Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Contributed by Seaton High School

George Sprod was born in Adelaide, South Australia at College Park (Kerr, 2007). He was born just after World War I on the 16th of September 1919, as the second child to his parents, Thomas and Isabel Sprod (Foyle, 2023). He had an older sister named Kathleen and two younger brothers named Dan and John (Foyle, 2023). George attended Norwood High School, then further educated himself at Urrbrae Agricultural High when he was 15 (Kerr, 2007). He was sent with the intention of becoming a farmer like his father, but unusually, George was set on becoming a professional cartoonist from an early age (Knights, 2009). Despite not having any formal training, he was set on what he wanted to do with his life.

In early 1939, after saving the majority of his income from jobs as a farm-labourer, store man, and nurseryman, 19-year-old George took his bike and ran away to Sydney to pursue his dreams (Bryant, 2003). This was in defiance of his parents, so he didn’t give them any notice in fear they would stop him. As soon as he arrived in the city, George began submitting drawings to Smith’s Weekly and other publications (Bryant, 2003). He had several other low-level media jobs at a time, such as a street photographer and dogsboy among others, while trying to find stable employment (Knight, 2009). That was until enlistment for World War II began.

In June 1940 Sprod lied about his age, bumping it up a year because at only 20 years old he was one year younger than the legal age of enlistment for the Australian Army (Knight, 2009). His service number was NX34279, and he was a Gunner in the 2/15th Field Regiment of the Australian Artillery (Australian War Memorial, N.D.). In 1942, Sprod was posted to Singapore before it was invaded and fell to the Japanese. He spent three and a half grueling years as a prisoner of war (POW) working on the Thai-Burma railway and in the Changi jail (Bryant, 2003).

Sprod was far from the only soldier to be captured by the Japanese and placed in this horrific camp. He was joined by more than 15,000 other Australian soldiers and other allies (Australian War Memorial, N.D). Many of these prisoners were subjected to intense forced labour and brutal treatment, and a vast majority died from malnutrition, mistreatment, or disease (Cooper, N.D.). For many, they slept in cells that were tiny, cold, concrete boxes, with a singular slab in the centre that acted as a bed for one prisoner, while the others had to sleep on the hard ground around it (Cooper, N.D.). These cells were teeming with bugs and were incredibly unhygienic, foul smelling, and truly disgusting. Roughly 7,000 Australians died as prisoners of war in Japanese POW camps (Australian War Memorial, N.D.).

During his time in Changi, Sprod tried to not only boost the morale of his fellow POWs, but also himself, through his art. He began drawing to whittle away the hours each day, which did wonders for his mental health (Bryant, 2003). He also created magazines and cartoon stories to try cheering up his campmates. His first publication was in September 1942, and he called it ‘The Narrowminded News’ (Knight, 2009). It consisted of four handwritten sheets of paper held up in a glass frame that were passed around the camp fortnightly (Australian War Memorial, N.D.). As well as cartoons, the publication contained various jokes, amusing stories, and gossip from the camp. Among other things, Sprod wrote to bring some laughter into the misery and boredom the soldiers experienced (Australian War Memorial, N.D.). Unfortunately, ‘The Narrowminded News’ stopped publication after the death of one of Sprod’s cowriters, and no copies still exist. He continued with this idea though, creating a second publication known as ‘Nuts and Jolts’ in his rest time from his work on the Thai-Burma Railway (Australian War Memorial, N.D.). He had this sheet passed around the wards in Kanburi Hospital in Siam in an attempt to cheer up the sick (Sprod, 1981). In September 1944, Sprod founded and produced a magazine with British POW and fellow cartoonist Ronald Searle (Knight, 2009). The title of this camp magazine was originally ‘Exile’ before it was later changed to ‘Smoke-Oh’ to make it more Australian (Australian War Memorial, N.D.). Sprod and Searle only managed to create two issues before Sprod was transferred away to dig the defenses of the island, which he did until the end of the war in August 1945 (Australian War Memorial, N.D.).

With the war over, the POWs were sent back to Australia. George had a dream to chase. So, when he arrived back in Sydney, he showed the drawings he had created in his POW journal to press offices around town (Knight, 2009). George’s drawings and art style really clicked with Frank Packer of Consolidated Press, who gave him a job as a Creative Artist (Foyle, 2023). This job mainly consisted of Sprod illustrating the covers for the Australian Women’s Weekly, which he said was ‘pleasant enough’ (Knight, 2009).

