entertainment-prisoners-war, (Manatū Taonga — Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated