Christ and Captivity in the Second World War: Stanley Warren’s Murals in Changi Camp

The British painter Stanley Warren (1917–92) was a prisoner of war in Changi Camp between 1942 and 1945. While in captivity, he was commissioned to paint murals for the Anglican Chapel of St Luke, which was situated in the dysentery wing in Roberts Barracks. This article investigates how the murals came to be and places them in their wider artistic and religious contexts. I argue that these artworks participated in anchoring the POWs in their British Christian identity, especially in the Far East, and were even a sign of resistance. A commission from a padre, they were designed to care for the souls of the captives, keeping their dignity and humanity alive in the midst of extreme suffering. While the murals present similarities in the treatment of their subjects with contemporary artworks in Britain, they also hold a redemptive message whose value carries on to this day.