Despite his successes while working for the Women’s Weekly, George found himself wanting to go further with his dream of being a cartoonist, so in a leap of faith, he moved to London, England (Knight, 2009). London was home of the renowned institution of Punch – the most famous, successful, and influential humour magazine at the time (Punch, N.D). It was a huge risk for Sprod to try and get his work published in this magazine, as every cartoonist in the world was trying to do the same, but luckily for him, Malcolm Muggeridge – the editor of Punch – absolutely adored his humorous gags and his memorable style (Kerr, 2007). Within six years, Sprod had firmly established himself at Punch, coming a long way since he first left his home and Changi.

He later married Odette Francine Humphries, a barmaid at his local pub, and they had a child together named Douglas Sprod before their divorce in the late sixties (Foyle, 2023). After the divorce, George packed up his life in London and moved back to Sydney (Kerr, 2007). He enjoyed his less demanding life where he spent majority of his time drinking in pubs with old friends (Knight, 2009). He also continued with his freelance art work and wrote many books in his spare time about his life and war experiences (Foyle, 2023). Unfortunately, in August 2002, he suffered a stroke (Kerr, 2007). After a stay in hospital he was transferred to a nursing home, where he sadly passed away on April 7, 2003, at the age of 84 (Kerr, 2007).

Reference List

Primary
Books

·       Sprod, G., 1981. Bamboo round my Shoulder. Kenthurst: Kangaroo Press. Images

·       Australian War Memorial, N.D.. Australian prisoners of war in the Changi Gaol.. [Online]

Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C14140 [Accessed May 2023].

·       Sprod, G., 1944. N.A.. [Art] (Australian War Memorial).

·       Sprod, G., 1945. Smoke-Oh. [Art] (N.A.).

·       Sprod, G., N.D.. "She really has gone for leather in a big way - her hat, her coat, her kinky boots, her skin...". [Art] (Punch!).

·       Sprod, G., N.D.. Books, Books... [Art].

·       Sprod, G., N.D.. Never Work. [Art] (N.A.). Websites

·       Australian War Memorial, N.D.. Gunner George Napier Sprod. [Online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P11040181 [Accessed March 2023].

·       Australian War Memorial, N.D.. Sprod, George Napier (Gunner, POW Changi). [Online]

Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C89857 [Accessed May 2023].

·       Punch, N.D.. Punch Magazine. [Online]

Available at: https://magazine.punch.co.uk/about [Accessed May 2023].

Secondary
Books

·       Grant, L., 2015. The Changi Book. s.l.:NewSouth, 2015

·       Sprod, D., 2009. Sprod: Cartoons by that Odd Mr Sprod. Asprod: Migration Museum. Websites

·       Australian War Memorial, N.D.. Sprod, George Napier (Gunner, POW Changi). [Online]

Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C89857 [Accessed May 2023].

·       AusReprints, 2022. George Napier Sprod. [Online] Available at: https://ausreprints.net/creator/4056 [Accessed April 2023].

·       Anon., n.d. George Napier Sprod. [Online]

Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/615809 [Accessed 26 October 2022].

·       British Museum, N.D.. George Sprod. [Online]

Available at: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG61531 [Accessed April 2023].

·       Bryant, M., 2003. George Sprod. [Online]

Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/george-sprod-36440.html [Accessed March 2023].

·       Cooper, C., N.D.. The Story of Changi. [Online]

Available at: https://www.cofepow.org.uk/armed-forces-stories-list/the-story-of-changi [Accessed May 2023].

·       Digger History, N.D.. Changi Cartoonist George Sprod. [Online]

Available at: http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-battles/ww2/changi/cartoonist.htm [Accessed April 2023].

·       Foyle, L., N.D. George Napier Sprod. [Online]

Available at: https://cartoonists.org.au/stanleys/halloffame/sprod_george [Accessed April 2023].

·       Kerr, J., 2007. George Napier Sprod. [Online]

Available at: https://www.daao.org.au/bio/george-napier-sprod/biography/ [Accessed May 2023].