Located in the Hall of Columns, the Changi flag display was unveiled on 11 February 2005. The flag flew over the Sultan’s palace in Johore, the southernmost state of Malaya until in 1941 it was removed by Captain Ken Parsons of the 2/3rd Motor Ambulance Convoy to prevent it falling into enemy hands. After the fall of Singapore the flag was held by the captured Australians in Changi Prison , where it was kept safe until liberation in 1945. Throughout the prisoners’ captivity, the flag was brought out on ceremonial occasions, including the burial of prisoners, then secured again. It became a symbol of the courage of the prisoners of war.
Between 1942 and 1945, over one hundred signatures were placed on the flag. Of these, 91 are Australians, including 33 Victorians, 36 New South Welshmen, 16 Queenslanders and 2 Western Australians. The remaining signatures are attributed to members of the liberating force in 1945 and foreign patients of Australian medical units.
The flag is accompanied by an audio-visual that tells the story of the flag and personal accounts of some of its signatories.
The Changi flag was donated to the Shrine of Remembrance collection by Ron and Barbara Walker, 2004