Prisoner of war honoured at army museum

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 648, 6 August 1996, Page 5

Prisoner of war honoured at army museum

Agroup of exprisonersofwar presentedaphotograph and plaque commemorating the deeds and actions of one of their number, John Bernard Durham, to the Queen Elizabeth II Army Memorial Museum at Waiouru last Friday. John Bernard Durham, was captured in North Africa in World War II and imprisoned first in Italy and then after a long march, in Poland where he was forced to work in a coal mine. The camp commandant discovered that Durham was an accomplished pianist and had him play while the commandant ate lunch, with a loaded pistol sitting beside him while Durham was warned that the pistol

would be used if the piano playing was unsatisfactory. Durham commanded great respect from the Germans and when 14 of his comrades were about to be shot by firing squad, he convinced the guards that they

could not get away with it and halted the killings. In later life, he became a catholic priest, and lived in Wellington and later in

Hastings. He died at the age of 83. The photo and plaque were commissioned by the Hawkes Bay Ex-Prisoners

of War Association and will hang in the Museum for one year, after which it will be returned to Durham' s family. "It was a privilege for the Army Museum to be presented with such an important piece of art that commemorates the endeavours of a New Zealander," said museum marketing manager, Mark O'Connor. The photo and plaque will be placed on public display at the Army Museum, adjacent to the current prisoner of war exhibit.