Was Aussie POW survivor Bill Sticpewich a hero or villain?

Bill Sticpewich survived the Sandakan death march and was damned for helping the Japanese, but was he actually a hero?

Private Keith Botterill, Warrant Officer Bill Sticpewich and Private Nelson Short. Picture: State Library Victoria

He’s been accused of being a collaborator, a “white Jap”, a thief and a murderer, but was Bill Sticpewich a villain or a hero?

While the notorious POW co-operated with his captors for personal gain, his meticulous testimony after World War II sent many Japanese war criminals to the gallows.

Sticpewich is the subject of a new episode of the free weekly In Black and White podcast on Australia’s forgotten characters:

His story is told in the new book The Witness, by Tom Gilling, who says Sticpewich was one of only six survivors out of more than 2400 Australian and British POWs imprisoned at Sandakan in Borneo.

Hearing Sticpewich had survived, fellow survivor Bill Moxham said: “That bastard’s still alive? I’m going to kill him with my bare hands.”

Emaciated POWs released from captivity at the hands of the Japanese. Picture: State Library Victoria

Bill Sticpewich stands by the grave of Captain Lionel Matthews, who was shot by the Japanese at Kuching. Picture: Australian War Memorial

Born in Newcastle, Sticpewich was a professional motorcycle speedway rider who competed in Europe before the war, and was known for his daredevil antics and lucky escapes.

After Sticpewich was captured, he convinced the Japanese to allow him to lead a “technical party” of POWs, who performed maintenance and odd jobs around the camp.

“What that meant is he was able to avoid the heavy labour of working at the airfield,” Gilling says.

Co-operating with the Japanese also shielded him from beatings, and gained him extra food.

While Sticpewich put himself first, he also helped smuggle in food and medicine for sick POWs.

Australian POWs returning from Europe receive a raucous welcome in Sydney. Picture: State Library Victoria

He saw hundreds of prisoners die of starvation and illness, while others were shot or bayoneted to death by Japanese guards on forced marches through the Borneo jungle.

Sticpewich’s role gave him free rein around camp, where he witnessed many war crimes.

“He knew exactly how many bags of rice the commandant had kept hidden under his hut while the prisoners were starving,” Gilling says.

“He had been able to look through windows and see the Japanese guards ransacking the Red Cross medical parcels that were supposed to be given to the prisoners.”

The Witness, by Tom Gilling.

Author Tom Gilling. Picture: Ciaran Gilling

Sticpewich escaped after receiving a tip-off from a guard that the last POWs, having survived a horrific death march through the Borneo jungle, were about to be massacred.

He has been accused of murdering his escape partner, who was delirious and could have given him away to the Japanese, and of stealing treasure hidden by POWs who died.

By contrast, Sticpewich worked tirelessly after the war to recover the remains of POWs who had died or been murdered on the death marches.

“Without him, there’s no doubt many Japanese war criminals would have walked free, and the bodies of many dead prisoners of war might never have been found,” Gilling says.

To learn more, listen to the interview with Tom Gilling in the In Black and White podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or web.

See In Black & White in the Herald Sun newspaper Monday to Friday for more stories and photos from Victoria’s past.