Author Biography
Geoff Gill, MA, MSc, MD, PhD, FRCP, DTM&H, is Emeritus Professor of International Medicine, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and a Consultant Physician at Aintree University Hospital, Liverpool. He began seeing former Far East POWs referred to the Tropical School in the 1970s, and has maintained a close interest in their health and history since. Geoff led the long collaboration between the School and the UK Far East POWs community, and helped define many of their long term health problems - in particular chronic worm infestations, nutritional nerve damage and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). More recently, he has been involved with historical enquiries, notably concerning disease patterns and medical management on the Thai-Burma Railway.Meg Parkes, MPhil, is Honorary Research Fellow, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and the daughter of a Far East POW. She trained as a State Registered Nurse in the early 1970s. In 2002 and 2003 Meg published her father's diaries, which indirectly led to her being asked to do an oral history study interviewing Far East POW veterans (FEPOW) for the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 2007. The study became the basis for an MPhil for which she also undertook research into ingenuity and inventive medicine in captivity. A two year Heritage Lottery Fund project followed, introducing Far East POW history into the secondary school curriculum. Awarded her MPhil in 2013, Meg has since researched the unseen documentary art of Far East captivity. An exhibition is planned for 2020, in Liverpool (see website for details). www.captivememories.org.uk
