Watson Collection

The Watson Collection brings together over 2,600 digitised letters, diaries, photographs, artefacts, and memoirs charting the wartime lives of Frank and May Watson – his in captivity in the Far East, hers on the home front in England – and is now available to the public for the first time.

Captured in 1942 during the fall of Java, Frank spent more than three years in Japanese prison camps, enduring forced labour and severe deprivation. May’s writings record the long, anxious wait for news, her work in church and community, and the Christian faith that sustained her.

Together, these materials offer a rare and complete record of the war that captures the perspectives of both husband and wife across years of separation.

 Explore the collection

 Finding aid (PDF)

 FAQ

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PRISONER OF WAR

  • Frank's captivity in the Far East is recorded in official and personal materials tracing more than three years as a prisoner of war
  • POW registration cards and Japanese-issued ID tags chart his movements from Boei Glodok prison to Fukuoka 8 Camp, via Tandjong Priok, Surabaya, the Bicycle Camp, Tjimaki, and Changi Jail
  • In Japan, he endured forced labour in coal mines, malnutrition, and beatings until his liberation in August 1945

 

LIFE IN WARTIME ENGLAND

  • May's diaries and letters record a world defined by blackout precautions, rationing, air-raid warnings, and 'keeping house'
  • She volunteered as a fire watcher and ran Sunday School, and corresponded with government offices, the Red Cross, and friends throughout the war

"This is just to let you know I am leaving today, I believe. I am enjoying myself and am quite happy."

Letter from Frank to May, 28 July 1941. They would not see each other again for nearly four-and-a-half years.

 

"I wonder whether you are really in the body, or out of it! … I may be wrong, but I feel you have left this life – my treasure – to enjoy eternal life with Him alone"

Unsent letter, 1 June 1943

MESSAGES ACROSS THE DIVIDE

  • For much of the war, May continued to write letters to Frank that she did not send, using them as a private outlet for her thoughts, news, and reflections.
  • These unsent messages provide a record of daily life in wartime Britain, and preserve May's shifting state of mind during the long years of separation.

 

BELIEF AND RESILIENCE

  • Frank and May's surviving letters, postcards, sermons reveal a shared conviction that faith was both a source of strength and a guide to action
  • Frank took on a leadership role in organising services in the camps
  • May's faith became an anchor during years of waiting

 

FREEDOM AND RETURN

  • The end of the war brought a rush of relief and joy, captured in telegrams announcing Frank's liberation and objects from his reception in Canada before his return to England.
  • Letters of congratulations from friends and family also reflect the joy surrounding Frank's liberation and his reunion with May after more than three years apart.

 

REMEMBERING

  • In the decades that followed, the Watsons' lives remained shaped by memory and commemoration.
  • Photographs, veterans' newsletters, and service programmes record their active involvement in FEPOW organisations, remembrance services, and reconciliation initiatives with former adversaries.

"AM SAFE AUSTRALIAN HANDS HOPE TO BE HOME SOON"

Frank confirming that he was alive in a telegram, 29 September 1945

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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The Watson Collection is a digital archive of 2,608 letters, diaries, photographs, and official documents relating to Frank and May Watson’s experiences during the Second World War. Frank, serving in the RAF, was captured in Java in 1942 and spent over three years in Japanese prison camps. May remained in England, where she recorded life on the home front.

The collection contains digitised correspondence, photographs, official documents, postcards, diaries, notes, and other wartime materials relating to Frank and May Watson's experiences during the Second World War. The full list of materials can be found in the 'Item list and details' section on the Frank Watson's War and May Watson's War pages.

It is rare to find surviving records from both sides of a marriage separated by war. The Watson Collection preserves parallel perspectives of captivity and home front life, offering valuable insight into wartime communication, resilience, faith, and other themes.

The collection was donated by Andrew Watson, the son of Frank and May. Andrew very kindly funded its digitisation and curation to make it freely available for research, teaching, and public interest.

Yes. All items are released under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-NC 4.0) that allows reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution. Individual record and file pages will display the exact licence.

The collection is split into two separate parts: Frank Watson's War and May Watson's War. Each part has its own dedicated webpage and contains files – mostly PDFs and image files – relating to that person's experiences. Each page also features a detailed narrative telling that person's full wartime story.

Not yet, no.

For enquiries about the collection, please contact Their Finest Hour at the University of Oxford: theirfinesthour@ell.ox.ac.uk.

Thanks are due to Andrew Watson, whose generosity in donating and funding the digitisation of the Watson Collection has made it possible to preserve and share these materials with the public.